Matt Little wins DFL party endorsement for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District

Former Lakeville Mayor and state Sen. Matt Little decisively won the DFL party endorsement for Congress on Saturday, but the race on the left side of the aisle for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District is far from over. 

Little won 63% of the delegate vote in the first round, beating out state Rep. Kaela Berg and state Sen. Matt Klein; 60% was required to clinch the party endorsement. 

"I think it sends a strong message that people are looking for us in this race," Little said. 

Both Berg and Klein confirmed that they intend to continue in the race, all but ensuring a competitive primary that will be decided in August. While Berg said that she respects the convention endorsement process, she believes that she will have greater success taking her case to the voting public.

"We now have the opportunity to talk to tens of thousands of voters in this district who resonate with our story," Berg said. 

Klein agrees, stating that he'll come out on top in a primary election. 

"Minnesota Democrats have a long history of doing this. Gov. Walz was not endorsed by our party, Gov. Dayton was not endorsed by our party," Klein said. 

Little pointed to record-breaking turnout in state caucuses earlier this year; delegates are selected at these caucuses, so Little said that the delegates are truly representative of the district.

"I think it is pretty representative of the political pool this year because of how involved people are right now," Little said.  

With a primary race now underway, all three candidates point to the broader economy and healthcare costs as central to their campaigns. 

Berg, a former flight attendant, said that her life experience mirrors those in the district.

"My community knows that when they tell me how this economy is affecting them, they know I live that right alongside them," Berg said.  

Little said his progressive platform is required to fix what he described as a broken system. 

"People are voting for us because they know we're going to make structural change and not just move the margins a little bit," Little said. 

It was the progressive candidates who had the most success at Saturday's convention. Little was the clear winner with 104 votes and Berg came in a distant second with 35.  

Klein, a physician and self-proclaimed moderate, won 23 votes. But he said that going further to the left would be a mistake as he and his fellow candidates compete for a seat that Rep. Angie Craig currently holds.

"The broader primary electorate understands issues like electability and how do you win over republicans and independents in a purple district like CD2," Klein said. 

Craig is leaving in the pursuit of becoming one of Minnesota's U.S. Senators; it's a congressional district where Democrats only have a narrow advantage on paper. 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. Prior to Craig's victory in 2018, Republicans held the seat for about 19 years. 

Heading into the summer, Little also has a monetary advantage. According to public records, as of the end of March, Little had raised $716,806.80 and spent $418,218.88; Klein had raised $699,672.725 and spent $365,409.96; Berg had raised $244,954.28 and spent $190,213.02. 

State Sen. Eric Pratt is the sole Republican in the race, poised to face the winner of the DFL primary in November. He told WCCO his campaign is about serving and representing the people of the 2nd Congressional District, and he "absolutely" believes this is a prime time for Republicans to take back the seat.