The races for Minnesota’s the 1st and 2nd congressional districts could be hotly contested this year.
The 2nd District has come to be seen as Minnesota’s marquee swing district, given its mix of inner ring and outer ring suburbs, as well as rural areas. The district stretches into northern and western Rice County, including Lonsdale, Northfield, Dundas and Morristown.
While the seat has been held by DFL Rep. Angie Craig of Prior Lake since 2018, it was Republican before then under Reps. John Kline and Jason Lewis. Craig, who narrowly lost to Lewis in 2016 before beating him in a 2018 rematch, has faced close races every time she’s won.
Two Republican challengers are working hard to win the support of local Republican delegates for the opportunity to unseat Craig this time: attorney Tayler Rahm and former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab.
Retired Carleton College professor Steven Schier said the 2nd District is likely to be the most contested House race in November, but Craig’s formidable resources and proven electoral track record will be hard for a Republican challenger to overcome
“In Minnesota, there’s a real competitive mismatch between the two political parties — the Democrats have a lot more money, which allows them to have a much more formidable get out the vote operation,” Schier said. “It could be close, but the question is whether the Republicans have enough resources.”
The current House Republican majority is not only extremely narrow but dependent on several incumbents who narrowly won in blue states. In order to stay in the majority, Republicans might need to offset potential losses with gains in traditional swing seats they lost in 2022.
Both Rahm and Teirab have repeatedly pledged to respect the results of the endorsing convention, which will take place at the end of the month. Neither has held or even run for political office before.
Rahm’s campaign manager Jill Vujovich-Laabs said her candidate offers a versatile, diverse set of experiences and perspectives. Raised in the district by a single mom, Rahm worked his way through undergraduate school and then law school. He is pitching himself as a conservative outsider. The first Republican to enter the race, he quickly picked up the endorsement of former Rep. Jason Lewis.
Teirab, a Harvard Law School graduate, Marine Corps veteran and former Assistant U.S. Attorney, who appears to be the favorite of the national GOP groups that will be crucial in overcoming Craig’s financial advantage in the fall.
While fundraising figures released in February show that both candidates have raised cash at a similar clip, Teirab’s campaign received much more support from national GOP groups and figures, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer.
With less than two weeks to go to the endorsing convention, Rahm and Teirab participated in a candidate forum on April 15 held at Mercy Road Church in Burnsville.
Though both candidates expressed outspoken, unabashed conservative views to applause from a largely conservative Christian audience, Rahm positioned himself as a feisty conservative outsider, suggesting that many Republicans in Washington are insufficiently committed to conservative principles.
“I’m a constitutional conservative. I believe in the 10th Amendment and I believe in limited government,” Rahm said. “If we’re going to defeat the Democrat Party and make real change, we need a new generation of leadership in our own party.”
Teirab focused on both his evangelical Christian faith and experience in the Marine Corps and as a federal prosecutor, saying that he has already built strong relationships with local law enforcement and that his ironclad support for police would both help him to defeat Craig and tackle crime once in office.
Teirab was also particularly vocal and personal in expressing his strong opposition to abortion and strong support for crisis pregnancy centers. Teirab sits on the board of New Life Family Services, a center which he credits with convincing his mother to go forward with her pregnancy.
“I am only here today because of the work that God did through New Life Family Services and other crisis pregnancy centers,” Teirab said. “They are doing such important work and right now they are under attack from the left.”
During a question and answer session, both candidates expressed similar, strongly conservative views on topics including gun rights, border security and election security, and promised to vigorously support the other candidate if they do not secure the endorsement.
CD1 race
Despite years of close calls, the 1st Congressional District is thought not to be as much of a priority for national organizations this year. While Democrats can count on strong support in Rochester and Mankato, their support in other parts of the large rural district has slipped.
After only narrowly winning a special election to fill the late Rep. Jim Hagedorn’s seat last August, Rep. Brad Finstad was able to secure a double-digit win in November. The largest GOP victory in the 1st District since 2004, Finstad’s win was a break from the tight races the district saw, not only in the special election, but also in 2016, 2018 and 2020. However, it was in line with the double digit-margins former President Trump enjoyed in 2016 and 2020.
Until late February, Finstad was able to raise funds and further secure his position without a DFL challenger. That changed when Rachel Bohman, a former assistant county attorney, elections chief and Rochester Town Board Member announced her candidacy.
Bohman is pitching herself as a moderate alternative to Finstad, whose conservative positions she says “do not represent the values of southern Minnesota,” criticizing the incumbent specifically for his opposition to abortion rights.
Bohman spent her teenage years in Rochester and moved back to the area 13 years ago to raise her two children after she served as chief of elections for Anoka and Hennepin counties.
Steele County DFL Chair Bev Cashman said that Bohman appears to be a strong candidate who could potentially draw some Republican-leaning voters to split their tickets, just as Sen. Klobuchar and Gov. Walz did in the past.
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