Phillips, Weiler vie for 3rd District Congressional seat
By: Stuart Sudak
Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips is being challenged for his 3rd District House seat by Republican Tom Weiler.
Phillips, 53, of Wayzata, has held that seat since 2019. Before being elected, he was a businessman and entrepreneur who ran his family’s company, Phillips Distilling, and Talenti Gelato. He is now co-owner of Penny’s Coffee.
Phillips told MinnPost this summer that serving in Congress is more than passing legislation. “Congress can’t legislate compassion, respect or civility, but Congress can model that behavior,” Phillips stated.
Phillips, according to MinnPost, is a member of the New Democrats, a group of Democrats who are culturally liberal but more conservative on economic issues. Phillips also highlights his role in the Problem Solvers Caucus, a group of moderate Democrats and Republicans.
He has made gun violence a top priority among the many issues highlighted on his website. He advocates for expanding background checks for all purchases, reinstating the assault weapons ban, finding “common sense measures” to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, and supporting mental health and anti-bullying programs.
Weiler, 44, who lives in Plymouth but was raised in Eden Prairie, is running for office for the first time. Weiler was a career Navy officer, a submariner in line to command his own ship, when he retired after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Weiler is focusing, according to MinnPost, on what he views as the nation’s worsening problems and running on issues that are at the center of many Republican campaigns — crime and the economy.
To lower inflation, he would rein in federal spending, promote domestic energy production to regain America’s energy independence, and reduce unnecessary regulations.
To reduce crime, Weiler would support policies that maintain that individuals who commit crimes be prosecuted, “not coddled and avoid responsibility for their actions.”
Position: 3rd Congressional District Representative (U.S. House of Representatives)
Candidates
- Dean Phillips (D) (incumbent)
- Tom Weiler (R)
JOB POSTING
Eden Prairie and other suburbs west and southwest of Minneapolis – together forming the 3rd Congressional District – are seeking a representative to the U.S. House for a two-year term. Representatives are also called congressmen or congresswomen. Among other duties, members of the U.S. House and Senate – together known as Congress, or the legislative branch of the U.S. government – make all laws, declare war, regulate interstate and foreign commerce, and control taxing and spending policies.
COMPENSATION
Rank-and-file members of Congress are paid $174,000 annually.
QUALIFICATIONS
The Constitution requires that members of the House be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and live in the state they represent (though not necessarily the same district).
ABOUT THE HIRING PROCESS
The United States is divided into 435 congressional districts, each with a population of about 710,000 individuals. Each district elects a representative to the U.S. House of Representatives for a two-year term.
Candidate Profiles
These are the candidates running to be the 3rd Congressional District Representative (U.S. House of Representatives). Click the candidate’s name to view each profile. Candidates are listed in alphabetical order.
Incumbent
Phillips worked at a variety of start-ups and small businesses before joining and eventually leading the family business, Phillips Distilling. He helped build Talenti Gelato before selling it to Unilever in 2014. He co-founded Penny’s Coffee and is a former regent at Saint John’s University and is a former board chair of Allina Health. Phillips brought WE Day, the global youth-empowerment initiative, to Minnesota. He was elected in 2018 to serve the Third Congressional District and is seeking reelection.
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Weiler graduated from Eden Prairie High School and the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and also participated in Navy ROTC. He also holds master’s degrees in public administration, engineering management, and national resource strategy. He was stationed on four submarines and one aircraft carrier during a 20-year Navy career. Between tours, Weiler served as a flag aide to the commander of the Pacific Fleet; legislative defense fellow on Capitol Hill; and military assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He earned three Meritorious Service Medals, four Navy Commendation Medals, one Joint Service Achievement Medal, and three Navy Achievement Medals before retiring from the Navy. Has not previously held public office.
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EPLN Q&A
Question #1: If elected, what would be your highest priority for Minnesota and the nation?
Click each candidate’s name to see their answer.
I am on a mission to restore Americans’ faith in their government, and that work will remain my top priority if I have the honor of representing our community in Congress for another two years. Through serving as vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, by convening Common Ground Workshops here in our community, and by building meaningful relationships with principled members of both parties, I have worked to inspire a little more decency, civility, and collaboration both here and in Washington, D.C. This may sound trivial to some, given the major challenges we face, but our democracy is fragile, and it is under attack from enemies both foreign and domestic. Without a healthy and thriving democracy and the freedoms and liberties that come with it, I’m afraid nothing else will matter — which is why this election, and every election going forward, is so important. To make meaningful progress on the major issues facing our nation — from costs to crime to climate change and more — we need to elect people of principle who believe in America, who will defend democracy, and who will model the sort of behavior we should expect from our elected officials. I am that candidate.
My highest priority for Minnesota and the nation is promoting the common good through improving on government’s No. 1 responsibility: security. I view security from both the public safety aspect as well as the financial environment. The role of government is to assure that its citizens can flourish in a safe, secure society. Families in Minnesota deserve a thriving economy where they can work hard and afford groceries, gas, shelter, and school supplies. They also deserve a safe community where they can live, work, worship, and go to school without fear. My focus will be on improving the quality of life for Minnesotans by improving our public safety and our economy.
Question #2: The economy is in a state of flux right now with inflation on one hand and low unemployment rates on the other. What laws or public policies do you think would improve that situation?
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The entire world is still feeling the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, especially when it comes to inflation, including the cost of food and fuel. The U.S. House took swift action to address these concerns, passing the Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Act, which would crack down on those big oil companies who are raking in billions in profits while charging consumers exorbitant rates at the pump, and the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, which would strengthen the domestic food supply chain and help lower the costs of both gas and groceries. President Biden also recently signed into law the Inflation Reduction Act, which will help lower the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs — major cost drivers for many Americans — and further relieve inflationary pressure by reducing energy costs and cutting the federal budget deficit by $300 billion over 10 years. Going forward, we need to rebuild domestic supply chains, invest in the workforce of the future, and ensure that middle class Americans can keep more of their hard-earned money by ensuring the wealthiest individuals and largest corporations pay their fair share.
Federal laws that would improve inflation are those that would drastically reduce federal spending.
For example, the recently enacted Inflation Reduction Act will not reduce inflation. The new law will increase taxes and pays out another $700 billion of your hard-earned tax dollars. With 9% inflation and the U.S. economy in a recession, this is exactly the wrong type of big-government policy at the wrong time. America’s economy thrives with less government and public policies that motivate Americans to work hard so they can earn a dignified salary and support their families without facing burdensome taxes and regulations.
To improve our economy moving forward, Congress must be better financial stewards of our hard-earned tax dollars. Our Congress has properly passed our federal budget only four times in my lifetime. As a result, billions of taxpayer dollars are spent by simply taking what a government program received the previous year, and adding 2 percent. When in Congress, I intend to propose a two-year budget cycle to stop the continuous continuing resolutions and require Congress to pass a budget on time. If the budget is not passed on time, members of Congress must stop fundraising activity until the budget is completed.
Question #3: What is the largest national security threat to the U.S., and how would you approach dealing with that threat?
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National security means many things. We clearly face ongoing threats from adversaries around the world, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, and we must continue to invest in both our diplomatic corps and in our intelligence capabilities in order to prevent an escalation in tensions with these regimes while ensuring we continue to have the world’s strongest and most advanced military. I also believe that our energy policy is increasingly an issue of national security, and we must make energy independence — including an orderly but expedient transition to a clean energy economy — a priority. Right now, we are dependent on some of the world’s worst human-rights abusers for our domestic energy needs. Drilling our way out of the problem will only exacerbate the negative effects of climate change, which the Pentagon has repeatedly classified as a national security threat in itself. Still, perhaps the biggest national security threat we face is the threat from within. Those who use lies and disinformation to divide us are playing with fire, and if not met with a whole lot of water this November and in 2024, I fear we will no longer recognize the nation we will become.
The largest national security threat to the United States is China, followed closely by Russia.
I have operated submarines and conducted military operations in the immediate vicinity of units of both of these nations. I have also been involved in high-level diplomatic negotiations with China and Russia. Through these experiences, I have learned that these regimes only respond to strength and will take advantage of their power to bully weaker nations.
Therefore, in dealing with China and Russia, the United States must always be clear-eyed regarding the intentions of China and Russia, and must also always approach the issue at hand — whether that be military, economic, trade, human rights — from a position of strength.
Additionally, as the COVID-19 pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine have made clear, the United States and our allies must always work to ensure that no elements of our national security (energy, semiconductors, natural resources, military equipment, medical supplies, etc.) ever become reliant on China or Russia.
Question #4: Mass shootings using military-style, semi-automatic weapons have been occurring with increasing frequency in this country. So too, are handgun murders and suicides. What kind of gun control measures, if any, do you support?
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Like many Minnesotans, I am a gun owner, and I respect the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. I am also outraged by the notion that unfettered access to weapons of war is somehow more important than the lives of innocent children, far too many of whom are gone from this world after guns specifically designed to kill people quickly were obtained — often easily — by the very last people that should have them. Only in America do we experience this level of carnage and, at least until recently, do nothing about it. That changed when Congress passed and the president signed into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in June of this year — the first meaningful gun violence prevention legislation in roughly three decades. The bill invests in mental health services, school safety, and violence intervention programs, and it also strengthens background checks, cracks down on gun traffickers, and supports states implementing Extreme Risk Protection Order laws — or so-called red-flag laws. No single law, including this bill, will put a stop to our nation’s gun violence epidemic — but this bipartisan bill was a damn good start, and I’m proud to have voted for it.
The level of violent crime in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District and the Twin Cities is completely unacceptable and bringing security and safety back to our community will be my No. 1 priority as your representative.
A number of elements are required to ensure our communities are safe. Ensuring our law-enforcement officers are properly supported, funded, and resourced is essential. Additionally, reducing gun violence, removing guns obtained illegally from the streets, having more mental health resources available, and having a justice system that gets criminals off the street and in jail is critical.
I support common-sense gun control measures and support universal background checks for gun ownership. I also support banning equipment, like some bump stocks, that are specifically designed to give a legal gun the capability of an illegal gun. Additionally, I will push legislation to require a law enforcement officer to be present at every school across America.
Our society has experienced too many school shootings and we need to take aggressive, real action to minimize the chance of another school tragedy in America. I believe having a law enforcement officer at every school in Minnesota’s 3rd District is the best way to protect our children.
Question #5: Congress has difficulty finding consensus on major issues of the day. Provide an example of a situation you experienced where you had to compromise to accomplish a goal.
Click each candidate’s name to see their answer.
Identifying common ground in order to make progress on the major issues of the day is the least anyone should expect from their elected officials, and yet far too few have any interest in doing so. As the 13th most bipartisan member of Congress, according to the nonpartisan Lugar Center, and as a two-time winner of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Jefferson-Hamilton Award for Bipartisanship, I don’t just talk about common ground, consensus, and compromise — I seek it every day. The best part of my week is when I sit down at the table with my colleagues in the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus and spend time listening to and learning from one another — and ultimately coming up with actionable solutions to the major issues facing our country. That’s how we helped end the government shutdown in 2019, it’s how we successfully jumpstarted COVID-19 relief talks in 2020, and it’s how — after more infrastructure weeks than anyone cares to remember — we came up with the framework for what became the bipartisan infrastructure law that President Biden signed in 2021. None of these initiatives were perfect, and no one got everything they wanted — but we got it done.
In 20 years of service in the U.S. Submarine Force, there were countless situations in which compromise was required to achieve a mission. In my experience, a key element of compromise is the presence of leaders who understand the need for it at times.
One example occurred during my time as the executive officer aboard the USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered, guided-missile and special-operations submarine. Due to specific timing issues of an upcoming mission, the training requirements simply did not fit in our underway schedule. Our captain would not waive any of the training requirements, nor would the SEAL commander. As the executive officer, it was my job to solve the problem. I worked with my department heads to develop a compromised solution in which some of the training would be conducted prior to the underway using in-port training simulators. The in-port trainers were not as good as the real underway training, so we added an evaluation at sea. I was able to gain support from our captain and the SEAL Team commander to execute the compromise training plan. The compromise plan worked, and our combined team flawlessly executed our mission vital to national security.
Question #6: What organizations have endorsed your election?
Click each candidate’s name to see their answer.
The Minnesota DFL, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Sierra Club, and End Citizens United, to name a few — with many more in the works! We will be providing regular endorsement updates here.
The Minnesota Republican Party
Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX)
Congressman Tom Emmer (MN)
Congressman Pete Stauber (MN)
Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach (MN)
This page is part of EPLN’s 2022 Voter Guide. Get info on each of the races by choosing from below.