Ron Harris announces candidacy for U.S. Congress seat currently held by Rep. Dean Phillips

A former employee for the city of Minneapolis is launching a campaign for a seat in Washington, D.C.

Friday morning, Democrat Ron Harris officially announced his candidacy for the state’s third congressional district, which is currently held by fellow Democrat Dean Phillips.

Harris is the former Chief Resilience Officer for Minneapolis and is currently a DNC Executive Committee member.

There had been some speculation Harris was going to run, but the race wasn’t official until his announcement.

Phillips has previously said he may consider a run for the presidency.

Harris issued the following statement regarding his campaign:

“I am running for Congress in MN-03 to ensure that my community has strong, effective Democratic representation in Washington. Raised by a single mom, I’ve experienced the challenges working families in our community face and felt the daily struggle of just trying to get by. As our congressman contemplates seeking higher office, I’m ready to step up to ensure our voices are heard, our community is represented, and our district gets the resources we need.”

Ron Harris

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to Rep. Phillips for comment, and he provided the following statement:

“As a MN-03 voter myself, I prefer candidates who actually live in the district, but competition is good for democracy and everyone’s invited!”

Congressman Dean Phillips