First-term Rep. Dean Phillips is projected to win against Republican challenger Kendall Qualls in Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District.
The candidates
Phillips is a former regent of St. Johns University and used to be the board chair of Allina Health. He currently sits on the House Committee on Financial Services, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the House Committee on Ethics. Phillips is currently running his campaign around the issues of campaign finance reform, healthcare for every American, and immigration reform.
In 2018, Phillips defeated five-term Republican incumbent Erik Paulsen by 11.4 percentage points to represent the 3rd District.
Qualls, Phillips' Republican challenger, is a US Army veteran. Following his career in the military, he has worked for healthcare and pharmaceutical companies where he held sales and marketing roles. His campaign platform is centered around funding the police, strengthening the economy, and lowering healthcare costs.
See live coverage and full results for the US presidential election
The district
Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District is located in southeastern Minnesota, just west of the Twin Cities. The district is home to portions of Anoka, Hennepin, and Carver counties. Before Phillips' election in 2018, the district had not been represented by a Democrat since 1961 when Rep. Roy William Wier lost his bid for reelection.
In the 2016 presidential election, the district voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton over now-President Donald Trump by a margin of 10 points in a 51-41 percent split of the vote, according to Daily Kos.
The money race
According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Phillips has raised over $2.2 million, spent around $1.9 million, and has around $375,000 in cash on hand while Qualls has raised $1.7 million, spent a little under $1.4 million, and has around $363,000 in cash on hand.
What experts said
The race between Phillips and Qualls was rated as "safe Democratic" by Inside Elections, the Cook Political Report, and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
