Erik Paulsen Keeps U.S. District 3 Congress Seat

Incumbent Republican Erik Paulsen will serve another term on the U.S. House of Representatives in the Third Congressional District.

The district includes Bloomington, Eden Prairie, Edina, Minnetonka, Plymouth and Wayzata.

According to unofficial results from the Secretary of State, Paulsen lead by 16 percentage points. With 100 percent of precincts counted, Paulsen beat Barnes 222,234 to 159,941 votes.

Barnes, the DFL candidate in the race, released the following statement just before 11:30 p.m. on Election Day after calling to congratulate Erik Paulsen on his re-election:

"Tonight didn't end as we would've liked, but this campaign has never been about just one election.

"We set out on this journey 15 months ago to raise important issues and to change the tone in Washington, D.C. Win or lose, Election Day was always simply a marker we'd have to pass on the road to building a politics worthy of all Minnesotans and all Americans.

"I'm endlessly proud of what we accomplished together and I'll be forever humbled by the amazing people I met along the way -- for their passion, their dedication and their commitment to ensuring that America's greatest chapter is always its next.

"Erik Paulsen and I don't agree on much, but he's proven time and again that it's possible to disagree on policy without making it personal. Members of both parties in Washington could stand to be a little more like him in that regard."

Paulsen is a member of the Ways & Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over health care, economic and trade policy and is the chief tax writing committee in the House of Representatives. He supports pro-growth initiatives and believes that open markets are the key to a strong economy.

He is a member of the Free Trade Working Group and the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Working Group. The Free Trade Working Group was formed nearly 20 years ago to educate members and promote policies that would open foreign markets to U.S. goods.  

Paulsen also serves as co-chair of the House Medical Technology Caucus and advocates for the medical technology industry.

Before being elected to Congress in 2008, Paulsen represented Minnesotans for 13 years in the State Legislature where he served as House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2007.