Ron Harris suspends campaign for state’s 3rd congressional district

Emily Baude KSTP

Ron Harris suspends campaign for state’s 3rd congressional district

The seat is currently held by Congressman Dean Phillips, who is not running for re-election as he vies for President after calling on Joe Biden not to run for re-election since at least Dec. of 2022.

Ron Harris has officially suspended his campaign and vocalized support for Senator Kelly Morrison in the race for Minnesota’s third congressional district.

The seat is currently held by Congressman Dean Phillips, who is not running for re-election as he vies for President after calling on Joe Biden not to run for re-election since at least Dec. of 2022.

Harris’ announcement means the race is narrowed down to democratic Senator Kelly Morrison and republican Tad Jude for the state’s third congressional district.

Jude recently announced his campaign for the third district, saying he hopes to reach a consensus with Democrats, rather than confronting them.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, Harris said “I got into this race because I believed at my core the stakes in the 2024 election were too high for us to sit back and take this seat and our democracy for granted. It was before Dean Phillips declared he was running for President, before he announced he would not be seeking reelection, and before there were other candidates in this race.

At that time, I knew we needed someone in this position who would lead with their values and support Democrats up and down the ticket. With our rights, our democracy, and our freedoms on the ballot this fall, I knew we needed a candidate who would fiercely campaign to turn out every single vote across our district.

Those truths and the values that drove me to run for this position are the same truths and values that are guiding me to the decision to suspend my campaign today. On a day where DFLers from across the state will attend their precinct caucus and participate in building the foundation of our democracy, I want to ensure that we are setting them–and the district–up for success in November.”

Harris added he doesn’t know what his next steps are, but expressed confidence in Morrison’s campaign.