Amid national GOP momentum, U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips tries to keep suburban Minnesota district blue

Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips has a simple answer to why Minnesota's Third Congressional District, which elected Republicans for nearly 60 years, has sent him to Washington twice so far.

"I'm one of the few members of Congress who wakes up every morning and doesn't have to change my clothes based on the news cycle. I am who I am," said the 53-year-old Phillips, who votes along party lines one day and then publicly calls for President Joe Biden to step aside in 2024 the next.

Seeking a third term after defeating his past opponents by double digits, Phillips will face Republican U.S. Navy veteran Tom Weiler next week. Phillips has managed to maintain control of his suburban district west of the Twin Cities in part because of his bipartisan, personal approach. Weiler has accused Phillips of "disingenuously" portraying himself as a moderate, pointing to the Democrat's record of voting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Weiler, who grew up in Eden Prairie, patrolled on submarines through the world's oceans for years and once served as a legislative defense fellow for Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman of Virginia. The 45-year-old said he would have kept touring ocean depths had he not been diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease.

He was serving his final deployment two years ago on an aircraft carrier to the Middle East when civil unrest erupted back home after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd. The moment became a driving factor behind his congressional campaign.

"I just saw sort of a lack of leadership from all elected officials in Minnesota," Weiler said, criticizing Democrats for "either inflaming the situation or doing nothing at all."

That message resonates with voters like 37-year-old Kari Younes, a mother of three from Plymouth who lives in Weiler's neighborhood and is backing him over Phillips.

"We've seen so much destruction, I feel like, within our cities and our economy," Younes said. "We need something new because what we've been doing isn't working."

While Republicans nationally are optimistic they will take back control of the U.S. House, winning Minnesota's Third District will be a heavy lift.

Phillips is an unconventional politician who drives around his district in a vintage 1960s van he calls the "Government Repair Truck," stopping for coffee and conversations with voters.

The congressman has sought to bridge political divides by hosting "Common Ground" events in which he brings Democrat and Republican constituents together for moderated conversations about public policy dilemmas.

A member of the House's Small Business Committee, Phillips earlier this year began giving local businesses the opportunity to "offer Dean a job" so he can hear their challenges firsthand. On a recent Thursday, he helped repair tires at a family-owned service shop in Minnetonka and served up naan-style pizzas at Pizza Karma in Eden Prairie.

"We had him do everything … even mopping the floor. He did everything without complaint," said Chen Zhou, who recently put Phillips to work at his Uni Uni bubble tea store in the Mall of America.

Zhou said "it was a wonderful experience" for employees, though he joked that their reviews of Phillips' bubble-tea making were "mixed."

Phillips prides himself on his constituent services, from helping veterans access their benefits to constituents looking to obtain their Social Security checks, he said. Phillips was a finalist this year for a constituent service award given out by the Congressional Management Foundation.

"If you come to my office in Minnetonka or in Washington D.C., you'll be surprised by the hospitality, no matter your politics," Phillips said, adding that he welcomed Weiler into his congressional office when the Republican paid him a visit earlier this year.

During a WCCO radio debate with Phillips last month, Weiler decried inflation and public safety issues as signs the country is on the wrong course. The two differed on abortion, with Phillips supporting abortion access and Weiler in favor of laws that restrict abortions with exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the mother's life.

"He's for freedom except when it comes to women's bodies. He's a patriot except when it comes to preserving democracy. He's an independent voice except when it comes to naming one thing that he might disagree on with Kevin McCarthy," Phillips said, mentioning the House GOP leader.

Weiler quickly pushed back: "I served this country for 20 years in the United States Navy. I know what it's like to preserve and fight for our democracy."

The Republican said he would govern as a moderate and not always vote along party lines. He mentioned gun control as an issue where he might disagree with Republicans, saying he supports background checks for gun transfers between family members.

"I don't think it's unacceptable to say that transfer should have a review to make sure that I don't have a record in my past," he said.

A married father of two young children, Weiler said he worries about violence in schools and thinks there should be law enforcement in every building. He was particularly appalled by the September shooting at a Richfield High School football game.

"That just sort of rips my heart apart, the fact that those kids lost that innocence and that's never coming back," he said.

Marla Helseth, a Republican state Senate candidate who's backing Weiler, noted that this election is playing out in a political environment in which concerns about the economy and crime are clear.

"That is appealing to some," Helseth said of Phillips' unconventional approach as a politician. "But you just can't ignore some of the really big things that are happening nationwide and statewide that we can lay at the feet of the Democrat party."

Kathryn Ramstad, whose late husband Jim represented the Third District as a Republican for nine terms, said she appreciates Phillips for "being willing to work across the aisle" in such partisan times.

Campaign finance records show Kathryn Ramstad donated to Phillips this cycle but gave to former U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen's campaign before Phillips unseated the Republican in 2018.

"What's changed is really Congress," she said. "We've lost a lot of the moderate Democrats and the moderate Republicans."

If re-elected, Phillips will try for a slot on the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. A spot on the panel dealing with messaging would vault Phillips into House Democratic leadership ranks.

Phillips has only served in a Democrat-held House. How much his bipartisan credentials will matter if the GOP wins the chamber remains to be seen.

The Democratic majorities in Congress have been able to pass major bills since Biden's presidency started in 2021 — including laws on infrastructure, guns and climate change. But Phillips has also seen two of his legislative drives, for additional pandemic relief for restaurants and for boosting police recruiting, stall.

Phillips laments that both parties are "losing their center" amid increasing political polarization. But he is still hopeful that congressional dysfunction can be fixed.

"If I have any legacy in Congress whatsoever, it's — I want it to work better," he said. "Not for Democrats or Republicans, but for everybody."