Marine veteran is running in Third District

A lawyer who served in Iraq seeks DFL endorsement for the congressional seat being vacated by Republican Jim Ramstad.

By Mark Brunswick, Star Tribune

Last update: October 24, 2007 - 10:51 AM

A Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq has entered the Third District congressional race, saying the United States must dramatically reduce its presence in Iraq.

Ashwin Madia, a 29-year-old lawyer from Plymouth, will seek the DFL endorsement for the seat being vacated by Republican Jim Ramstad in a west metro district that is increasingly considered up for grabs.

Madia, who was a captain in the Marine Corps., served as a judge advocate in Baghdad from September 2005 until March 2006, working with military, U.S. government, and Iraqi court systems. He said U.S. strategy in Iraq must be changed and the troop deployment dramatically reduced. He did not advocate an immediate withdrawal.

"I understand the military and I know that the military is not an organization that you can snap your fingers and they'll be out in a couple of hours. We need to be as careful getting out as we were careless going in," he said.

Madia's parents immigrated to the United States from India with $19 in their pockets.

"This country has been very kind to my family. It shows you that when we live up to our ideals, we really are the best country in the world," he said.

Madia, who earned a bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Minnesota, has never run for office before. He said he will leave his position with the Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi law firm to run full time for the office. Mike Ciresi, a partner in the firm, is running for the U.S. Senate. Madia said he has not talked to Ciresi about his candidacy.

"I haven't made politics my career, but it's also true that I have a different kind of experience," Madia said. "My experience has been in Iraq and with the military. The fact that I am a fresh face and I bring a variety of unique perspectives to this process will be appealing to DFL voters."

Madia said he will abide by the DFL endorsement. State Sen. Terri Bonoff, a Minnetonka DFLer, already has announced her candidacy. State Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Eden Prairie, has hired campaign staff and filed the federal paperwork needed to raise money.

Madia said he will work to balance the budget by advocating pay-as-you-go rules and will seek to have the United States be a global leader in addressing climate change. He describes himself as a fiscal conservative and social moderate.

Mark Brunswick • 651-222-1636

Mark Brunswick • mbrunswick@startribune.com

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