Erik Philip Paulsen is a Republican politician who served as the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 3rd congressional district from 2009 to 2019. Born in Bakersfield, California, and raised in Chaska, Minnesota, he graduated from St. Olaf College with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics in 1987. Prior to his political career, he worked as a business analyst for Target Corporation. Paulsen served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1995 to 2009, including as House Majority Leader from 2003 to 2007. During his congressional tenure, he questioned IRS Commissioner Steven Miller about the Binik-Thomas case during a May 2013 House Ways and Means Committee hearing. Following his time in Congress, he has taken on private sector advisory roles, including at Maverix Medical.