Meffert, Powers to take on Paulsen, Kline

Dan Powers, Jim Meffert

At party conventions this weekend, DFLers Jim Meffert and Dan Powers advanced to the general election to take on Reps. Erik Paulsen and John Kline, respectively. Meffert’s DFL opponent, Maureen Hackett, said she is backing the endorsed candidate and Powers’ opponent, Shelley Madore, will also abide by the endorsement.

Meffert, head of the Minnesota Optometric Association and past Parent Teacher Association president, won the DFL endorsement in Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District and will take on Paulsen in November, barring any primary challengers. He told the convention after winning the endorsement, “I will fight for the 180,000 Minnesota children living in poverty. I will fight for the 480,000 Minnesotans without health insurance. And I will never stop fighting for our children. I will never stop fighting for our families. And I will never stop fighting for you.”

Maureen Hackett, his DFL opponent for the endorsement, sent a message to her campaign supporters saying, “While today didn’t turn out as I would’ve liked for our campaign, it was a great day for our party as we united behind Jim Meffert as the DFL candidate who’s going to beat Erik Paulsen this fall.”

The UpTake captured a number of scenes from the convention, including reactions from Meffert:

Dan Powers, a Burnsville construction contractor, was endorsed by 2nd Congressional District DFL activists over former legislator Shelley Madore. Madore conceded on the second ballot and, barring a late entry into the race for the primary, Powers will be taking on Kline in the fall.

“John Kline is vulnerable — he’s an obstacle to middle class prosperity and he refuses to listen to our community’s concerns. He’s voted against reforming our health care system and ensuring our parents and grandparents aren’t bankrupted by the high costs of Medicare Part D,” Powers said in a statement following the endorsement. “He’s voted against student lending reform. His town hall meetings are barely publicized and he turns people away if they don’t agree with him ideologically.”

Here’s Powers’ reaction to the endorsement: