Rep. Angie Craig seeks to fend off Republican Joe Teirab in close 2nd District race
MINNEAPOLIS — Voters in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District will determine Tuesday whether incumbent Democratic Rep. Angie Craig keeps her seat or challenger Joe Teirab reclaims the district for Republicans for the first time since 2016.
Craig unsuccessfully ran against Rep. Jason Lewis that year, but flipped the district two years later and won reelection in 2020 and 2022.
The 2nd District includes all of Dakota, Scott and Le Sueur counties, plus parts of Washington and Rice counties. The south suburban district is 40% farmland and is evenly split between Republicans and Democrats.
Before the election, two nonpartisan forecasters had the district leaning Democratic, a change from its toss-up categorization in 2022.
The candidates
Before entering politics, Craig was a medical technology executive. She and her wife live in Prior Lake and have four adult children. She has billed herself as a moderate with bipartisan accomplishments and a willingness to break with the Democratic party.
Teirab, a Marine Corps veteran and former federal and county prosecutor, was endorsed by former President Donald Trump. He did not earn the Minnesota GOP's endorsement, but the candidate who did — Tayler Rahm — dropped out of the race in July to take a job on Trump's campaign. Teirab did not live in the 2nd District until 2023, when he moved from Minnetonka to Burnsville. He calls himself a "political outsider."
Key issues
Craig has credited her strong support for abortion rights as a deciding factor in her 2022 victory over Republican Tyler Kistner, and has said she will "keep fighting until we restore [Roe v. Wade] across this country."
Teirab opposes abortion rights, but has said he would not support a federal abortion ban, instead espousing states' rights to decide the issue.
During an October debate, Craig and Teirab sparred over social security, immigration and the economy, as well.
Craig attacked Teirab's comments suggesting social security should be privatized and Congress should raise the retirement age. Teirab pushed back, saying he is not in favor of cutting social security benefits, but Congress needs to find a solution to bring the program back to solvency.
Teirab accused Craig of supporting bills that drove crippling inflation, while Craig blamed pandemic-era spending by both Trump and President Biden, while also noting inflation has cooled in recent years.
Teirab has also made border security and support for law enforcement pillars of his campaign.
Earlier this year, Craig joined other House Democrats in calling for Mr. Biden to address the "untenable" situation at the southern border.
Craig has spent significant time in Congress fighting the opioid crisis, as well as dealing with ongoing postal service issues in her district.