For the second time in four days, the two major-party candidates for the 2nd Congressional District race faced off in a debate. Once again inflation and abortion sparked the most contentious exchanges.

Republican candidate Joe Teirab has focused on inflation in his one TV ad so far and in debates.

“We cannot engage in reckless spending bill after reckless spending bill like we did with the Kamala Harris and Joe Biden economic agenda that you, Congresswoman [Angie] Craig, voted for,” Teirab said Monday at a debate hosted by the Lakeville Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with 13 chambers in the district.

Craig defended her votes, including in favor of the Inflation Reduction Act that most economists agree did not lower inflation. However, it did lower prescription drug prices for Medicare patients.

“I’m not going to tell 3,200 2nd District seniors that sorry your insulin can’t be capped anymore because of the Inflation Reduction Act being repealed if Joe Teirab is ever in Congress,” she said.

The debate was primarily focused on economic and business issues, but Craig managed to bring up abortion in response to a question about the cost of health care benefits. It led to the most contentious exchange of the debate.

“My opponent here is an anti-abortion activist,” Craig said. “He was an activist in college in a pro-life group and now he spends his free time on the board of a crisis pregnancy center that won’t tell women the full range of options that they have.”

Teirab acknowledges he’s on the board of a pregnancy resource center where his mom once sought help.

“Angie Craig, you said I spend my free time at this pregnancy resource center,” he responded. “That’s a center that my mom, when she faced an unplanned pregnancy, went to and was given support to (give birth to) me. So I think it’s actually sad and pathetic that you bring it up in this context.”

“Joe, I’m glad your mom made the decision that was right for her,” Craig said, who was then interrupted by Teirab: “I feel very doubtful about that, Angie Craig.” Craig continued, “We’re just asking that you let every other woman in America make the decision that is right for them.”

Not surprisingly, Craig is running television ads about the abortion issue while Teirab is running an ad critical of Craig for inflation.

The 2nd District is considered Minnesota’s most competitive congressional race, where Craig has run by narrow margins in her last three races. However, the Cook Political Report rates the district as “leans Democrat.”

Outside special interests are also not spending as much money there as they did in 2022. Two years ago $19 million dollars poured into the race from those groups, the 10th-highest amount among congressional districts in the county, according to the website OpenSecrets. So far this year just over $1 million dollars has been spent, most of it by Democratic interests supporting Craig.