Democrat Kelly Morrison wins 3rd Congressional District, CBS News projects
MINNEAPOLIS — Democrat Kelly Morrison beat out Republican Tad Jude, replacing Rep. Dean Phillips to serve Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District, CBS News projects.
Phillips declined to run for reelection as he pursued an ultimately failed presidential campaign.
Phillips flipped the district in 2018 after decades of Republican control, unseating incumbent Rep. Erik Paulsen. Phillips earned reelection in 2020 and 2022, then bowed out for 2024.
The 3rd District includes much of Hennepin County and part of Anoka County. Cities such as Anoka, Coon Rapids, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Bloomington and Edina fall within its boundaries. It also includes the Lake Minnetonka area.
The candidates
Morrison is a practicing OB-GYN who entered politics in 2018. She was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 33B that year, then won reelection in 2020. In 2022, she ran for the state Senate in District 45 and was elected. She resigned from the Senate in June to focus on her Congressional campaign. She lives in Deephaven with her husband. The couple has three children.
Jude has been in politics for more than 50 years, having first been elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1973. After 10 years in the House, he served six in the state Senate. He has also been a member of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners and most recently was a judge in Minnesota's 10th Judicial District. Jude and his wife Jacelyn have three children.
Key issues
Abortion rights will be a key issue in the 3rd District race.
Morrison has said she is "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."
Jude, meanwhile, called every abortion a "tragedy" and supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"I support the Dobbs decision because a return to the states, the ability to, every state can legislate and come to their own conclusions," he said.
Both candidates have also tagged the economy and immigration as key issues. Morrison also promises to address gun violence and climate change, while Jude has made support for Israel one of his campaign pillars.
As of last month, Morrison had outraised Jude's campaign by more than a million dollars.
Phillips' presidential campaign
Phillips launched his presidential campaign a year ago, positioning himself as a younger alternative to incumbent President Biden. He said he was running for "the exhausted majority" and cited issues such as the nation's debt, military spending and high taxes.
After a series of sound defeats in presidential primaries acorss the country, he dropped out of the race.
"Clearly and convincingly, Democratic primary voters have opined that I'm not that guy," Phillips said. "And while indeed the country is pretty clear that they want alternatives, the fact of the matter is people have registered their opinion."
While Phillips failed to earn the nomination, his push for a new candidate was vindicated when Mr. Biden stepped aside in July, paving the way for Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee.
Phillips announced early in his presidential campaign that he would not run for reelection in Congress.