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Joe Teirab and Angie Craig are vying for the second seat in the Congressional District

Joe Teirab and Angie Craig are vying for the second seat in the Congressional District

Joe Teirab and Angie Craig are vying for the open seat in the 2nd Congressional District

The race against Joe Teirab and Angie Craig for Minnesota’s second congressional district seat ends in a week.

Teirab brings experience as a federal prosecutor to the race

Joe Teirab has left his job as a federal prosecutor in hopes of unseating incumbent Angie Craig in the 2nd Congressional District.

“I think the most important thing is that I stand for change,” he says. “I am not the status quo.”

Teirab, 37, says his main problem is the economy: cutting government spending and regulation.

“Tax cuts passed in 2017 made small business owners I spoke to in the Second District big fans, putting more money in their pockets,” he notes.

This is Teirab’s first run for public office.

He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who served in Iraq as a judge advocate and later served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the government’s Feeding Our Future fraud case and in several criminal investigations.

“During the RICO prosecution investigation of the major criminal street gang Bloods, I was literally in a war room working with and directing law enforcement from all types of agencies,” Teirab explains.

Teirab has an anti-abortion stance, except in cases of rape, incest or saving the life of the mother.

But he opposes a federal ban and says it should be up to the states.

“My mother became pregnant with me, it was unplanned, and she went to a crisis pregnancy center who encouraged and supported her,” says Teirab. “That’s why I’m here alone today.”

He says he wants more resources for U.S. Customs and Border Protection — and for some immigrants in the country illegally to be deported.

Although Teirab adds that the government “should not round up people who have lived here for 20 years.”

Teirab’s campaign has raised nearly $3 million, compared to Craig’s nearly $8 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings.

Our KSTP/SurveyUSA poll from earlier this month shows Craig leading Teirab by eight points, 49% to 41%.

He thinks the race is getting tighter.

If Teirab wins election night, he would be the first Republican to win the 2i.e District seat since 2016.

“We turn it around through hard work and sticking to the things we know people care about, which is the economy pushing down prices and making sure we secure our borders,” Teirab said.

Craig prioritizes infrastructure and solar energy in race for seats

Incumbent Democratic Rep. Angie Craig says she, her team and other supporters knocked on 20,000 doors last weekend as they try to retain Minnesota’s No. 2 congressional seat — a position she has held since 2019.

A week before Election Day, Rep. Craig participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the Dakota County Service Center for the new solar carport as she helped raise $7.6 million for that and other solar projects in the county.

“I’m prioritizing your dollars and bringing them home,” Craig told county workers and officials.

She also expressed her support for the Infrastructure Reduction Act and its impact on public infrastructure projects.

Other focuses of her campaign included supporting law enforcement, college and health care accessibility, and protecting reproductive rights.

“Families don’t want politicians involved in health care decisions. That is what the majority of families in the Second District say to me every day,” Craig told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

Although the 2nd District is considered one of, if not the, most competitive race in the state, Craig says she feels confident running against Republican candidate Joe Teirab. She points to her bipartisan work on Capitol Hill as a reason for that confidence.

“In 2023, I voted against the Biden administration 30% of the time. That means the Biden administration isn’t always happy with me, and the Democrats aren’t always happy with me, but my job is to represent Minnesota’s 2nd District,” said Rep. Craig.

View candidate profiles for all key federal races 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is followed in our 2024 election guide.