With 25 percent of term over, Paulsen still lacks 2010 rival

Photo: MnIndy

An extended CQ Politics piece on U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s prospects for re-election arrives at the quarter-mark of his term. The main news: The freshman Republican still has no announced rival in a district, Minnesota’s Third, that’s trending left.

Democrats and Republicans see Paulsen’s hold on his seat as shaky, yet another month has ticked by — it was late May when the Minnesota Independent last examined Paulsen’s 2010 vulnerability — without a challenger coming forward.

Meanwhile, CQ Politics notes that Paulsen is part of the GOP’s Patriot Program targeting extra help for 10 freshmen whose tenures are tenuous. (As such, Paulsen was a beneficiary of a $1,000-per-candidate “Patriot Day” fundraiser on June 25.)

Mention is made of the legacy of former Rep. Jim Ramstad, Paulsen’s more moderate mentor — but not of any ramifications that Ramstad’s potential entry into the 2010 Minnesota governor’s race (even under an Independence Party banner) — might have on Third District dynamics.