Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) might have more than a passing interest in the toss-up race for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District.
Emmer, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, represents the neighboring 6th District, meaning Tyler Kistner (R) should have all the resources he needs from the national party in his rematch with Rep. Angie Craig (D). That could prove fortuitous for Kistner, who lost to Craig 48.2% to 45.9% in 2020 and is making another run at her in a newly configured 2nd District drawn with a slight Democratic edge.
“Minnesota 2 is one of our top pickup priorities in the country,” Emmer said Monday. “The NRCC is all in to help Tyler Kistner defeat Angie Craig in November.” Those are not just words from the NRCC chairman; the committee has booked $2.6 million in fall advertising to push Kistner over the top in the 2nd District.
Kistner, 34, did not necessarily plan on running again, he said in an interview with the Washington Examiner. But he was quickly convinced to give it another go after watching President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress preside over multiple domestic and foreign policy crises, from skyrocketing inflation to the bungled U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“The disastrous economic policies of Biden and the Democrats, and their disastrous foreign policies, gave me all the motivation I needed,” Kistner said. “I was not planning on it.”
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Democrats reject this characterization of their leadership and believe a recent flurry of legislative activity in Congress has provided Craig fresh ammunition as she seeks to fend off Kistner. In particular, Democrats argue the massive social spending and climate bill dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, unanimously opposed by Republicans in the House and Senate, is going to cause Kistner problems as voters learn about initiatives in the bill to reduce healthcare costs.
“Congresswoman Craig has been a fierce advocate for Minnesota in Congress, working to reform D.C. and end government corruption while lowering the cost of healthcare,” said Matt Corridoni, spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “This race is a clear choice.”
Kistner’s story is not all that different from other Republicans on the 2022 ballot.
Whether first-timers or, like Kistner, those mounting their second bid for office after losing in 2020, they tell a story of not intending to run for Congress but feeling compelled to action by the Biden agenda and full Democratic control of Capitol Hill. So instead of returning to his life as a small business consultant, Kistner, a married father of two and Marine reservist with nine years of active duty under his belt, is in year four of campaigning for Congress, hoping the second time is the charm.
Kistner said he hears most about five specific issues when campaigning in the 2nd District — and in the following order: skyrocketing inflation, rising crime, anxiety about public education, a preference for the United States to become energy independent, and border security. Addressing these concerns would be Kistner’s top priority if he manages to dislodge Craig on Nov. 8. Kistner said there’s an additional issue that would get his attention: an increasingly belligerent China.
“First what I’m hearing from most voters is inflation is top of mind,” Kistner said. “The second thing in my district is crime. Crime is huge.”
For emphasis, Kistner went on to explain that 2nd District voters are not simply worried about crime rates in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul that have experienced sharp upticks in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer. “Crime is now starting to spread to the suburbs,” he said, making it a hyperlocal issue on which they are looking to their elected officials for relief.
But exactly what sort of relief might a new Republican House majority provide with Biden still in the White House and a Senate well short of 60 GOP votes?
That is a question many Republicans are being forced to consider with the GOP favored to reclaim the speaker’s gavel as Election Day draws near. It’s a poignant question because grassroots Republicans expected results from previous GOP majorities that they were unable to deliver because of White House and Senate opposition. Kistner acknowledged that a Republican majority would not have unfettered power to work its will but argued there is much the party can do.
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“What we’ll be able to do is three things: We’re going to have actual oversight; we’ve been missing that from Congress for a while. And in Congress, we have leverage and have just as much power as the executive branch: We have the power of the purse,” Kistner said.
He added, “We have to be able to use our leverage to our advantage and cut spending, tap into our own national resources, and do everything we can to make this country stronger — not just economically but in terms of our national security as well.”
