Religious right leader James Dobson embraces Erik Paulsen for Congress

Erik Paulsen has diminished his record on a number of issues and presents himself as moderate, so much so that any mention that he’s running as a Republican is absent from his campaign Web site. But his past is catching up with him: Focus on the Family’s James Dobson is throwing his support behind the candidate based on Paulsen’s conservative record on controversial wedge issues.

While Dobson is quick to point out that he never endorses candidates for office, he does his best to sway voters toward candidates that agree with his religious views. Arguably the most influential member of the religious right, Dobson is using his name to promote Republican Erik Paulsen in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District.

Dobson’s Focus on the Family Action is sending letters to residents of the district signed by Dobson (PDF), reminding them of Paulsen’s views on issues like abortion and gay and lesbian equality.

Dobson writes, “For one thing, [Paulsen]’s pro-life and has backed that up with a stellar record in the Minnesota House.”

He continues, “For another, Erik Paulsen believes that the institution of marriage is worth protecting, and he helped lead the effort in the legislature to pass a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

And while Dobson praises Paulsen’s involvement with the constitutional amendment push, in debates with DFLer Ashwin Madia and Independence Party candidate Davis Dillon, Paulsen has downplayed his role.

At a Sept. 22 debate in Minnetonka, Madia and Dillon both called Paulsen out for just the type of advocacy of anti-abortion and anti-gay and lesbian positions that Dobson praised.

“There are so many things that we ought to be focusing on, that I don’t think we ought to be using public dollars or our constitution to try to impose our religious beliefs on other people,” said Madia.

“I’ve come to like both of the guys sitting at the table with me,” Dillon said. “The plain fact of the matter is that Erik has come out of the right wing of the Republican Party.”

Paulsen said, “That is not what I’ve done in the state legislature.”

Paulsen should tell Dobson. He concludes the letter, “Contact Erik Paulsen and thank him for his common-sense, pro-family stands — and urge him to stand strong in the face of attacks from the angry Left.”