Voters in Rep. Angie Craig’s (D-Minn.) swing district cited Social Security, border security, and abortion, among others, as leading issues.
WEST ST. PAUL, Minn.—Minnesota’s Second Congressional District inhabits two worlds.
At its northern end are the suburbs of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Democrat-heavy Twin Cities. In the south, the district stretches 40 miles into rural Minnesota, where Republicans abound and precincts are deep shades of red.
The population is 75 percent white non-Hispanic, with a median age of 38 and an average income of $101,000 a year.
All of these characteristics make this district, once represented by Gov. Tim Walz, among the top competitive congressional races in 2024. The incumbent, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), was first elected in 2018 by a margin of 5.6 points. Her margin of victory in 2020 was slimmer at 2.3 points and in 2022 it was 5.3 points.
The Cook Political Report classifies the race as competitive with Democrats enjoying a 1-point advantage.
Craig has raised more than $6 million to defend her seat. In November, she will face Republican candidate Joe Teirab, an attorney and former U.S. Marine Corps officer who won the Republican primary on Aug. 13.
On the day of the primary, The Epoch Times spoke with several voters in the Second District who said they want their candidate to focus on government spending, Social Security, the border, and abortion.
Voters Talk Issues
“The border [is] number one, OK? We’re being overrun,” Lisa, a voter in West St. Paul who supports Democrats and asked to be identified with only her first name, told The Epoch Times. “We’ve got so many [illegal immigrants] that we’re overwhelmed. Nobody’s even checking. They laugh at us. It’s a joke.”
She was equally critical of public services being provided to illegal immigrants.
“You don’t put in, you don’t get out. That’s how it always was,” she said. “Now they get to collect free on my dime, and then I get to starve the rest of my life?”
Debra Botts, a longtime resident of the Second District and a former Democratic voter, opted to vote in the Republican primary this year. In Minnesota, voters are not registered by party and can choose to participate in either party’s primary.
“We want the borders closed,” Botts said. “That’s where we stand.”
On the economy, voters said government spending was a concern, suggesting it had grown too much and was causing inflation.
“I think they flooded the market with too much stimulus, and that’s got to throttle back,” said Greg, a retiree who voted for Republicans and also asked to be identified only by his first name. He blamed government spending for inflation.
Jack Costello, an independent voter, was also critical of government spending. He said the United States is constantly adding to the national debt. He chose not to support Craig, whom he described as being “hard left.”
Will Millner, a 19-year-old college student who voted in the Republican primary, said Craig hasn’t done a great job with finances.
“The cost of living has gone up quite a bit,” he told The Epoch Times.
“There’s a whole different fiscal thought [nowadays], and that seems to be a big focus,” said Judy, an 82-year-old resident of West St. Paul who voted in the Democratic primary.
Regarding Craig’s performance on that issue, among others, Judy said Craig “wasn’t perfect … but I think she’s gotten some of the things that are important for us,” and supported her in the primary.
Social Security was a top concern for Judy and other elderly voters, who expressed fear that the program may not fiscally survive.
The U.S. government has currently borrowed $2.7 trillion from the Social Security Trust Fund, according to the Social Security Administration, which has warned that it will run short of funds to pay beneficiaries in 2035.
“It may run out. Not in my lifetime, I’m sure, but I’m 82. So there are concerns,” Judy said.
Democrats have repeatedly denounced “cuts” to Social Security proposed by some Republicans, who argue reforms are necessary to preserve the program.
“I’m approaching retirement, so Social Security and Medicare are very important,” Greg said. “When you’ve put it in as long as I have, you really kind of hope it’s still there.” He supported efforts to raise the retirement age at which one may claim full benefits.
Many voters cited abortion and social issues as key concerns in this year’s election.
“I’m concerned about our freedoms. I like choice,” said Will, an independent voter from Inver Grove Heights who has lived in the district since 1978.
He said he intends to vote for Craig in November because “Republicans and Trump push me away.”
“I feel like a woman’s right to choose is very, very important,” said a 35-year-old woman, who voted with her family at West St. Paul’s City Hall. For that reason, she said she supports Craig because “she is in touch with the real-life issues that are involved.”
Some voters who emphasized social issues, however, opted not to support Craig.
“We just need something new,” said another woman with her family who voted against Craig in the Democratic primary.
“I want to find the candidate that closely matches my views in the most number of issues, and my issues generally are police reform, abortion, and democracy being upheld correctly.”
The Campaign
In a swing district, voter turnout can make a great difference to results. Voters in Minnesota’s 2nd District attributed the campaign’s competitiveness to a resurgence of rural voters, who were casting their ballots for Republicans.
“Rural Minnesota is speaking and not just the Twin Cities … they’re turning out more,” said Greg, who lived in a suburban area.
“Democrats do an awfully great job of getting out the vote and getting their people involved and energetic, and too many Republicans have been too laissez-faire … the consequences are starting to become a lot more evident, and I think people are starting to push back.”
He noted that voters may be more conservative on social issues than the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party in Minnesota. “[Minnesota] hasn’t always been Democratic, even though we always seem to have voted blue in presidential elections. There are more Republicans than are represented.”
“Outside the cities, many people vote red without talking about it,” said Costello.
DFL candidates Craig and Walz have held the district since 2006, and some voters said longevity is an issue.
“If one party reigns for a long time, there’s going to be people who are tired of the same thing. They [are] going to see the issues and they’re going to want to change,” said Millner. “A change in this seat wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.”
Craig, a three-term incumbent, has high name recognition in the district, while many voters said they hadn’t heard of Teirab, posing a challenge for his campaign.
“I haven’t read much about him,” noted Costello, an independent voter on Teirab. “I haven’t read or seen anything on TV about him,” said Judy.
Craig and Teirab’s campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Early voting for the general election begins on Sept. 20 in Minnesota.