Abortion rights a race-defining issue in Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District
MINNEAPOLIS — A rare open Minnesota congressional seat is up for grabs this November.
Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District is made up of the western suburbs of Minneapolis. It contains wealthier areas like Edina, Eden Prairie, Plymouth and Maple Grove, middle-income communities like Bloomington, and working-class neighborhoods like those in Coon Rapids and the city of Anoka.
It's currently represented by Democrat Dean Phillips, who is leaving Congress after unsuccessfully running for the Democratic presidential nomination against President Biden.
Until Phillips won in 2018, the district had been a Republican seat for decades.
The Democratic candidate is Dr. Kelly Morrison, a long-time Twin Cities OB-GYN, former state representative and senator.
The Republican candidate is Tad Jude, a former state representative and senator, former Hennepin County commissioner and district court judge.
One of the 2024 race-defining issues is abortion rights, pitting Morrison and her OB-GYN experience against Jude, who opposes abortion rights.
"As the only OB-GYN in the legislature, I was proud to help lead the effort to protect and expand access to reproductive health care here in Minnesota," said Morrison, "I'm ready to take both my medical and my legislative experience to Washington to help lead the effort to protect access to reproductive health care for all Americans."
Meanwhile, Jude is an abortion rights opponent.
"I think every abortion is certainly a tragedy, and I support the Dobbs decision because a return to the states, the ability to every state can legislate and come to their own conclusions," said Jude.
Morrison has a big fundraising edge she has raised $1.3 million compared to Jude's $162,000.
"It's a tremendous advantage. It allows Kelly Morrison to get ads out. Allows her also to build out a staff of people who are organizing or at the doorstep with the literature and also putting together a variety of different online social media. And Tad Jude just doesn't have that," said Professor Larry Jacobs from the University of Minnesota.