Bloomington sits inside Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District, and this year the district's Republicans have a choice to make before they get a shot at unseating first-term DFL Rep. Kelly Morrison. Two candidates, Quentin Wittrock and Tyler Bass, are on the Aug. 11 primary ballot, with the winner advancing to face Morrison in the Nov. 3 general election.
Wittrock, who has lived in the district for 36 years and been married for 42, spent 32 years working in litigation representing individuals and businesses. He describes his platform around limited government and adherence to the 10th Amendment. He points to federal spending of roughly $7 trillion a year against $5 trillion in tax revenues as a core concern, and says he wants to end "pork-barrel politics" and stock trading by members of Congress. His other priorities include term limits, immigration reform, tariff reduction, deregulation, a broader mix of energy sources, middle-class tax relief and protecting Minnesota's lakes and rivers from invasive species.
Bass did not respond to the invitation to participate in the voter's guide, so no biography or platform ran there. He is a Roseville-based small-business owner who founded an in-home personal training company before moving into construction as a general contractor. His campaign centers on immigration enforcement, opposition to H-1B visa fraud and hiring of undocumented workers, and housing affordability, citing a gap between wage growth and rising housing costs since 2013. He describes his pitch as bringing "real-world experience, common sense leadership, and accountability back to Washington."
The district Wittrock and Bass are competing for stretches well beyond Bloomington, taking in Anoka, Coon Rapids, Brooklyn Park, Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Maple Grove and parts of Edina, among other suburbs. Whoever wins the primary faces Morrison, an OB-GYN and former state senator who unseated Republican Tad Jude in 2024.
Polls for the primary open Aug. 11.