LAKEVILLE, Minn. – Matt Little handily defeated his DFL rivals in the 2nd Congressional District and notched another victory for progressives aiming to increase their influence by winning Democratic primaries this year.
Now his challenge is trying to keep Minnesota’s most “purple” congressional district in DFL hands.
“You can win an election telling the truth,” Little said in his victory speech Tuesday night at his campaign party in this Twin Cities suburb. “You can win an election doing what’s right. You can win an election without selling out our neighbors.”
The race to replace Rep. Angie Craig attracted two progressives, Little and state Rep. Kaela Berg, and a more moderate candidate, state Sen. Matt Klein. With 98% of precincts reporting, Little had won 47.2% of the vote, Klein 30.4% and Berg 16.7%.
Related: Craig’s legacy in ‘purple’ district hangs over the DFLers hoping to replace her
Craig had represented the district since 2018 as a centrist Democrat, sometimes crossing party lines to vote for GOP legislation that bolstered local police and border security.
She gave up the seat to run for the U.S. Senate, where she was locked in a Democratic primary race with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
To win and keep the 2nd District, Craig had to hew to the center because it includes urban voters who are loyal Democrats, suburban voters who belong to both parties and or are unaffiliated, and rural voters who are reliably Republican.
Little is a completely different candidate, born of the surge of progressive activism in the Democratic Party that has emerged as a rebuke to the Trump administration’s tough immigration enforcement policies and its relationship with Israel.
Little won the DFL’s endorsement and ran to the left of his primary opponents, even fellow progressive Berg, throughout his campaign. He billed himself as a fighter who wouldn’t compromise on his support for Medicare for All, replacing ICE and fighting what he calls corporate greed.
Related: Matt Little, other Minnesota progressive candidates campaign on ‘Medicare for All’ as ranks of uninsured grow
He exhibited a combative style in interactions with his opponents. At a debate in January, Klein and Berg accused him of mischaracterizing their positions.
“We can’t be bought,” Little said in his victory speech. “You know that private insurance money? We don’t take it because we’re fighting for Medicare for All. You know that private prison money? We don’t take it because the only people that should be in a detention center are those ICE murderers.”
An attorney who specializes in personal injury and malpractice cases, Little raised his profile during Operation Metro Surge.
He spent one or two days a week following federal immigration agents and posting some of those encounters on TikTok, including one of the ICE agents converging at his home in New Market Township.
Angelo Gonzales of Shakopee, who was at Little’s campaign party, said he saw Little demonstrate against ICE during Operation Metro Surge. “I decided during the winter that when Matt became our nominee, I would do everything I can to support him,” he said.
Little, a former Lakeville mayor who also served a term in the state Senate, will face Republican Eric Pratt, a senior member of the state Senate Finance Committee and a former vice president of U.S. Bank, in November’s general election.
“I know for sure Eric Pratt doesn’t want to see me come,” Little told cheering supporters.
The 2nd Congressional District includes the southern Twin Cities metro area and runs south nearly to Mankato, encompassing all of Scott, Dakota and Le Sueur Counties as well as parts of Rice and Washington Counties.
While it was long represented by Republicans in Congress, the 2nd District has trended more Democratic in recent years in part because of population shifts towards its more urban areas. The Cook Political Report rates it as “likely Democratic.”
Related: Klein, Little and Berg hunt for DFL delegates as they wrestle for 2nd District seat
But it also has had a history of being represented by moderates and Little could lose some of the ground Craig made among independents and even some Republicans.
Little pushed back against this idea on the campaign trail. He pointed to his record representing a Republican-leaning city as mayor and a Republican-leaning district in the state Legislature.
Kailen Roeder, a primary voter in Le Sueur, backed Klein. Compared with Little, he said Klein seemed like the more pragmatic and experienced candidate in a similar vein to Craig, whom he backed in the Senate primary.
“Little appeals to a kind of populist, left-wing sentiment and he uses the kind of language and mannerisms as Bernie Sanders,” Roeder said. “I think that there’s a certain value and appeal to that, but I don’t know that it really has practicality.”
That being said, Roeder felt whoever won on Tuesday would be a strong candidate in November.
The post Matt Little prevails in the 2nd District, expanding progressive wins in Democratic primaries appeared first on MinnPost.
Leave a Reply