Ramstad complains race for his seat has turned nasty
Retiring U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad, R-Minn., says the man trying to keep his seat in Republican hands is the victim of a smear campaign.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been running television ads and mailing out fliers accusing Republican candidate Erik Paulsen of voting against veterans and taking campaign money raised at a strip club.
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Ramstad hold up fliers claiming Paulsen took money from a strip club fundraiser
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Independent media reports have found both those claims highly misleading. In an event organized by the Paulsen campaign, Ramstad said it's the dirtiest campaign he's seen during his career in politics.
"I'll never forget some of those early campaigns and I've never seen trash like what's been leveled against Erik Paulsen," Ramstad said. "I've never seen such gutter politics, certainly not in Minnesota."
Paulsen also took some questions from reporters at the event. You can hear the whole press conference here:
Paulsen's DFL opponent Ashwin Madia has no control over the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. But Madia says "to the extent they are inaccurate" he condemns the ads.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, the GOP counterpart to the DCCC, had planned to run ads supporting Paulsen, but has recently scaled back ad buys with at least two Twin Cities television stations.
Paulsen told WCCO Sunday that when all the spending by outside groups like the DCCC is included, he expects to be outspent in the race four-to-one.
Madia releases new policy details
Meanwhile, Madia Tuesday released some new policy proposals aimed at helping small businesses.
They included a tax credit for companies that cover a "significant portion" of their workers' health insurance premiums.
In a phone interview this afternoon, I talked with Madia about the proposals, Ramstad's comments and a new Paulsen ad that accuses him of lying.
The Paulsen ad is not available online, yet, but when it is, Polinaut will have the link for you.