Race for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District could prove to be contentious

The only open Congressional race in Minnesota is in the state's 2nd Congressional District, where the incumbent Rep. Angie Craig is not running for reelection but running for U.S. Senate. 

Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District is a microcosm of the whole state. There are suburban areas, including Burnsville, Eagan and Cottage Grove, as well as rural farm areas in Dakota, Scott and Le Sueur counties. It is the most evenly divided district between Democrats and Republicans in the state.

The Cook Partisan Voting Index rates the district at a +3 for Democratic candidates, which means in recent presidential elections, Democrats have held a narrow 3-point edge. But in 2016, President Trump won the district by 1% and Republican Jason Lewis won the Congressional seat.

In 2018, DFL candidate Angie Craig beat Lewis and she has held the seat ever since. Craig is now running for U.S. Senate.  

Minnesota GOP Sen. Eric Pratt is running this year. Three well-known candidates are running on the DFL side: Rep. Kaela Berg, Sen. Matt Klein and former state Sen. Matt Little.

Berg represents Burnsville in the Minnesota Legislature and has been a flight attendant for Endeavor Airlines, a Delta subsidiary, for more than 20 years.

"We have picked up a lot of momentum. People hear my story, they relate to me. They see somebody who understands them, and they're coming in and they're joining our team. And it's just a really incredible testament of when you understand what people are going through and they can see themselves in you," Berg said.

While there is a DFL endorsing convention on May 9, the DFL race in the 2nd District is expected to be settled in the Aug. 11 primary.

A look at fundraising shows Little and Klein virtually tied, with Berg trailing both of them. Pratt has raised a little less than Berg.

The 2nd District race received a burst of publicity last week with the revelation that Sen. Klein had placed a $50 bet on the prediction market Kalshi that he would win the August primary, which is a violation of Kalshi's rules. Klein had to pay a small fine and has been banned from the Kalshi platform for five years. He has apologized.

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