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Dean Phillips cruises to victory over challenger Tom Weiler in Minnesota’s 3rd District
Phillips has prided himself on having a bipartisan approach in Congress while striving to portray himself as a moderate voice amid partisan tensions on Capitol Hill.
“History will treat these last two years as one of the most remarkable Congresses in recent memory in terms of its output, especially as it relates to the division, dysfunction and very tight majorities,” Phillips said in a September interview.
Read the article in the StarTribune »
Amid national GOP momentum, Rep. Dean Phillips tries to keep suburban Minnesota district blue
Phillips prides himself on his constituent services, from helping veterans access their benefits to constituents looking to obtain their Social Security checks, he said. Phillips was a finalist this year for a constituent service award given out by the Congressional Management Foundation.
“If you come to my office in Minnetonka or in Washington D.C., you’ll be surprised by the hospitality, no matter your politics,” Phillips said, adding that he welcomed Weiler into his congressional office when the Republican paid him a visit earlier this year.
Read the article in the StarTribune »
Some Minnesota lawmakers point to increase in threats this term
On Capitol Hill, combative political rhetoric and the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol continue to impact lawmakers.
“We have seen an uptick in threatening and violent rhetoric since January of 2021 and we are taking every precaution to ensure the safety of the congressman, his staff and our constituents while remaining accessible and visible in the community,” the office of DFL Rep. Dean Phillips wrote in an email.
Read the article in the StarTribune »
No, That Democrat Didn’t Vote ‘100% of the Time’ with Nancy Pelosi
Pelosi has been a boogeywoman in Republican campaigns for more than a decade. Remember “Fire Pelosi” in 2010? The haircut thing during the pandemic? The ice cream freezer drawer? For G.O.P. operatives, linking vulnerable Democrats to Pelosi, or the “radical San Francisco liberal” in their words, is akin to a classic rock station that always plays “Stairway to Heaven” or “Free Bird” — they do it because they think it works.
And has Ryan voted with Pelosi and Biden 100 percent of the time? Has Spanberger? Not really. Republicans have leveled the same cookie-cutter accusation at Cindy Axne, Angie Craig, Elaine Luria, Chris Pappas, Dean Phillips and Susan Wild — all of them known to be among the least partisan Democrats in the House.
Read the article in The New York Times »
The Modernization of Government and Politics in the 21st Century: An Interview with Congressman Dean Phillips
Socially, whether it’s a university, an enterprise, a non profit, or any other organization, if you don’t have people who know each other, trust each other, and respect each other, you simply cannot be a high performing organization. The same is true in Congress. My first week as a Congressman in January of 2019, I was under the impression that we would all, Democrats and Republicans, get together and break bread, get to know each other, and build trust. Instead, leadership on both sides of the aisle focused more on separating us from one another rather than inspiring us to form relationships. So, one focus of the committee is to create spaces in which members of Congress can build trust and bonds and to be more intentional about creating relationships.
Read the article in Brown Political Review »
Free Air Time: 3rd District candidate Dean Phillips
This election season, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is giving candidates in Minnesota’s statewide races a chance to speak directly to you, to help you make an informed decision on Election Day.
We’ve offered up to two minutes of free air time to each participating candidate.
Incumbent Rep. Dean Phillips is the Democratic nominee for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District.
Watch the segment on KSTP »
Not All Suburbs Are 2022 Battlegrounds. Some Have Already Gone Blue.
“How can you not love this?” Phillips, now upstairs, exclaims as he prepares to saw a hole in the wall of the house’s newly redesigned master bedroom. Despite his staff’s efforts to warn him, he steps on a nail. It’s a short one, thankfully, that doesn’t pierce the sole of his sneaker, and he gets right back to it.
Welcome to “On the Job With Dean” — unconventional politicking for an unconventional politician, a suburban Democratic lawmaker whose fortunes say a lot about American politics in 2022. On this particular autumn day, Phillips is moonlighting with a demolition crew for a local contractor, part of a series of odd jobs he takes on, he told me, to feel grounded.
Read the article on The New York Times »
VOTERS GUIDE: 3rd Congressional District: Phillips, Weiler are on the ballot
I’m focused first and foremost on the preservation of our democracy itself, because without it, the freedoms and liberties we take for granted would soon disappear. As for distinct policy priorities, I am focused on enhancing public safety, including by authoring the Pathways to Policing Act to help attract a diverse new generation of officer candidates to our police departments. I am focused on lowering costs for working families, having helped pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which will lower the cost of energy, healthcare and prescription drugs while reducing the federal deficit. And I will continue to do whatever I can to stop the attacks on women’s reproductive health and freedoms by those my opponent seeks to empower.
Read the voter guide on Press & News »
Third Congressional District/Dean Phillips: I’ll continue defending abortion rights, families’ needs
For the anti-abortion movement, the definition of life is at the center of this debate, following their belief that life begins immediately upon conception. I respect the deeply held beliefs and values behind this view, but I do not believe one’s religious beliefs should impose upon another’s freedom.
The inexplicable thing about the anti-abortion movement, however, has been its refusal to rally around policies that support life after birth. To be authentically pro-life, one must value the lives not only of newborns, but of all children, parents, families and their caregivers, too. If there is no debate over the value of life after birth, why then are policies to support families widely opposed by anti-abortion members of Congress and their peers at the state and local levels?
Read Dean’s opinion piece in the StarTribune »
Voter guide: See 3rd District candidates’ stances on abortion, crime, more
He supports abortion rights, and after the U.S. House passed two bills protecting abortion access in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, he said “Abortion is health care, and I will protect women’s right to choose it using every tool our Founders afforded us.”
Read the voter guide on MPR »
FHWA awards $269,600 bridge grant to Excelsior, Greenwood
Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration has awarded a $269,600 grant to Excelsior in partnership with Greenwood under the first round of grants from President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s competitive Bridge Investment Program.
Acting Administrator Pollack joined U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips along with local and state officials from Excelsior, Greenwood and Minnesota Department of Transportation last week to announce the grant, which will help the cities plan for improvements to the Minnetonka Boulevard Bridge over St. Alban’s Bay of Lake Minnetonka. The bridge was built during the 1940’s and connects the cities of Excelsior and Greenwood.
Read the Sun Sailor article »
3rd District candidates spar on economy, public safety
The candidates in Minnesota’s 3rd congressional district squared off in their first televised debate ahead of the midterm elections. Democratic incumbent Dean Phillips and Republican challenger Tom Weiler agreed the economy and inflation will be one of the key issues in the campaign, but disagreed on the cause and the solutions.
Phillips says the “Inflation Reduction Act” he supported will help reduce the deficit and that should help reduce inflation in the long-term. He also defended the need for the recent government spending. “We had a decision to make,” he says. “It was either support families, businesses, reduce unemployment, keep businesses open during the most difficult days in our recent history…or face massive unemployment business closures.”
Watch the debate on KSTP »
U.S. Rep. Phillips to Champlin Park Students: ‘We Have a Lot of Tough Challenges’
Champlin Park High School students got to pepper U.S. Rep. Dean Philllips with questions on Friday. The congressman visited the school telling students that the nation faces “a lot of tough challenges.”
Phillips answered a wide range of questions telling students that no question was off limits. Questions ranged from the contract impasse impacting Twin Cities hospital nurses to how to control gun violence.
Watch or read the story on CCX Media »
If U.S. House Flips, Minnesota Lawmakers Would Face Dramatic Shifts in Power
Voter concern about partisan feuding in Congress may help moderates of both parties, including Rep. Dean Phillips, D-3rd, if those centrists can broker deals in a very toxic political environment.
Even if his party is in the minority next year, Phillips, if reelected, plans to run for the co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, the messaging arm of the House Democratic Caucus.
Read the article on Twin Cities Business »
Talking Points: 3rd Congressional District: A shifting suburbia
3rd Congressional District sees a shift in suburban votes from Republicans to Democrats. Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat, is counting on pulling independent women to his side because he is for abortion rights.
Watch the piece on WCCO »
Lake Minnetonka’s crumbling St. Albans Bay Bridge gets $270K federal grant
The $269,600 grant will go toward planning costs for future repairs to the bridge. The money can’t be used for construction costs. Projects that receive planning grants through the bridge program could later be eligible for federal construction grants, according to a Wednesday news release.
“I wish we could have done it sooner,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who represents the area. “But the fact is that we’re doing it … [and it] hopefully restores a little bit of hope and faith in our government and all of us.”
Read the article on the StarTribune »
‘This needs to happen yesterday’: Advocates push for swift passage of bill to protect Afghan refugees.
Six out of 10 members of Congress from Minnesota have expressed their support for the Afghan Adjustment Act—representatives Dean Phillips, Ilhan Omar, Betty McCollum, Angie Craig, and senators Klobuchar and Tina Smith.
“Thousands of Afghans risked their lives to help Americans during the war in Afghanistan. As a result of their service, most will never be able to safely return to their former home,” Smith said in a written statement. “We have a responsibility to help those who helped us, and that starts with a pathway to permanent legal status here in the United States.”
Read the story on Sahan Journal »
Minnesota seniors strike back against soaring rents
Last month, six members of Minnesota’s delegation in Washington — including senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and representatives Angie Craig, Betty McCollum, Ilhan Omar and Dean Phillips — jointly signed a letter to Dominium, asking the developer to justify the rent increase in light of the federal subsidies it receives. In a separate letter, Rep. Phillips called on the secretary of HUD to investigate the issue and recommend changes to the federal Section 42 program to protect renters, especially those on fixed incomes.
“While Dominium’s actions may be allowable under Section 42 rules, it is clear that we should reexamine the program to determine if it is serving the intended purpose,” Phillips wrote.
Read the story on the StarTribune »
US Chamber endorses Phillips in CD3
“He was instrumental in the Paycheck Protection Fairness Act, which provided some much important flexibility to those small business owners who took PPP loans,” John Kirchner, who heads congressional and public affairs for the organization, told reporters.
He said party affiliation isn’t a factor in the US Chamber’s endorsements. He also pointed to Phillips’ support for the bipartisan CHIPS Act and efforts to help older workers remain in the workforce.
“It has nothing to do with party. It has everything to do with what he’s done for small businesses, what he’s done in his time in Congress, his willingness to work across the aisle.”
Watch the story on KARE11 »
This House Republican may hold the keys to climate policy
Curtis, 62, is an old-school politician who believes the best policy comes from the “radical middle.” And without naming names, he’s quick to point out the “extremism” of both parties. But he does name names when talking about potential allies. Curtis said he has enjoyed his many conversations with Casten, whom he described as the “smart person in the room” on climate.
The two lawmakers are exploring the possibility of drafting a climate bill they both could sponsor in the next Congress. They gathered recently at the home of Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) with a small bipartisan group of lawmakers interested in teaming up on climate.
Read the story on E&E News »
Frustrated Democrats Mount Push for Committee Chair Term Limits
Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) said Democrats are realizing “it’s healthy to have seats open up for new ideas, new perspectives and new leaders.” He expects term limits to be a substantial part of the discussion around new caucus leaders.
“With likely generational change forthcoming, there’s a lot of conversation about how we affect the House rules package, how we affect the caucus rules package,” Phillips said.
Read the story on Bloomberg Government »
Should Biden Run Again? The Question Is Dividing Democrats, as They Wait on His Decision
Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips was more blunt at the end of July when asked if he thinks Biden should run again: “I don’t.” Phillips added in an interview on the Chad Hartman radio show on WCCO-AM, “I think the country would be well served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats to step up.” Fellow Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig voiced similar reservations the following month in an interview with MinnPost, saying, “I would say we need new leaders in Washington up and down the ballot in the Democratic Party.”
Read the story on TIME »
D.C. Memo: Washington and the nation focused on Ian; Florida
Congress has debated for at least a year the need to limit lawmakers’ trade in individual stocks because it has resulted in conflicts of interest or perceived conflicts of interest. Support for reform is bipartisan and backed by several Minnesota lawmakers, including Reps. Angie Craig, D-2nd and Dean Phillips, D-3rd.
Read the story on MinnPost »
Congress: Make “X” gender marker obtainable on all travel doc
The Chair of the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), along with 18 fellow House Democrats sent a letter to the U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security Tuesday encouraging them to make the “X” gender marker available for all U.S. passport applications and Trusted Travelers programs..
Read the story on Blade »
Minnesota 2022 voter’s guide: Who’s running in the election, where they stand on the issues
The Star Tribune invited DFL and GOP candidates to participate in our digital and print election guides, asking them to provide biographical information and views on top issues ahead of the Nov. 8 election.
Read the guide on the StarTribune »
U.S. House passes public safety package
A local police funding bill won unanimous support from Minnesota lawmakers in the U.S. House on Thursday, even as political tension around public safety remains sharply evident on Capitol Hill.
“Despite reports of its demise, bipartisanship is still alive,” Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips texted shortly after passage of the $300 million legislation.
Read the article on the StarTribune »
Here’s where Minn. congressional candidates stand on national abortion ban
Phillips opposes Graham’s bill. In response, Phillips introduced the PRO-LIFE Act, which is a set of bills to invest in maternal and children’s health, paid leave and adoption support.
Read the article on Minnesota Reformer »
A Houston doctor saved a life by donating bone marrow. Now he wants to help others do the same.
Prudowsky and Lindberg are now advocating for Congress to pass H.R. 7770, or the Life-Saving Leave Act. The bill, introduced in May by Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips of Minnesota, would amend the Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 to provide up to 40 hours of unpaid, non-consecutive leave for bone marrow or blood stem cell donors.
“There is simply no reason for anyone to be at risk of losing their job when it comes to potentially saving a life,” Phillips said in a news release announcing the introduction of the bill.
Read the article on the Houston Chronicle »
3rd Congressional District Rep. Dean Phillips and challenger Tom Weiler on abortion rights
“I am a father of two daughters,” Phillips said. “I do not want my daughters growing up in a country that has withdrawn a freedom from American women, it’s nauseating to me.”
Watch the discussion on the WCCO »
Medical debt is on the November ballot in Arizona
Twenty-six House Democrats introduced a package of health-care and family-aid bills aimed at addressing the nation’s maternal mortality crisis and extending federal safety net programs for low-income Americans.
“I’m ready to work with anyone in Congress who is serious about supporting children and families,” said Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.), co-lead on the legislation. “And ask my colleagues to stop using women’s bodies, freedoms and futures to score political points.”
Read the article on the Washington Post »
Warnings From Authors Who Track Domestic Extremism
The Capitol riot was a traumatic event for the lawmakers caught inside the complex as the crowd marauded through hallways and up and down the marble staircases, breaking windows, drawing graffiti on historic statues and threatening the lives of members and even Vice President Mike Pence.
Representative Dean Phillips, a Democrat from Minnesota who was caught in the House Gallery as the rioters tried to break into the chamber, said in an interview that it was “the worst day of my life.” He still keeps the gas mask he wore that day on a shelf in his office as a reminder, he said, of what he sees as the stakes of free and fair elections.
Read the article on NYT »
Braver Angels Is Bridging the Political Divide
U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn., 3rd District) has participated in a number of Braver Angels workshops, both with voters in his Minnesota district and with some of his national colleagues as part of the congressional Problem Solvers Caucus.
“Braver Angels workshops are the only place I’ve seen where people identify commonality in the course of a couple hours, often coming from very different political perspectives, and go quickly from antagonism to friendship,” he says. “It’s been one of the most rewarding parts of my job, to watch people come in with low expectations and leave inspired and optimistic.”
Read the article on Minnesota Monthly »
Rep. Dean Phillips’ ‘Common Ground’ gatherings aim to bridge divide
For two-plus hours of “Common Ground” conversation, the Democratic congressman was just “Dean.” In his quest for a third term, Phillips faces Republican U.S. Navy vet Tom Weiler on the ballot in November.
But this moderated conversation in a small room overlooking youth hockey practice wasn’t about the campaign. Phillips gathered constituents from across the political spectrum as he has done on six previous occasions with the seemingly lofty goal of showing there’s more that unites than divides them.
Read the article on the StarTribune »
Biden’s try at canceling student debt met with Minnesota partisan divide
Democratic President Joe Biden’s attempt to cancel thousands of dollars in federal student loan debt for millions of Americans quickly sparked a partisan divide Wednesday within Minnesota’s congressional delegation.
“Working families need our support now more than ever,” Phillips added. “That said, this initiative only treats the symptoms and not the disease.”
Read the article on the StarTribune »
Minnesota GOP governor nominee Scott Jensen triples down on comparing COVID policies to Nazi Germany
Some Jewish groups and elected officials have criticized Jensen for the remarks, including Minnesota DFL U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips.
“I believe in our freedom of speech,” Phillips tweeted, “but comparing Nazi Kristallnacht, which murdered human beings, to the wearing of masks to reduce COVID transmission, which saved human beings — is repulsive and shameful.”
Read the article on the StarTribune »
Family separations still haunting Afghan families in Minnesota one year later
Phillips, serving his second term in the suburban Third District, first During a conversation with Rep. Dean Phillips on Monday, Masihullah Sahil shared a story of separation and asked for help with reunification.
Watch the story on KARE11 »
U.S. Rep Phillips Visits Brooklyn Park Warehouse That Helps Afghan Refugees
Over the last few months, the nonprofit set up a marketplace where Afghan refugees could get furniture and supplies free of charge.
While the marketplace certainly helps the roughly 1,300 Afghans who resettled here, there’s still a lot of work to do to help Minnesota feel like home.
“What we’re trying to do now in Congress is try to fix, at least incrementally, a system that’s been terribly disadvantageous to Afghans in particular,” said Phillips. “Particularly those who’ve helped our mission.”
Read the article on CCX Media »
Minnesota U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips calls for ‘dynamic’ new candidate for president in 2024, not Joe Biden
Phillips, serving his second term in the suburban Third District, first made the comments Thursday in an interview on WCCO Radio, after host Chad Hartman asked him about apprehension from other Democrats about Biden seeking a second term.
“I have respect for Joe Biden, I think he has — despite some mistakes and some missteps, despite his age — I think he’s a man of decency, of good principle, of compassion, of empathy and of strength,” Phillips said. “But to answer your question directly, which I know is quite rare, Chad, no, I don’t. I think the country would be well-served by a new generation of compelling, well-prepared, dynamic Democrats to step up.”
Read the article on the StarTribune »
Phillips runs on optimism while Weiler focuses on nation’s ills in Minnesota’s 3rd District race
At that press conference, Phillips offered an “invitation to Republican colleagues who have complained on television every night and on social media” about inflation without offering solutions.
“I haven’t seen a proposal from the other side of the aisle … just a lot of complaining,” Phillips said. “If we’re not willing to work together, my goodness, then we will fail.”
Read the article on MinnPost »
Local Veterans Honored at Maple Grove Veterans Memorial
Representative Dean Phillips has been working with the Vietnam War Commemoration Program to pay tribute to veterans. Family members or friends nominated veterans for the recognition.
“At a time when our country needs to elevate principle, honor, integrity, decency, civility, that’s what today commemorates,” Phillips said. “You can tell by some of the emotion that was expressed today that it was very meaningful.”
Read the article on CCX Media »
Democrats call for more gun measures after July Fourth parade shooting
Mass shootings won’t stop “until more members of Congress expand their definition of freedom to include freedom from massacre by semi-automatic weapon,” Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., told NBC News on Tuesday.
Read the article on NBC News »
Local Veterans Honored at Maple Grove Veterans Memorial
“Like a large majority of Americans, I am angered and devastated by this ruling. The consequences of this decision are a blow to all of us who believe that in a free society, there are limits to how much the government can encroach on our personal lives. In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court has rescinded a right and protection afforded to American women for more than a half-century. “
Read the article on CCX Media »
Help (very much) needed: Better cops
“This is not about increasing quantity necessarily, but about improving the quality of new recruits,” he said. The departments that have used the program “have been very pleased,” he said. The Justice Department recruitment campaign is equally important, he said. “We need to restore policing as an honorable, principled profession that will attract honorable, principled candidates. That is essential to improving law enforcement in this country.”
Read the article on the StarTribune »
U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, law enforcement leaders unveil bill to boost police recruiting
“Law enforcement agencies in the Third District and all around the country are having a terribly difficult time recruiting quality applicants and hiring them and retaining them for their careers,” Phillips said Tuesday at an event in Bloomington to spotlight his legislation.
Read the article on the StarTribune »
Minnesota’s lawmakers are among those who seek curbs to stock trading
The bipartisan support to limit stock trading was fueled by a number of incidents, including revelations that several senators made fortuitous trades before the American people were fully aware of the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic that was about to upend economies around the world.
As a result of questionable trades by members of Congress, Phillips said, “People have lost trust in public servants.”
Read the article on MinnPost »
U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips Holds Roundtable on Child Care Costs
“Like a large majority of Americans, I am angered and devastated by this ruling. The consequences of this decision are a blow to all of us who believe that in a free society, there are limits to how much the government can encroach on our personal lives. In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court has rescinded a right and protection afforded to American women for more than a half-century. “
Read the article on CCX Media »
Here Are 27 Congress Members Urging Nancy Pelosi, McCarthy to Ban Stock Trading in House
“This common-sense, bipartisan legislation is unfortunately necessary in light of recent misconduct, and is supported by Americans across the political spectrum,” the letter reads. “Both of you have recently addressed this issue in public comments, but this glaring problem will not go away until it is fixed and Congress should not delay when we have the power to fix it.”
Read the article on Newsweek »
‘I was there’: Democrat recalls horror and fury on day of Capitol attack
Representative Dean Phillips describes the day that ‘changed him’ after a pro-Tump mob overran police and reached the doors of the House chamber.
Read the article on The Guardian »
MN Rep. Phillips hopeful ‘build back better’ will still pass
3rd District Rep. Dean Phillips said he thinks the social spending plan will still pass in the Senate sometime in the new year.
“I believe it’s the end of the beginning,” Phillips said in an interview Monday. “It’s not the beginning of the end.”
Read the article on MPR »
Rep. Dean Phillips wins Minnesota’s 3rd District over GOP challenger Kendall Qualls
Freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips will return to Congress for a second term, representing a western suburban seat he flipped from Republican control two years ago.
He won over voters by highlighting his bipartisan credentials, defeating political newcomer Kendall Qualls. The GOP candidate had also made appeals to moderate voters as he tried to return the seat to Republican hands.
Read the article on the StarTribune »
Let’s create change—together.
Join the DeanTeam—a diverse, committed team of neighbors who are creating change in communities across Minnesota’s Third District.
Whether you’d like to volunteer at an upcoming campaign event or lend a hand from home, there are always opportunities to make a meaningful difference.