Pete Stauber leads Jen Schultz in 8th Congressional District rematch – Duluth News Tribune

DULUTH — Incumbent U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber was leading DFL challenger Jen Schultz in an 8th Congressional District rematch.

The Hermantown Republican held a 64.83% to 35.09% advantage over the former state lawmaker from Duluth, with 23.62% of precincts reporting Tuesday night, Nov. 5.

Stauber, 58, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, is seeking his fourth two-year term in Congress. He is a former professional hockey player, Duluth police officer, business owner and St. Louis County Commissioner.

Schultz, 53, is an economist and professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. She served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2015-23.

The race featured many familiar issues from the 2022 campaign, which Stauber won with 57% of the vote.

Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group

The congressman has focused heavily on mining and energy advocacy while criticizing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on inflation, government spending and problems at the southern border.

Contributed / Amanda J. Cane

The DFL candidate, meanwhile, campaigned on strengthening the middle class, protecting access to health care and preserving democracy — criticizing Stauber as an ineffective congressman who puts politics above policy.

Stauber currently chairs the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, which oversees oil, gas, wind, solar and mining projects nationwide.

He has criticized the administration for policies on mining and oil drilling and sponsored legislation that passed the GOP-controlled House to overturn a ban on copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The congressman has made four trips in office to the US-Mexico border, highlighting what he has called a “humanitarian and organized crime” crisis that is allowing criminals and fentanyl to flow into the country.

However, Schultz has criticized him for voting against legislation she said would help average Americans, from price gouging to a cap on insulin costs. In particular, Stauber in January touted his efforts to secure a $1 billion grant for the construction of a new Blatnik Bridge between Duluth and Superior after voting against the bipartisan infrastructure bill that funded it.

The DFL has also voted against additional funding for Ukraine in its defense of the Russian invasion, as well as co-sponsoring legislation that would federally ban abortions after 15 weeks and potentially threaten in vitro fertilization.

The 8th District, long a DFL stronghold, emerged as one of the nation’s most competitive and expensive races last decade, flipping parties three times between 2010-18. But the northeastern Minnesota seat is no longer considered a national bellwether by political analysts, with Stauber the first Republican to win re-election since the 1940s.

The district includes all or parts of 21 counties, including all seven Anishinaabe reservations in Minnesota. While Duluth remains heavily Democratic, the once-reliably blue Iron Range has undergone a major shift in recent cycles, and the district has grown to include more conservatively-leaning rural areas.

Members of Congress earn $174,000 a year.

Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group

Tom Olsen has covered crime and the courts and the 8th Congressional District for the Duluth News Tribune since 2013. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth and a lifelong resident of the city. Readers can contact Olsen at 218-723-5333 or [email protected].