Minnesota: Meffert Latest Democrat to Take On Paulsen

• By Emily Cadei
• Roll Call Staff
• Nov. 10, 2009, Midnight

Jim Meffert, the executive director of the Minnesota Optometric Association and president of the state PTA, became the second Democrat to file to run in the 3rd district, joining forensic psychiatrist Maureen Hackett in the race to take on freshman Rep. Erik Paulsen (R). Meffert told Roll Call he filed a statement of candidacy last week and the organizational paperwork Monday but has no immediate plans to formally launch a campaign, saying most voters still aren’t paying attention at this early stage. Instead, he is focused on laying the groundwork for the campaign, including fundraising and conducting grass-roots outreach with local Democratic constituencies in the suburban Minneapolis district.