Rep. Erik Paulsen: Trump's remarks 'disgusting and offensive'

WASHINGTON -- GOP incumbent Rep. Erik Paulsen called Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's remarks about women offensive this weekend on social media, but stopped short of saying whether he was going to support the nominee.

Paulsen, who represents Minnesota's Third Congressional District in the Twin Cities' western suburbs, has skirted questions about Trump and has declined to say whether he will vote for him.

Paulsen is locked in one of the tightest races nationally against Democratic state Sen. Terri Bonoff. She has attempted to tie Paulsen's politics to Trump and has said she is running because she is sick of Paulsen staying silent about Trump.

Both Democratic and Republican internal polls show Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton beating Donald Trump in Paulsen's district by double digits, though voters there are reliable ticket-splitters. While electing and re-electing Paulsen, who is a conservative Republican, they also have voted in Democratic Sens. Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar and President Obama, all of whom won in Paulsen's district.

"I'm not calling on Erik Paulsen to disavow Donald Trump because it's too late for that," Bonoff said Saturday. "I'm calling on voters to disavow any politician who has not been willing to denouce Donald Trump over the past year despite the wealth of evidence that he is a sexist, racist, homophoic and poses a threat to our national security."

National Democrats point out Paulsen hasn't given a televised interview in 52 days. He has also not granted interviews to the Star Tribune.

On Saturday, other Minnesota Republican leaders were terse and pithy about Trump's vulgarity talking about women on a bus in 2005 with a television reporter.

Stewart Mills, a Republican attempting to unseat Democratic Rep. Rick Nolan in the Eighth Congressional District, said in an emailed statement that Trump's remarks were "crude and vulgar." Mills has previously said he will support the nominee.

Outgoing Rep. John Kline, who represents the Second Congressional District, said simply through a spokesman that Trump's remarks were "offensive and disgusting."