The medical device industry is a major factor in a pair of Congressional races in Minnesota, as a former medtech executive squares off against a onetime right-wing talk show host and an incumbent with strong ties to the sector looks to hold on to his seat.
Rep. Erik Paulsen (R), a longtime Washington champion for medtech who spearheaded the successful campaign to stall the medical device tax, is running for re-election for Minnesota’s 3rd District. He’s running against state Sen. Terri Bonoff (D) and, although he’s largely considered the favorite (Paulsen took the district by 25 points in 2014), a backlash at the polls against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump could threaten his chances.
Paulsen has held the seat since 2009 and, not surprisingly, enjoys considerable support from local medical device companies. As of July 20, Paulsen’s war chest amounted to more than $3.2 million, including some $400,000 received from the medtech industry, according to StatNews.com. Bonoff, who had raised some $571,000 as of that date, has pledged to support a full-on repeal of the medical device tax and cites her record of working with the industry as a state legislator, the website reported.
In the North Star State’s 2nd District, former St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ) HR executive Angie Craig is looking to take a seat for Democrats this year in a closely watched race, facing off against Jason Lewis (R) for the seat held by Rep. John Kline (R), who’s retiring after 14 years on Capitol Hill. Craig, who spent 10 years at St. Jude before stepping down in January 2015 to pursue the Congressional seat, also spent a decade working at orthopedics and wound care giant Smith & Nephew (NYSE:SNN).
According to Political Money Line, Lewis had nearly $107,000 on hand as of July 20, while Craig had nearly $1.8 million in her coffers.
