First-term Rep. Dean Phillips faces Republican Kendall Qualls in Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District
Brian Snyder/Reuters
- First-term Rep. Dean Phillips will face Republican Kendall Qualls in Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District.
- The district is located in southeastern Minnesota, just west of the Twin Cities.
- In 2018, Phillips became the first Democrat to represent the district since 1961 when Rep. Roy William Wier lost his bid for reelection.
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First-term Rep. Dean Phillips looks to defend his seat against Republican challenger Kendall Qualls in Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District.
The candidates
Phillips is a former regent of St. Johns University and used to be the board chair of Allina Health. He currently sits on the House Committee on Financial Services, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the House Committee on Ethics. Phillips is currently running his campaign around the issues of campaign finance reform, healthcare for every American, and immigration reform.
In 2018, Phillips defeated 5-term Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen by 11.4 percentage points to represent the 3rd District.
Qualls, Phillips' Republican challenger, is a U.S. Army veteran. Following his career in the military, he has worked for healthcare and pharmaceutical companies where he has performed sales and marketing roles as well as forming company strategy. His campaign platform is centered around police reform, adjusting tax policies, and preserving statues and historical landmarks.
The district
Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District is located in southeastern Minnesota, just west of the Twin Cities. The district is home to portions of Anoka, Hennepin, and Carver counties. Before Phillips' election in 2018, the district had not been represented by a Democrat since 1961 when Rep. Roy William Wier lost his bid for reelection.
In the 2016 presidential election, the district voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton over now-President Donald Trump by a margin of 10 points in a 51-41 percent split of the vote, according to Daily Kos.
The money race
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Phillips has raised $1.46 million for his campaign, or about $600,000 less than Qualls with $862,000. Qualls, however, has a small cash on hand advantage currently with $536,000 left to spend approaching the November election, close to $70,000 more than Philips who has $467,000 remaining.
What experts say
The race between Phillips and Qualls is rated as "safe Democratic" by Inside Elections, the Cook Political Report, and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.