With no positive message to run on, Republican candidates continue to resort to misleading and flat-out false attack ads.
As Minnesota Republican Congressional candidates and their Washington allies get increasingly desperate, their attacks on DFL candidates continue to backfire. With no positive message to run on, Republicans continue to resort to misleading and flat-out false attack ads.
“The outrageous falsehoods that the Republican party continues to peddle are pathetic,” said DFL Chair Ken Martin. “From accusing decorated combat veteran Dan Feehan of being hostile to our Armed Forces, to suggesting that well-regarded civic leaders took part in a sexual harassment cover-up, the GOP has stooped to new lows in a last-ditch attempt to hold on to their fleeting Congressional majority. Republicans are refusing to talk about their policy positions because they know that DFLers are on the winning side of the issues voters care about, like ensuring access to quality affordable health care, getting dark money and special interests out of politics, and creating an economy that works for all Minnesotans.”
Yesterday, The Star Tribune published an op-ed penned by several respected Twin Cities civic leaders condemning Third District Rep. Erik Paulsen for the “unprecedented” and “outrageous” lies in his latest attack on DFL candidate Dean Phillips. Unlike other attack ads this year from outside groups, the spot in question is paid for an authorized directly by the Paulsen campaign.
“We have known Congressman Paulsen for many years and we have respected his ability to act honorably to bridge divides between the parties and see the big picture,” the leaders write. “But something has changed. Over the past years, he has forgotten the important common-sense role he has played. And now he has exhibited some of the worst behavior and judgment that we have ever seen in a congressional campaign. Our leaders should be encouraging Minnesotans to volunteer for local organizations. And Minnesotans should be able to serve their community without fear of being dragged into a highly charged, inappropriate political dogfight.”
At a press conference last week, several military veterans from throughout the First District spoke out against the disgraceful attack ads that the National Republican Congressional Committee continues to run against DFL congressional candidate and Army veteran Dan Feehan.
“As a Minnesota native and veteran of the U.S. Army, I wish I could say I was surprised by Mr. Hagedorn’s recent comments disparaging Captain Feehan’s record of service to others,” said Army veteran Andrew Norrie of Rochester. “I wish I was surprised, but I’m not. Mr. Hagedorn has a long record of derision. In keeping with the tone of his party, he routinely denigrates anyone that isn’t just like him. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he would downplay Dan’s record of service, or mock some of our country’s most revered veterans.”
Star Tribune: 2018 election: Paulsen strikes at more than his opponent with outrageous ad
“Paulsen’s campaign has hit a negativity level we have never seen from this former paragon of political civility.”
Star Tribune: Lawyer in Allina sexual harassment case blasts Erik Paulsen ad
“A lawyer for the women who sued Allina Health for sexual harassment blasted U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen on Friday for making it a campaign issue against his Democratic opponent, Dean Phillips.”
AP: Republicans launch new attack ad on Phillips in House race
“Allina objected last month to an earlier Paulsen ad that tried to hold Phillips responsible for the company’s actions in a 2010 labor dispute with its nurses.”
WCCO (CBS): Erik Paulsen Ad Claims Dean Phillips Ignored Allina Sexual Harassment Claims
“‘I was very distressed to see Rep. Paulsen attacking the board of Allina,’ [Former Allina Board Chairman Bill] George said. ‘To me, that’s beyond the pale.’”
WCCO (CBS): Reality Check: Is The NFL’s ‘Take A Knee’ Protest Impacting 1st District Race?
“A new Republican ad from the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee attacks the Democratic candidate for supporting the right to take-a-knee during the national anthem… We rate this ad deceptive, out of context and mostly false.”
Mother Jones: There’s One Big Thing Missing From This Campaign Ad About Colin Kaepernick
“Being a veteran doesn’t give Feehan any more of a right than Hagedorn to an opinion on the matter, but it does mean that the NRCC’s attack in this case makes literally no sense.”
Independent Journal Review: Attack Ad Questions Minnesota Democratic Candidate’s Patriotism — But He’s an Iraq War Vet
“The ad hones in on tweets from Daniel Feehan — a former acting Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Obama administration — that supported the protest movement started by Kaepernick… But what the ad does not mention is Feehan’s own service.”
KTTC (NBC): Army veterans condemn ads they say “misrepresent” Dan Feehan’s army service
“As we near election day, some ‘attack ads’ running about Minnesota’s First Congressional District race have infuriated some veterans… They said the ads are an attack on DFL nominee Dan Feehan and ‘misrepresent’ his ‘record of service to his country.’”
KIMT (CBS): Veterans Upset Over Attack Ads
“Veterans say the ads from the National Republican Congressional Committee and candidate for Minnesota District One Jim Hagedorn are too much.”