Contact:
Richard Carlbom: 651-261-1306
Truth Is Truth: New Phillips Ad Fact-Checks Paulsen’s Lies
New Phillips for Congress TV ad amplifies growing backlash against Erik Paulsen’s unprecedented negative campaign
Today, Dean Phillips’s campaign for Congress released a new ad — entitled “False” — which showcases the multitude of independent fact-checks calling Congressman Erik Paulsen out for repeatedly lying in his campaign. The ad comes the same day that President Donald Trump, who is also notorious for lying to voters, issued a “strong endorsement” of Congressman Paulsen via Twitter.
“Erik Paulsen is running one of the most negative campaigns — filled with objectively false claims — that Minnesota has ever seen from a sitting incumbent,” said Zach Rodvold, campaign manager for Philips for Congress. “Congressman Paulsen’s record of voting with President Trump 98% of the time earned him the President’s ‘strong endorsement,’ and now Paulsen has adopted President Trump’s complete disregard for truth on the campaign trail, too. Voters are finally getting to know the real Erik Paulsen, and they don’t like what they see.”
Congressman Paulsen’s unprecedented negative campaign has been called inappropriate, reckless, false, distorted, not even in the same time zone as truth, extremely misleading, just plain false, and wildly out of context by independent journalists, community leaders, sexual-harassment victims and their attorney, and Democrats, independents and Republicans alike.
Phillips, by contrast, is committed to running an honest and principled race for Congress in Minnesota’s Third District. He has proposed a new truth in political advertising commission to ensure voters are protected from false information just as consumers are, and has called for comprehensive ethics and campaign finance reform to be the first bill taken up by the next Congress.
In April, Phillips challenged Congressman Paulsen to join him in signing the Minnesota Way Pledge, a mutual pledge to eliminate special-interest money and self-funding, and to reduce or eliminate spending from outside groups on both sides. Paulsen refused to sign and is now the fourth-biggest taker of special-interest money in all of Congress — while benefiting from millions more spent on his behalf.
FULL TRANSCRIPT:
(Narrator:) What do fact-checks say about Erik Paulsen’s attack ads? (WCCO’s Pat Kessler:) Paulsen is trying to make it seem like Phillips doesn’t give his workers healthcare; that’s false. (KSTP’s Tom Hauser:) It is false to say Phillips has been charged with ignoring sexual harassment. (Attorney for harassment victims, Lori Peterson:) Dean Phillips has absolutely nothing to do with this case. (KARE 11’s John Croman:) Phillips had nothing to do with it… this claim is false. (WCCO’s Pat Kessler:) That’s what they’re trying to do — create confusion. (Narrator:) Erik Paulsen is lying to save his job. Don’t let him get away with it.