In ad-drenched Third District race, Erik Paulsen and Dean Phillips end on positive note

Negative attack ads have inundated TVs in Minnesota this fall, mostly for the Third Congressional District race. But now, the state's most expensive House race is taking on a softer side.

Both Republican U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen and Democratic challenger Dean Phillips put out their final ads in the race, ending on a positive note. In Phillips' final ad, he drove around the suburban district in his vintage campaign truck, saying he will help heal the country's anger and division by bringing together Democrats, Independents and Republicans with "contagious optimism."

Paulsen's last ad talked about how he met his wife and touted his bipartisan leadership. (Although he's running a second ad simultaneously that attacks Phillips for not supporting federal tax cuts.)

Both ads echoed the themes of their campaigns in the race, which has attracted the most TV ad spending in the state and is among the top House races in the U.S. for TV ad spending.

Paulsen, a former business analyst at Target Corp., has a serious demeanor on the campaign trail. Even when his staff asked for a break from door-knocking, he said he wanted to press on.

Phillips, a first-time candidate comes across as perpetually cheery. His volunteers, which he boasts are in the hundreds, trail him at parades and once created a flash mob.