There is a strong new face in the Democratic Party, and his name is Ashwin Madia. Running with a massive grassroots campaign he came out of no where to become the Democratic nominee in the open race for Minnesota's 3rd District. He is a first generation American, an Iraq War veteran, and for more information about him, check out Populista's great bio of him from May.
We are lucky in that this election year, we had a whole slew of presidential candidates to be excited about. Even still, it's rare to find palpable excitement around politicians. But just look at this video from the Third District Convention. When the speaker announces Ashwin Madia as a candidate for US Representative, the crowd goes nuts.
This energy channels into votes, people.
Madia is running against the very conservative former Minnesota Republican House Major Leader Erik Paulson. Paulson has a huge fundraising machine, utilizing Dick Cheney to the fullest at a recent fundraiser. He was uncontested in the primary, which allowed him to amass $620,000 in the second quarter, giving him $1.1 million cash on hand. This is huge for a US House race.
But the Madia campaign just released some stunning news. Having started fundraising for the general election only two months ago, Ashwin Madia still raised more money
DFLer Ashwin Madia, a Third Congressional District candidate, announced Monday that his campaign raised $692,000 during the second quarter of this year, besting Republican opponent Erik Paulsen by $90,000 for that period.
The Third Congressional District, which includes the Twin Cities western suburbs, is considered one of the most hotly contested races this year with the retirement of longtime Rep. Jim Ramstad, a Republican.
Since announcing his candidacy in October, Madia, an Iraq war veteran and first-time office seeker, has raised a total of $1,052,812, his campaign said.
I can't put it better than Zack Stephenson from mnpublius:
This is just unbelievable. Ashwin Madia has done nothing but confound every expectation since he entered this race as an unknown last year. In nine months time, he has built an amazing political organization from scratch, generated unprecedented enthusiasm among CD 3 DFL activists, defeated the prohibitive favorite for the DFL endorsement and now outraised the former Majority Leader of the Minnesota House.
Erik Paulsen should be afraid...very afraid.
This is going to be one of the highest profile race this Fall. The DCCC recognized this, putting Madia on its first round of Red to Blue candidates pretty much as soon as he won the endorsement. This district, with a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+1, has not voted for a Democrat since 1960. They tend to love their incumbents, so this is an opportunity to keep a strong, progressive voice in congress for a long time.
With news cycles playing "Obama Vs. McCain: Cage Match" on repeat from now until November, it is essential that we remember our down ticket candidates. We need more and better Democrats. Madia is a better Democrat - just look at this powerful video his campaign released last week.
I'm don't live in the third district of Minnesota - I'm in the fifth, and Keith Ellison is my representative, and he is safe for life. So I drive out to the Madia office twice a week to volunteer. I'm 20, and this is my first summer in politics. It's people like Barack Obama, like Al Franken, and like Ashwin Madia, who get me excited about what our county can be, and from what I read I'm not alone.
It's this excitement that will turn out voters in November. It's this excitement that will build a real progressive majority in congress and lasting Democratic support in our country. I have a goal of raising $125 $800 for him by the end of the summer, and I would love for you to help me out.
Let's keep the people-powered machine rolling!