Phillips forges ahead with “decency, respect, and contagious optimism”
EXCELSIOR, MN – Today, Dean Phillips released his closing TV ad, entitled “Together”, amplifying the unifying voice that has become a hallmark of his campaign for Congress.
“In times like these, it is more important than ever that our elected leaders speak out against the hateful and divisive rhetoric that pervades our political discourse,” said Phillips. “My campaign has always been about getting people talking again, and returning to a time when Democrats, independents and Republicans worked together in the common interest. We can get there again, but it will require new leaders in Congress who are committed to putting country before party, and people before PACs. I humbly ask for the chance to be that leader for our community.”
Phillips’s closing argument echoes the themes of his introductory video, the second-most watched of this campaign. He has run a people-powered, energetic, grassroots campaign with over 66,000 individual contributors and 2,000 volunteers. Phillips’s motto is “Everyone’s invited!” – and Democrats, independents and Republicans alike have been actively involved in his campaign. And according to numerous public polls, voters in the 3rd District are responding positively to his positive, unifying message.
Standing in clear contrast to that, Congressman Paulsen has run an unprecedented negative campaign that 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 survivors, and Democrats, independents, and Republicans alike.
In April, Phillips first asked Congressman Paulsen to join him in signing the Minnesota Way Pledge, a mutual pledge to eliminate special interest money and self-funding, and 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.