EMILY'S List endorses Terri Bonoff in race against Rep. Erik Paulsen

EMILY's List, a potent national fundraiser for women candidates who favor abortion rights, is endorsing state Sen. Terri Bonoff as she tries to unseat Rep. Erik Paulsen, who represents Minnesot's Third Congressional District.

Although the endorsement is not surprising given Paulsen's anti-abortion rights voting record, it comes with the potential for significant campaign dollars, as Bonoff seeks to close a yawning financial gap between her campaign and that of the fourth term congressman.

The 470 square mile Third Congressional includes the western suburbs and has been regarded as safe territory for the conservative but mild mannered Paulsen, until Donald Trump became the GOP's presumptive nominee and threw the November election into disarray. Bonoff remains the underdog; her victory would signal a Democratic wave that could flip control of the U.S. House.

Bonoff has been in the state Senate for more than a decade and is viewed around the Capitol as a rare business-friendly DFLer.

"Bonoff has always put women and families first throughout her career," Stephanie Schriock, president of EMILY's List, said in a statement. Schriock, a Mankato State grad, ran Sen. Al Franken's 2008 campaign and recount and is just one of several Minnesota connections to EMILY's List.

Paulsen has already begun attacking Bonoff for voting for tax increases. "Since retread Terri Bonoff's first unsuccessful campaign for Congress, she has only padded her résumé chock full of tax increases," John-Paul Yates, Paulsen's campaign manager, said recently. "Terri Bonoff's record is one of higher taxes for Minnesota families."