Former federal prosecutor launches campaign against U.S. Rep. Angie Craig
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Joe Teirab, right, is running to challenge U.S. Rep. Angie Craig. Photos: Joe Teirab for Congress/U.S. House of Representatives
A recent federal prosecutor is joining the race for Minnesota's most competitive congressional district.
Driving the news: Joe Teirab announced Wednesday morning that he'll seek the Republican nomination to run against DFL U.S. Rep. Angie Craig in the 2nd Congressional District in the 2024 election.
The big picture: The suburban Twin Cities seat was a major battleground in the 2022 midterms, attracting high spending by political groups on both sides.
- Craig defeated repeat GOP challenger Tyler Kistner by 5 percentage points that year, more than doubling her narrow 2020 margin of victory.
Catch up quick: Teirab, 36, grew up in southwest Minnesota and is the son of an immigrant of Sudan. The Harvard-educated lawyer was an attorney for the United States Marine Corps where he was deployed to Iraq before returning to Minnesota to work for Nicollet County Attorney's Office.
- He spent the last several years serving as an assistant U.S. attorney in Minnesota, where he said he worked on a gang crackdown and the Feeding Our Future food fraud case.
What he's saying: He told Axios in an interview that he wanted to run because he's "worried about the direction of our country," citing inflation and crime as top concerns.
- "I think only in America can that kind of story happen," he said of his own life trajectory. "...[The] American dream isn't just a slogan, it's a promise. I think the direction of our country, that promise, is being broken."
State of play: He joins a GOP field that already includes attorney Tayler Rahm and Mike Murphy, a former North Metro mayor and GOP gubernatorial candidate.
- Rahm, who entered the race in May, raised six-figures in the most recent fundraising period ending in September with $60,000 in the bank, and recently secured the endorsement of former Republican U.S. Rep. Jason Lewis.
Between the lines: Abortion emerged as a top issue in the 2022 race following the SCOTUS decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Teirab told Axios that while he is personally "pro-life," he "would not be in support of more federal control on abortion."
- "I think the Supreme Court did the right thing by putting the decision back to the states," he said.
The intrigue: Teirab says he's "staying out of" backing a candidate in the GOP's 2024 presidential race. He said he's "always supported Republicans," but declined to say who he voted for in the 2020 election.
Of note: Records show he owns property in the west metro, outside the boundaries of the south metro's 2nd District. While candidates for Congress do not need to reside in the district, Teirab told Axios he recently moved and is renting a place in Burnsville.
What we're watching: The Republican primary. Teirab told Axios he plans to abide by the GOP endorsement and step aside if another candidate wins backing of the local Republican delegates.