Joe Teirab, Angie Craig face off for 2nd Congressional District seat
The race between Joe Teirab and Angie Craig for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District seat wraps up in one week.
Teirab bringing experience as federal prosecutor to the race
Joe Teirab quit his job as a federal prosecutor, hoping to unseat incumbent Angie Craig in the 2nd Congressional District.
“I think the big thing is that I stand for change,” he says. “I’m not the status quo.”
Teirab, 37, says his number one issue is the economy — cutting government spending and regulations.
“We had tax cuts that passed in 2017 that small business owners that I talked to in the second district were big fans, making sure more money is in their pockets,” he notes.
This is Teirab’s first run for public office.
He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who served in Iraq as a judge advocate and later, was an assistant U.S. attorney on the Feeding Our Future government fraud case, and various criminal investigations.
“In the big Bloods criminal street gang RICO prosecution investigation, I was literally in a war room working with and leading law enforcement from all kinds of agencies,” Teirab explains.
Teirab has an anti-abortion stance, except in the case of rape, incest or saving the mother’s life.
But he’s against a federal ban and instead, says it should be up to the states.
“My mom got pregnant with me, it was unplanned, and she went to a crisis pregnancy center who encouraged her, provided her support,” Teirab says. “I’m only here this day because of that.”
He says he wants more resources for U.S. Customs and Border Protection — and that some immigrants who are in the country illegally should be deported.
Although Teirab adds the government shouldn’t be ‘rounding people up who’ve been here twenty years.’
According to Federal Election Commission documents, Teirab’s campaign has raised nearly $3 million, versus Craig’s nearly $8 million.
Our KSTP/SurveyUSA poll earlier this month has Craig leading Teirab by eight points, 49% to 41%.
He thinks the race is tightening.
If Teirab is victorious election night, he would be the first Republican to win the 2nd District seat since 2016.
“We’re turning it around by working hard and stick to those issues that we know people care about, which is the economy driving down prices, making sure we secure our border,” Teirab says.
Craig prioritizing infrastructure, solar energy in race for seat
Incumbent Democratic Representative Angie Craig says she, her team, and other supporters knocked on 20,000 doors last weekend as they work to hold on to Minnesota’s second congressional seat — a position she’s held since 2019.
A week out to Election Day, Rep. Craig joined a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside the Dakota County Service Center for its new solar carport, as she helped lock in $7.6 million for that and other solar projects in the county.
“I’m prioritizing your dollars, bringing them home,” Craig said to county workers and officials.
She also touted her support for the Infrastructure Reduction Act and its impact on public infrastructure projects.
Other focuses of her campaign have been supporting law enforcement, accessibility to college and health care, and protecting reproductive rights.
“Families do not want politicians to be involved in their health care decisions. That’s what the majority of the families in the second district say to me every single day,” Craig told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.
Though the second district is considered one of, if not the most competitive race in the state, Craig says she’s feeling 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 makes the Biden Administration not happy with me all the time, or Democrats not happy with me all the time, but my job is to represent Minnesota’s Second District,” Rep. Craig said.