Election News: "State Sen. Kelly Morrison (DFL-Deephaven) has announced that she intends to run for Congress in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District. The seat is currently being held by U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who announced his intention last month to seek the Democratic endorsement against incumbent President Joe Biden in next year’s presidential election."
The headline runs together the opening two paragraphs of the hometownsource.com online report.
State Sen. Kelly Morrison launched a bid for Congress in Minnesota’s
3rd Congressional District, becoming the second Democrat to announce a
bid for a seat where the incumbent — U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips — is
running for president.
Morrison, a physician from Deephaven, has served in the Legislature
for five years. In a campaign announcement, Morrison said she would use
her experience as an OB-GYN to advocate in Congress for continued
abortion access. She also touted her work carrying bipartisan
legislation in St. Paul.
“I know what it’s like to see my patients struggle to afford the
medications they need, so I took on Big Pharma and lowered prescription
drug costs,” Morrison said in a news release. “I know how important it
is that women — not politicians — are able to make their own health care
decisions, so I led the effort to protect abortion rights in Minnesota.
I’m running for Congress because we need leaders who are focused on
delivering results.”
Morrison helped spearhead legislation this year that guaranteed
access to reproductive health care, eliminated some state restrictions
on abortion and created a state Prescription Drug Affordability Board.
Morrison joins a race for the seat now held by Phillips, who launched
his bid for president late last month. Phillips hasn’t said if he’ll
fall back to a House race if he’s unsuccessful. Former Minneapolis city
official Ron Harris has also announced a bid for the seat.
On X, the site formerly known as Twitter, Phillips welcomed Morrison to the race. [...]
State Senate seats aren’t on the 2024 ballot, so the congressional campaign won’t require Morrison to choose between them.
Driving the news:
State Sen. Kelly Morrison, (DFL-Deephaven) launched her bid for the
suburban Twin Cities' 3rd Congressional District on Thursday, rolling
out high-profile endorsements from former DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and from
Sarah Stoesz, the past president of Planned Parenthood North Central
States.
Why it matters: Phillips' decision to primary President Biden sets the stage for a potentially crowded race for the one-time swing district.
State of play: Ron Harris, a Democratic National Committee official, became the first to jump in the 3rd District race in October.
Several
other Democrats, including Secretary of State Steve Simon and DFL Rep.
Zack Stephenson, have indicated that they are weighing bids.
What they're saying:
Morrison, an OB-GYN first elected to a west metro swing district in
2018, highlighted her work on health care costs and abortion rights in a
Thursday release announcing her campaign.
"As someone who
still sees patients, I know what it's like to see my patients struggle
to afford the medicines that they need to stay healthy," she said in an
interview.. " And as an OB-GYN, I know how important it is that women —
not the government — make health care decisions about their own bodies."
The intrigue: Phillips hasn't ruled out
running for re-election himself if his longshot presidential bid fails.
Morrison said she felt Democrats need to "get going to make sure that we
have the best possible representation" given his current presidential
ambitions.
"I
don't want to speculate on hypotheticals," she said when asked if she'd
continue her campaign if he does seek another term in Congress. "But
he's running for president, and so I'm focusing on my district at home."
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include comments from Morrison.
"From investing in our infrastructure to lowering
everyday costs for families, Kelly knows how to get things done that
make a difference in people's lives," Dayton said in a statement
provided by Morrison's campaign.
Stoesz said she thinks
Morrison would bring a physician's expertise on reproductive rights that
Congress is missing. Morrison would be the only pro-choice OB-GYN in
Congress if elected, according to her campaign.
"She is not an ideologue. She
is a data-driven doctor who understands what reproductive health is and
isn't, based on being a physician," said Stoesz, who's known Morrison
for years. "And for that reason, she's able to bring leadership and
focused perspective to the debates that no one else is able to bring."
Morrison has served in the
Minnesota Legislature since 2019, spending her first few years in the
House before being elected to the Senate last year.
Phillips is a multimillionaire businessman. Morrison is as described above.
Crabgrass favors Morrison, among the three DFL choices, so far. She seems more directly in line with this cycle's key DFL policy concerns as a physician attuned to reproductive rights, than Phillips, who seems less focused. Very electable. The feeling is she'd handle Congress in more predictably comforting ways than how Phillips might continue if he proves unsuccessful seeking the Presidency without yet having significantly differentiated himself on policy from Biden. From her photo, alone, it seems she's younger than Phillips, while he is making ageism his cornerstone issue. Enough said.
UPDATE: In fairness, with Phillips little different from Biden on policy issues, were he to end up again reelected, the District would be better off than if it were to shift parties, (a prediction open to objection since Republicans have yet to put forward any choice).
