Stauber is in, so rematch is on
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Stauber
U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, who represents Carlton County as part of the Eighth Congressional District, announced Monday that he will seek a fourth term in Congress.
His announcement comes a week after Jen Schultz, a Democratic candidate, said she will run again against the Republican.
The two exchanged barbs for a week in press releases and campaign pitches as the announcements rolled in.
In between the announcements, Pres. Joe Biden visited Duluth and Superior to tout $1.06 billion in funding. Before that visit, Stauber had said he had "long fought hard for these funds" despite having voted against the 2021 federal infrastructure bill that made the bridge funding possible. Schultz and other Democrats, including Gov. Tim Walz, chided Stauber for his comments.
"Joe Biden and the DFL have been attacking me all week, and now he is showing up right across the canal (sic) in Superior," Stauber wrote in a plea for campaign donations last week.
"Joe can campaign in our backyard all he wants. He can pour millions of dollars into our state to influence our elections, but our rising costs and bills don't lie."
A few days later, Stauber made his re-election plans public.
"Minnesotans are known for our grit and resolve and it's in our nature to face challenges head-on, working hard until the job is done," Stauber's press release stated. "We can all agree that the job is far from finished."
"Americans are struggling with the skyrocketing cost of living due to a broken economy caused by Bidenomics. Due to Biden's border-free society, our southern border is now a national security and humanitarian crisis. And rather than take a backseat to our adversaries, America needs to restore its energy dominance."
Schultz responded to Stauber's announcement on Monday.
"Pete Stauber has been our congressperson for five years and has nothing to show for it," her press release stated. "Just last week, he tried to take credit for the Blatnik bridge project despite voting against its funding. Now, as he announces his re-election, Pete Stauber is blaming the White House and others instead of telling us what he will do to make our lives better."
Stauber was quick to respond with another campaign funding plea. "I'm running to protect Minnesota mining, secure our border, and keep the government from trying to destroy our way of life here in the Great 8th," his release said. "Our opponent, Jen Schultz, has already announced that she's back to challenge me again. We won last time, but I've gotta admit it, this will not be an easy race."
Schultz lost to Stauber by 15 points in 2022. She represented part of Duluth for eight years in the Minnesota Legislature.
