Democrat Angie Craig Declares Victory In MN 2nd District Race

EAGAN, MN — Democrat Rep. Angie Craig has declared victory in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District over Republican challenger Tyler Kistner. Craig currently leads Kistner, 202,597 votes to 193,505 votes.

"Since the day I was sworn in, it has been the honor of my lifetime to represent the people of Minnesota’s Second Congressional District in the United States Congress," Craig said in a statement Wednesday morning.

"From Shakopee to Lake City and everywhere in between, our communities are full of hardworking families who deserve the best representation possible in Congress. Over the past two years, I have tried to live up to that standard in Washington as I fought to lower the cost of health care, expand educational opportunities for young Minnesotans and create an economy that works for every American regardless of zip code."

Also read: MN Election Recap: Republicans, Democrats Score Wins

Minnesota 2020 State House And State Senate Election Results

Craig added that, "while it took longer than expected, I have said throughout this race that every voter in our district must have an opportunity to make their voices heard – and I am so thankful to the tireless election judges that counted votes throughout the night to ensure that was the case. I am so grateful to the people of this district for giving me an opportunity to return to Congress to continue this important work – and I look forward to fighting for them in the 117th Congress.”

In 2016, Craig narrowly lost to Republican Jason Lewis. In 2018, Craig handily defeated Lewis, denying him a second term. However, the 2020 race in the Second District has been unlike any before it in recent history.

Current vote tally:

• Democrat Angie Craig: 202,597 votes
• Republican Tyler Kistner: 193,505 votes

Election uncertainty

The date of the U.S. House election was thrown into question when Adam Weeks, who was running as the Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate in the district, died in September.

Voters in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District learned the date of their U.S. House election was to remain Nov. 3 after a decision from the nation's highest court.

On Oct. 27, Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch rejected an appeal from Republican Tyler Kistner, who had sought to delay the election in the 2nd District.

Kistner fought to delay the election after Weeks died.

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Under state law, a special election would be held in February, Secretary of State Steve Simon confirmed following Weeks' death. However, Democratic Rep. Angie Craig's campaign filed a lawsuit Sept. 28 in order to prevent a delay.

Her campaign argued that Minnesota's law on special elections conflicts with federal law. On Oct. 9, a federal judge ruled in Craig's favor, granting an injunction and forcing the election back to the original date of Nov. 3. And on Friday, the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a motion from Kistner to delay the election int0 2021.

Kistner vowed to appeal Friday's ruling to the Supreme Court, but the decision from Justice Gorsuch last week means the Republican challenger is out of options.

Report: GOP Recruited Weed Candidate To Help Defeat Angie Craig

A new report finds that Republicans pushed Weeks to run for Congress as a third-party candidate in Minnesota's 2nd District. Read more.

Positions

Both Craig and Kistner have billed themselves as pragmatic candidates who know the people of the Second District intimately. They diverge on several key issues, however, including the coronavirus pandemic and health care.

Neither candidate supports defunding the police. Craig is far more supportive of police departments than some of her more progressive colleagues, including Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minneapolis.

"While I am fully supportive of efforts to address systemic racism and reform our criminal justice system, I do not support defunding the police," Craig told Patch in her candidate profile.

"In fact, I voted twice to increase funding for our local police departments for community oriented policing. Our country needs both a more just law enforcement system and our valued police officers to truly keep our communities safe. And I believe that we can accomplish both of those goals if we work together."

Kistner takes a more conservative positive, telling Patch that he wants to "restrict cities, not police departments, that defund/abolish their police departments from receiving federal grant money."

On police reform, Kistner says that "having national standards and an expansion of training would be a good way to fix some issues that some police departments are having and can be beneficial to local communities as well."

COVID-19 pandemic

When asked about the COVID-19 pandemic, Kistner told Patch he wants to "fully re-open our economy back up" and "get folks back to work."

Craig told Patch in September that "the top priority for any elected official at this time must be supporting efforts to contain and combat the global health pandemic that has taken the lives of nearly 200,000 Americans nationwide."

Craig said she "consistently urged my colleagues to act swiftly and aggressively to provide the resources and funding necessary to enact a nationwide testing and contact-tracing plan, provide sufficient personal protective equipment to the millions of employees working on the frontlines, and invest all the resources necessary to develop and distribute effective treatments and vaccines as soon as possible."

She added that "we must continue to support our families, our small businesses, health care professionals, first responders and our family farmers as they continue to face the threat of COVID-19. Millions of hardworking Americans across the country are struggling right now. It's our job in Congress to do everything we can to support them and rebuild an economy that keeps the American dream alive."

Read more:

• Candidate Profile: Angie Craig For U.S. House
• Candidate Profile: Tyler Kistner For U.S. House