Minnesota Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber kicked off his re-election campaign on Monday, seeking a third term in the northeastern Eighth District in Congress on a message that one-party control in Washington isn't working.
In a video release from his campaign, Stauber blamed Democrats for rising crime, inflation and energy prices and mandates on businesses during the pandemic and said he's running again to "champion our causes."
"Supply chains are breaking. China and Russia are laughing at us. Our borders are weakened and not secure," Stauber says in the video, sitting at a table with his wife. "Our law enforcement is under attack, and our public safety is threatened. Businesses are handcuffed by tyrannical government mandates and lockdowns. Parents are being told that they have no say in their children's education. Enough is enough."
Stauber, a former Duluth police officer, was first elected in the 2018 midterms and replaced DFL Rep. Rick Nolan, who didn't run for another term. In that race, Stauber won by more than 5 percentage points over his Democratic opponent Joe Radinovich. In 2020, Stauber won a roughly 19 point victory over DFL challenger Quinn Nystrom.
Republicans are well-positioned to win back control of the House in this fall's midterm elections, given Democrats' narrow majority in the chamber and since the incumbent president's party typically struggles in the midterms.
A wild card this year is the once-a-decade redistricting process, which will reshape the Eighth District for the first time since Stauber has represented it. The two parties have proposed different congressional maps, and it will likely fall to the courts to determine the lines.
So far this cycle, the only Democratic candidate who has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run against Stauber is Theresa Lastovich. The challenger is described on her campaign's website as "a fourth-generation union member who has seen how tirelessly workers in the 8th District fight just to make ends meet."
In Congress last year, Stauber championed a GOP police reform effort while opposing the legislation Democrats supported known as the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Despite a public push from President Joe Biden, lawmakers on Capitol Hill were unable to overcome a partisan divide to send reform legislation to the Democratic leader's desk.
Stauber also joined the other three Republicans in Minnesota's congressional delegation and Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar in voting against the bipartisan infrastructure law that the White House projects will bring billions to the state.
"Pete Stauber spends his time in Washington voting against bills that help his district, then trying to take credit for them. Instead of working for his constituents, Stauber has been working to overturn the results of a free and fair election," Minnesota DFL chairman Ken Martin said in a statement. "At the end of the day, Stauber puts his political party ahead of the needs of his district and Minnesotans deserve better than that."
Staff writer Hunter Woodall contributed to this report.
