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Richard Carlbom: 651-261-1306
Dean Phillips Reaffirms Commitment to Free Public Forums
Phillips announces free public forum in Minnetonka on September 10 as pressure mounts for his opponent, Congressman Erik Paulsen, to answer unscreened questions from voters
On August 10th, and again on on August 16th, Dean Phillips invited Congressman Erik Paulsen to join him at free, open-to-the-public, voter forums. After days of silence, Congressman Paulsen finally accepted the invitation to three forums, but with restrictions on participation, and did not offer dates on which he’d make himself available.
“Representation begins with listening,” said Phillips. “Congressman Paulsen’s commitment to join me in answering questions from the public three times before Election Day is encouraging. It is important that these events are open and accessible to all who wish to attend — no tickets, no screening, just conversation. I hope he follows through.”
Pressure is mounting on Congressman Paulsen to answer unscreened questions from voters in the communities he represents. The Phillips for Congress team reiterated its expectations for public voter events: they should be free and open to the public, held in venues that accommodate all who are interested in attending, and moderated by an agreed-upon neutral person with questions from the audience.
While Congressman Paulsen demands that such events be ticketed with attendees evenly divided between each campaign, that would exclude independent and undecided voters not connected to either campaign who deserve the opportunity to hear from the two candidates side-by-side.
Independent groups such as the League of Women Voters, local churches and various Chambers of Commerce have expressed interest in organizing such forums. The Phillips for Congress campaign has already announced a series of forums between August and Election Day, including one on Monday, September 10th in Minnetonka:
Everyone’s Invited! Voter Forum
When: Monday, September 10, 2018, 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Where: Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka, MN 55345