J. Ashwin Madia – Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District

Posted on by

My cousin Manan (who is also an Iraq War Vet) just forwarded me the news that 29-year-old Marine Corps veteran Jigar Ashwin Madia just announced his candidacy for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives:

U.S. Marine Corps Iraq veteran J. Ashwin Madia announced his candidacy to represent Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District Tuesday.

Madia will seek the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement.

While serving as a Marine, Madia was also a prosecutor, defense attorney, and legal advisor to a Marine Corps commander.

Madia graduated from Osseo Senior High School. He went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota and New York University School of Law. [Link]

<

p>First thought (albeit very shallow)? It isn’t going to hurt him that he looks that good. I have a feeling that the comments section in this post is going to have a lot of female commenters leaving onomatopoeic words like “Rrrrrrr.” But does Jigga-man got the necessary skills to go with those looks? He is currently working at attorney at Robins, Kaplan, Miller, and Ciresi LLP in Intellectual Property Litigation.

Drawing on his experience in Iraq, Madia plans to make the war a major issue in his campaign. He also hopes to focus on balancing the budget and fighting global warming. What he stressed most frequently, however, is his desire for this campaign to be a real dialogue between the candidates. Madia says he wants as many debates and candidate forums as possible, noting that open congressional seats don’t come around very often.

With no elected experience and no history with party regulars, Madia certainly has an uphill climb. He’s seeking to break into politics in a congressional race that is likely to be among the most competitive in the country – and a race that already has an excellent DFL candidate. There is no question that he is an underdog in this race.

“The three issues that I care about most and that form the basis for my campaign are: 1) Ending the Iraq War without leaving behind a catastrophe; 2) Balancing our budget and returning to “pay as you go” principles; and 3) Creating and implementing a comprehensive solution to address global warming. I also want to talk more generally about the direction of our country, and what kind of nation we want to be post 9/11. I don’t believe that we need to have torture chambers, Guantanamo Bay, secret prisons, and spying programs on American citizens in order to be secure. In fact, I think that when we do those things, we tear at the fabric of our country” – said Madia. [Link]

Let’s also take a look at the 3rd District and see what the battlefield terrain looks like:

Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District is one of the most affluent in the state, encompassing the suburbs of Hennepin County to the north, west, and south of Minneapolis. With blue collar Brooklyn Park to the north, middle-income Bloomington to the south, and higher-income Eden Prairie, Edina, Maple Grove, Plymouth and Wayzata to the West, it features a mixed characteristic. The district leans slightly Republican with a CPVI of R + 1.[3] It is currently represented by Jim Ramstad, a Republican, scoring 79% conservative by a conservative group[4] and 20% progressive by a liberal group.[5] People of the district voted for George W. Bush in 2004, but with only 51% of the votes cast. On September 17, 2007 Ramstad announced he would not seek reelection in 2008. [Link]

<

p>So it is an open seat in a district that, although has leaned Republican in the past, is ripe for the picking by an anti-war Democrat that will have some street-cred with the stay-the-coursers. That’s a powerful combo. Who might his chief challengers be?

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. [Link]

<

p>He will face a stiff challenge from Bonoff but I think he has a shot, especially if the DailyKos’ers get behind him.

<

p>As we get a little closer to the election I will try and line up an interactive interview with Madia on SM like we did with Raj Bhakta (and like we will be doing with a few other candidates soon).

Madia’s campaign is accepting contributions now.

33 thoughts on “J. Ashwin Madia – Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District”

  1. Yay! First to comment !

    Hes hot …:]

    I make shallow remarks and objectify people so you don’t have to .

  2. He looks kinda silly dressed up as a soldier and too straight-laced as a suburban-strollin’ lawyer, but that quote about getting rid of torture and ending the war gets ME all hot and bothered.

  3. 29 years old and running for Congress – props!

    I like his platform on the other issues like Healthcare and Education as well.

    Uphill battle? Yes, but with a good campaign committee and good advisors, anything is possible.

  4. Jim Ramstad was actually pretty liberal in comparison to most of his Republican colleagues in the House. Anyway, his seat is ripe for the picking in 2008. Ashwin Madia has no experience or support base whatsoever. We need an experienced campaigner to make sure that we (democrats) win this seat. I might have supported Madia if this was a safe seat. For a red seat, I prefer a seasoned campaigner.

  6. To be fair to Madia, Iraq War vets did put up a good show running as democrats in the 2006 elections. For some reason, almost all the Iraq War vets (except one) who ran for election in 2006 were Democrats. Chirs Carney defeated powerful incumbent Sherwood in PA, Patrick Murphy defeated incumbent Fitzpatrick in PA, Hackett almost defeated Schmidt in a heavily Republic district in Ohio 2005 and Tammy Duckworth in IL and Eric Massa in NY lost by close margins. So the record of the Democrat Iraq War veterans in 2006 was excellent. If the war continues to be unpopular in 2008, Madia might have a good chance.

  7. If the war continues to be unpopular in 2008, Madia might have a good chance.

    I won’t put my money on Madia yet, but I would put my money on the war’s continuing unpopularity. I’d love to see an interview with the Mutineers, sooner than later. But I’m impatient like that.

  12. It isn’t going to hurt him that he looks that good.

    btw, nice to see some queers among the posters are SM. didn’t know that you swung both ways abishek….

  13. Dope– I could vote for him… and would/will if the dude takes that God-awful song off his website. What is he thinking!

  14. Now this is a candidate I can get excited about – and not just b/c of his good looks! It’s so funny how on his website he has mellencamp playing in the background.

  15. I tried checking this yesterday (using Google Earth, among other things) but it got too hairy. But could it be that although the MN 3rd Congressional District is (and has mostly been) Republican, the State House districts that it is composed of are mostly (or all) Democrat-Farm-Labor (DFL)? Perhaps someone closer to the action will comment definitively.

    There’s a scary amount of information on the State House and MN 3rd District DFL websites – you can use Google Earth to superpose Congressional Districts on State House districts, you can slice the demographics of the area, get voting records, etc etc. Easier to ask someone, unless you’re a pol or a professional gerry-manderer. This might have a bearing on whether he can turn the seat. Given that the State House seats in that area are mostly DFL, and he’s only 29, why doesn’t he run for State House instead, initially? Also, what kind of support is he getting from his law firm in his race?

  18. Let me put my bias right out front- I’m a friend of Ashwin’s and a volunteer on his campaign. I’m writing because many of the posts ask good questions, and I wanted to put some info out there to help answer three of them.

    1. Someone asked about the composition of the district. In short, a moderate Democrat who’s tough on national security (e.g. a Marine Iraq vet like Ashwin) can win the district. Here’s why:

    In 2006, in the races at the top of the ticket in which voters knew the candidates, party mattered much less than personal appeal. For U.S. Senate, Amy Klobuchar (a Democrat, called DFL in MN) beat Mark Kennedy (GOP) 56% to 41%. For U.S. Rep., the result went the other way, with GOP Rep. Jim Ramstad beating Wendy Wilde (DFL) 65% to 35%.

    Further down the ballot, in the races in which the candidates weren’t as well-known, voters presumably were voting along party lines rather than based on a candidate’s personal appeal. In those races, the results generally leaned slightly GOP.

    So, there’s a small GOP lean in the district, but as U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar proved, a Democrat who works hard, gets to know the voters, and appeals to their interests can win.

    Rep. Ramstad is retiring, so this is a race for an open seat. Ashwin is leaving his law firm job so that he can work 24/7 to get his message out. That message- of leaving Iraq in a responsible manner, balancing our budget, and addressing the pressing problems of health care, education and global warming- are issues that appeal to Democrats, independents, and moderate Republicans. That is a winning combination in the 3rd District.

    1. Someone asked why Ashwin is running for U.S. Congress as opposed to State Representative. Ashwin has tremendous respect for people who serve the public at any level of government. He feels, though, that the chief problem facing us today is how to get out of Iraq. His experience in Iraq and in the military generally enables him to weigh in on that issue. He could not work on that issue if we were a state Representative. So, he is running for Congress to join the body that can do something about the Iraq war.

    2. Someone asked what kind of support Ashwin is receiving from the law firm where he works. He is receiving strong support from associates and partners alike. He’s grateful for that support.

    I encourage you to check out the campaign at http://www.madiaforcongress.com and call me if you have any further questions. 612-750-6726. Thanks for your interest! -Cam Winton

  20. With all due respect, Brandon Lacy Campos (the letter writer Watevz referred to) is a far-left activist. From what I’ve read about him, I wouldn’t be surprised if he thinks anyone to the right of Dennis “UFO” Kucinich would qualify as “the perfect conservative poster child”.

  22. Ashwin is an awfully impressive candidate, but with all due respect, it is quite a leap to think someone with no significant government experience (elected or appointed) and someone under 30 years old can jump straight to the U.S. Congress. Certainly, there have been examples of people doing so — Harold Ford Jr. (of TN) and Adam Putnam (of FL) come to mind. However, these two had advantages that Madia does not have — demonstrated name ID based on family history (Ford) or a rural, non-diverse district (Putnam). People want someone who will hit the ground running, and a resume that lacks government experience in such a substatial way does not provide reassurance. I wish him the best of luck, but as a vet of several races (multiple being unsuccessful), I think he has a HUGE hill to climb. At least name ID gets generated for a second run.

  23. I actually ran into Ashwin Madia today, and I have to say he’s being pretty realistic about his opponent for the Democratic nomination Terri Bonoff, who typifies the sort of suburban, SUV driving, Starbucks swilling, liberal soccer-mom found in Minnetonka, Wayzata, Eden Prairie and other affluent Minneapolis suburbs that make up part of the 3rd Congressional District.

    His challenge is to raise enough funds by the end of the year so that when the reporting comes in, he’s seen as a contender. No one really wants to vote for a DFL (Democrat) who isn’t a contender, especially in a seat that has been republican since the early 60’s.

    He’s extremely well qualified, well spoken, realistic, very charasmatic in person. For what its worth, me and my hubby and friends are pulling for him.

  24. Minnesota has had a rich history of voting for moderates and progressives. A state that elected Paul Wellstone will proudly get behind Madia if he can reach out in a broad based campaign. One thing left unmentioned: Madia understands global-warming can give to economy what internet and dot com boom gave in the 90s.

    I like the rapid response team already. man, are they good! just one comment: get the audio autoplay out of the hompage madiaforcongress. Its very annoying.

  26. Before you people bash Ash, I suggest that you attend one of his Meet & Greets and actually speak with him. My wife and I did just that before the SD63 Convention on March 8th. We were happy to be delegates and were very impressed with this energetic guy.

    He’ll get our votes, and I’ve already been around the block talking to our neighbors.

  27. As to the support issue, that is going to get Madia in trouble.

    http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/campaigns/terri-bonoff.asp?cycle=08

    http://www.terribonoff.com/endorsements

    http://www.madiaforcongress.com/endorsements.html

    Bonoff has all 14 Minnesota 3rd Congressional District Legislators endorsing her, Madia has the endorsement of only a few legislators outside the 3rd, which won’t help him.

    If you look at the financial contributions made to their campaigns, you will find Mike Ciresi and his wife both gave to Bonoff and not Madia. That does not say much considering Madia worked at Ciresi’s firm.

    Madia has raised less than half the figures Bonoff has and Bonoff got 97% from MN unlike Madia. This will be a multi-million dollar campaign.

    Facts vs. friends of Madia and his campaign manager will be the best way to judge this.

  28. Jack, Ciresi gave money to Bonoff because at the time, she was the front-runner and he was a candidate for U.S. Senate in Minnesota, and he was doing what he had to do to get along. If you look at Madia’s fundraising report, you’ll see that he raised thousands upon thousands of dollars from attorneys at his old firm who all support him whole-heartedly.

  29. I’ve got to ask. Is he Hindu? I think it would be great. Minnesota already has the first Muslim in US histroy in Congress, Keith Ellison. It’s always good diversify:)

  31. He seems nice enough.Diversity for diversity’s sake,however, is not enough reason to vote for someone. As a prosecutor in Iraq,what exactly did he do? A friend tells me they had to count all the bullets they used in firefights. If they used too many, they would get in trouble. Ridiculous way to fight a war. And tell truth, I’ve pretty much had it with all the lawyers in Congress,they have let us down–on BOTH sides of the political fence. A commenter said he hoped Kos got behind Madia–oh great, the far loony left for Madia,great reason to vote for him,huh? I hope he’s got the common sense to turn down offers for “help” like that!