Tayler Rahm drops out of competitive 2nd District race, leaving Joe Teirab to face Rep. Angie Craig
MINNEAPOLIS — Republicans got a straighter path to potential victory Saturday in what is expected to be Minnesota's closest congressional race when GOP-endorsed candidate Tayler Rahm dropped out of a primary fight against the better-funded Joe Teirab, who already had tacit backing from key House leaders.
If he made it beyond the primary, Rahm would have then challenged incumbent Rep. Angie Craig in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District this fall. He is instead stepping aside from his campaign to take a role as senior advisor to former President Donald Trump.
"In my opinion, there is nothing more important for this district than getting Biden (or a Democrat replacement) out of power and getting Donald Trump back in the White House," Rahm said in a statement. "Therefore, I will suspend my campaign operations and focus on doing everything possible to save our country."
Rahm, a lawyer who grew up in the southern suburbs of the metro area, won the GOP endorsement in April over Joe Teirab. On Saturday evening, following the attempted assassination of Trump, Rahm tweeted a photo of the former president being taken from the stage at his rally with the caption: "#MAGA."
His hire comes as the Trump campaign seeks to open eight offices in Minnesota.
"I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Tayler Rahm for his selfless decision to step out of the race in order to help re-elect Donald J. Trump as President," said Teirab. "Tayler is a strong conservative and a relentless fighter for the America First agenda. He ran a great campaign, and I can't think of a better person to help mobilize grassroots conservatives across Minnesota. Together, we will unify and strengthen our party, retire extreme Democrat Angie Craig, and re-elect President Donald Trump with a resounding victory starting right here in Minnesota."
"By buying off Joe Teirab's primary opponent, national Republicans have cleared the way for an anti-choice extremist to be their nominee in Minnesota's Second District," said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. "Throughout his campaign, Joe Teirab has made it clear that he is 100% pro-life and will do everything he can to attack abortion rights and roll back reproductive freedoms in Congress."
A Republican presidential candidate hasn't won in Minnesota since 1972, but a CBS News poll following June's debate between President Joe Biden and Trump show the former president has an edge over Mr. Biden both nationally and in battleground states.
That southern district represents a critical swing district, according to David Schultz, a political science and legal studies professor at Hamline University in St. Paul. Moderate Democrats on ballots across the country are concerned Mr. Biden's presence on the ticket could hurt their own chances of reelection, he added.
Craig, who has served in the U.S. House since 2019, called on Mr. Biden to step aside in the 2024 presidential race following the debate.