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When you talk with Third district candidate Brian Barnes, you understand a few things very quickly: he knows what he's getting into, he knows the odds, and he's running hard anyway.
The former Navy Reserve officer is running against Erik Paulsen, who is now in his second term representing the Third congressional district in Congress. In press releases and our recent discussion, Barnes didn't pull any punches when talking about Paulsen's term: failure on job creation, failure to represent the district properly, failure to work with colleagues in Congress on issues like health care reform.
"Erik Paulsen has voted against nearly every single jobs bill since he's been in Congress. As you look for someone to do things and do what they promise, I don't see that out of Erik Paulsen. I see him as someone who breaks his promises to create jobs, and he hasn't worked for the people. He seems to work for himself and that's one of the frustrations, I think, that people have with career politicians."
So how is Barnes going to stand up to the entrenched incumbent? "We're going to make this a bottom-up campaign. I think past campaigns haven't been able to really work with local candidates, local activists, and we need to be able to work together up and down the ticket if we want to be successful in this race."
Fair enough. It's definitely going to take money too, and Barnes acknowledged that, but he was realistic about what it's going to take -- a unified, well-funded effort that can play on the air and on the ground. But after our interview, it became readily apparent that Barnes really means it when he talks about all the pieces of the progressive movement working together when we received an invitation, hosted by Barnes and his wife, for Minnesotans United for All Families. They didn't have to do this, and a play-it-safe consultant might see something like this as an unnecessary risk in a should-be-tossup district. But it's the right thing to do, and worthy of applause.
Image-wise, Barnes has the right background: his father and grandfather, like Barnes himself, served in uniform, and Barnes speaks highly of his experiences in the service. He lives with his wife in Edina (which hopefully will remain in the Third after redistricting) and Barnes told me kids might be in the future.
Does he have a legitimate shot? In the age of YouTube Macaca moments, and Michele Bachmann being a presidential candidate, anything and anyone can catch fire at a moment's notice. But Brian Barnes is working hard, not pulling any punches, and takes his task seriously.
At this point, what more can we ask?
Barnes' campaign website can be found here -- check it out!
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