Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips cruised to a third term Tuesday to represent Minnesota's Third Congressional District.
Even with the GOP trying to pick up districts around the country in the party's attempt to take control of the House, national attention from Republicans was largely muted in Phillips' race.
After unseating a GOP incumbent by double digits in 2018, and winning again in 2020, Phillips faced a challenge from Republican Tom Weiler this cycle in a race for the redrawn suburban district west of the Twin Cities.
Weiler, a U.S. Navy veteran, didn't get the same national financial support that Republicans poured into the neighboring Second District.
Phillips has prided himself on having a bipartisan approach in Congress while striving to portray himself as a moderate voice amid partisan tensions on Capitol Hill.
"History will treat these last two years as one of the most remarkable Congresses in recent memory in terms of its output, especially as it relates to the division, dysfunction and very tight majorities," Phillips said in a September interview.
Weiler accused Phillips of "disingenuously" positioning himself as a moderate, pointing to the Democrat's voting history with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The political flashpoints of public safety, the economy and abortion also animated the race.
"The American dream, to me, is on the ballot," Weiler said in an interview last month. "I think our democracy is strong, but I do think we're heading the wrong direction on certain things."
Staff writer Ryan Faircloth contributed to this report.
