As a lifelong Minnesota Democrat, I have been embarrassed countless times by the Republican elected officials in my state over the past few years. Between Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann, we have some pretty extreme leadership who has led the party over the edge. However, there are a few others who, while not quite as vocal as those two, have followed them every step of the way. In Minnesota’s 3rd District, Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen was elected in 2008 and has fit in with them perfectly ever since. Recently, I have started as an intern on Jim Meffert’s campaign to unseat him. Jim is an exciting new candidate, and has a real path to victory. Here’s a little more background on the District and the candidates.
Minnesota’s 3rd District is located in the western suburbs of Minneapolis, and was one of only 19 Districts in the country to vote for President Obama and elect a Republican Congressman in 2008. President Obama received 52% of the vote in 2008, Amy Klobuchar won it in 2006, and it has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of 0. This is the definition of a swing District, and is an amazing opportunity for the Democrats to add a seat in November.
MN-3 is currently represented by Erik Paulsen, a Republican who has voted with Michelle Bachmann and the national Republican leaders 94% of the time. He calls himself a fiscal conservative, but he spent $400,000 worth of taxpayer money sending out campaign mail from his congressional office. He has voted against overseeing the bonus money given out by TARP banks, voted against expanding health care to millions of new Americans, voted against the biggest middle class tax cut in American history, and most importantly, voted against the interests of his constituents and on the side of Wall Street and the credit card companies in his role on the Financial Services Committee time and time again. He is a career politician who isn’t the moderate he said he would be when he was elected, and now is the right time to beat him.
His opponent this cycle is Jim Meffert, a non-profit leader in the education and health care fields for over 20 years. Jim is running for Congress to fight for the families of Minnesota’s Third District. In Washington, Jim will strengthen public schools, create good jobs, protect homeowners and help bring down the cost of health care. As a nonprofit manager, Jim has worked to limit health care costs and expand access for children, seniors and survivors of illness and accidents. As president of the Minnesota Parent Teacher Association, Jim increased parental involvement and strengthened the relationship between parents and teachers. Jim is endorsed by the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, local elected officials and organized labor.
2010 is going to be a difficult year for Democrats on the national level, but it’s places like Minnesota 3rd District and candidates like Jim Meffert that should give people hope. Erik Paulsen is a typical Republican who talks about being a moderate but votes against it every single time. However, his friends on Wall Street have been lining his pockets for being on their side every time, so Jim needs help fighting back in his people powered, grassroots campaign. He’s relying on a lot of small donations and everyday people to spread his message about reforming our broken financial system, gaining national security through energy independence, and the importance of electing a leader who is a newcomer to politics but has been fighting for health care and education issues for his entire life.
Every donation, tweet, and fan of the Facebook page, matters in a campaign like this one. Any support is invaluable, and it’s candidates like Jim that should be real bright spots for Democrats across the country come November.
Click here to donate
Click here to learn more about Jim
Check us out on Twitter
Become a Facebook fan
Charlie Rybak
Co-New Media Director
Meffert for Congress