Minnesota GOP Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach has rescinded her pledge to abide by the Republican endorsement in her race for reelection. Running in Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District, Rep. Fischbach is facing local businessman Steve Boyd in the battle for the district’s GOP nomination.
Jeff Backer, a state representative and co-chair of the Republican Party’s nominating committee for the district, confirmed that Rep. Fischbach rescinded her pledge.
Given the congresswoman’s recent change of mind, Fischbach and Boyd are set to square off against each other in the August GOP primary election regardless of who wins the Republican Party’s endorsement for the seat.
Boyd announced his campaign against Congresswoman Fischbach in October, saying “business as usual just won’t get it done.” A husband and father of five, Boyd has made traditional values and his Christian faith fundamental pieces of his campaign for Congress.
Describing the border crisis, debt, and government size and corruption as symptoms of decline, Boyd wants to restore the United States “back to our founding principles and values.” Further, the candidate wants to “defend innocent life at all stages, from conception to our final breath,” and end the “invasion of illegal and sometimes dangerous immigrants.”
The Republican endorsing convention for the district is not far away; Saturday, April 27. According to Boyd, Fischbach rescinded her endorsement pledge after the complete list of delegates to the convention became known. Boyd believes his campaign is well positioned to outright win the Republican endorsement and succeed in the primary against Fischbach.
Boyd recently spoke to Alpha News about the strength of his campaign.
“I am blown away by the support I have received,” said Boyd. “People are frustrated by the lack of action, the ridiculous political theater and the talking points. What we are really excited about is the amount of young people that are getting involved and want to help because they see something different in our campaign that is worth putting the time and effort into.”
Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District is considered the most conservative congressional district in the state. Boyd’s campaign for the seat is the first time he has ever run for public office.
In contrast, Congresswoman Fischbach has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since January of 2021. Elected in 2020 and reelected in 2022, Fischbach previously served as a state senator and lieutenant governor of Minnesota.
Prior to this story, Fischbach’s campaign spoke to Alpha News about the race, saying the congresswoman “has been fighting in the trenches for conservative values and Republican candidates for decades. She helped pass significant pro-life legislation in Minnesota, such as Woman’s Right to Know and Positive Alternatives, that helped pro-life centers across the state.”
The Fischbach campaign also said addressing “back-breaking inflation, open borders, runaway federal spending and the increase in national debt” are the issues that are most important for the congresswoman. Additionally, her campaign said Fischbach voted to approve the Secure the Border Act in May of 2023.
Congresswoman Fischbach’s campaign website notes that she won her seat in Congress by “defeating a 30 year incumbent.” A longtime politician in her own right, Fischbach is in her 27th year in public office.
In the race for the district, former President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. Fischbach. Referring to Fischbach as an “America First Patriot,” President Trump said the congresswoman “has done a fantastic job” and “will never let you down!”
Boyd said he is not bothered by President Trump’s endorsement of Fischbach. Describing himself as an ardent supporter of the former president, Boyd said he is looking forward to working with Trump. Boyd also noted that President Trump probably does not have time to closely examine a congressional race in Minnesota.
Regarding the endorsement process, Congresswoman Fischbach’s campaign said Boyd announced from the beginning that he would run in the primary, never signed an endorsement pledge, and yet implied to delegates that he would honor the endorsement.
“We went into the process in good faith that all sides would sign an endorsement pledge. But as months went by and Boyd did not sign it, nearly all party units gave his campaign full and equal access to their conventions and delegates indicating that they don’t value the endorsement pledge,” Fischbach’s campaign said.
“Honest and reasonable people would agree that for a contest to be fair, all sides follow the same set of rules. We went into this contest with a good faith that was not reciprocated by party units or by Boyd. There is one person who has ignored the traditions of the party, its grassroots delegates, and the endorsement of President Trump to force a primary in Minnesota’s 7th district, and that is Steve Boyd,” added Fischbach’s campaign.
Given the August date for the GOP primary election, Fischbach and Boyd have several months ahead of them to speak to voters and rally their supporters. However, the pair will first have to get through the GOP endorsing convention next weekend.
“If the activists in the seventh district haven’t held it against Boyd for not signing the pledge, they shouldn’t hold it against Fischbach either,” said Tiffany Lesmeister-Knott, the GOP deputy chair for the district. “Let’s put everyone on the same playing field. We look forward to a productive Seventh Congressional District Convention next Saturday.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
