The southern suburbs of the Twin Cities and the hilly rural communities that stretch into Mankato have become a key front in the nationwide struggle for control of Congress.
A rematch between Democratic US Rep. Angie Craig and Republican challenger Tyler Kistner has turned into one of the most expensive congressional fights in the country. Both candidates estimate that interest groups and individuals have poured around $30 million into the contest, which will decide the political fate of the second congressional district and possibly the US House of Representatives.
“A handful of districts could end up giving up control of the entire House of Representatives. So it’s not just about another seat in Congress. It’s potentially about control of the House of Representatives, making CD2 a really, really important race to watch. said Chris Chapp, associate professor of political science at St. Olaf College. “And obviously a lot of people want to try to influence the outcome.”
For Craig, it’s a fight to defend a record she’s touting as bipartisan and access to abortion following the Roe v. to ensure Wade. For Kistner, it’s about inflation and controlling Democratic President Joe Biden. They all hope their message will resonate with an unpredictable district whose boundaries have shifted during redistricting.
“One-third Democrat, one-third Republican, and one-third my district, they see themselves as very independent — they lean towards libertarians. They didn’t like mask mandates, they didn’t like vaccination mandates and they didn’t fucking want a politician telling them what to do about their reproductive rights,” said Craig, 50, a second-term representative from Prior Lake.
She hopes to see legislation codifying abortion protections in Roe v. to say goodbye to Wade. At a debate Thursday, Kistner said he wanted to leave the issue to states and was “pro life, with the exception of rape, incest and mother’s life.”
The 35-year-old Republican, who also resides in Prior Lake, narrowly lost to Craig in 2020 and said this year’s troubles are national. This year, he said, they’re local.
“And what are the local problems that people are facing? They face record high inflation and living costs, they feel it every day when they go to the grocery store and the gas station, let alone that crime is now rampant in the suburbs and then you have parents who are now worried about the education system do,” he said at an Apple Valley economic roundtable last week with Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel.
This week, Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy flew to Minnesota for a Kistner fundraiser where the economy was once again the central theme.
Kistner on Friday said his approach to dealing with rising household and gas bills would include cutting spending on “Democrats’ pet projects.” Federal money should flow into national security, infrastructure, American businesses and energy production, he said, adding that there should be more incentives for companies to create jobs.
Craig highlighted the passage of the federal Inflation Reduction Act and cited her bill to lower the federal tax rate on small businesses to help them with rising costs. She supports an “all of the above” approach to energy, including additional federal leases for oil and gas as needed, Craig said at Thursday’s debate at Dakota County Technical College.
At campaign events, Craig and Kistner serve the crowd with different styles. Craig, a former healthcare executive, is observant and on the ball. Kistner, who is in the Marine Corps Reserve and advises corporations and nonprofits on growth and development, brings informal enthusiasm to events, spouting comments like “Let’s do this!” into a debate.
Former Lake Neighbors Magazine editor Mark Braaten, who was on the panel at the Apple Valley event with Kistner, said he featured the GOP nominee on the cover of last year’s magazine with his wife and two young children, and he’s about two met -hour coffee.
“It’s not even about being a congressman, it really isn’t. It’s about his family, our wonderful community that he will serve,” he said of Kistner, whom he called honest and sincere.
Lakeville residents Chuck and Elise Smith-Dewey, who support Craig and showed up to watch the two candidates square off Thursday, said compared to previous Second Circuit officials — who were mostly Republicans — Craig seems to be listening to everyone and is very visible hosts monthly town halls.
“She’s doing the work, and I think she’s built all these bridges and she has a lot of respect from people on both sides,” said Chuck Smith-Dewey.
Frequently pointing to rankings that give her top marks for bipartisanship, Craig said she votes for bills she feels are right for her district, such as the bipartisan gun safety reforms and infrastructure bill. Kistner said he defied the infrastructure bill, saying less than half of the $1.2 trillion package actually went to infrastructure.
He offered a contrasting image of Craig, noting that she always votes with policies supporting Biden, a claim backed by FiveThirtyEight’s vote tracker.
What’s missed, Craig said, are the times she fought back against the Biden administration to ensure the provisions ended up in bills. Craig stood alongside fellow Democrats outside the state Capitol on Thursday to trumpet the party’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, which, along with inflation, addresses health care costs and climate change. Afterwards, she said she fought to include a key provision that allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices.
She also has many questions about the Biden administration’s student-loan forgiveness, she said at Thursday’s debate. Kistner, who noted he emerged from college with $58,000 in debt, said he could not support Biden’s move.
“To be honest, I’m not too sure about Joe Biden’s plan either,” Craig added.
However, the candidates did not agree on other political points. Kistner supports school choice legislation that allows families to use public funds for their child’s private, public, or public schooling. Craig said the federal government’s role in supporting schools is to increase funding for special education.
When asked who won the 2020 election, Kistner replied, “Look at the gas prices, Biden is the president.” Craig said Kistner was called an “election denier.”
While crime has been less of an issue in the Second Circuit than in other races, it is still a common topic that candidates hear about on the campaign trail. The state’s largest police force and Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie backed Craig, while the Minneapolis Police Union backed Kistner.
An unusual – but not unprecedented – death could add another complication to a race where every vote can count.
Legalize Marijuana Now contestant Paula Overby died earlier this month. In 2020, that party’s second district candidate, Adam Weeks, also died shortly before the election. People who have previously voted for Overby early can contact their local Elections Office and ask for a replacement ballot.
“It has the potential to siphon off some Democratic voters,” Chapp said of the third-party candidate, whose name will remain on the ballot.
In 2020, Weeks received almost 6% of the vote in the close race, which was decided by two percentage points.
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