With one U.S. Senate seat and eight U.S. House seats up for election in Minnesota on Nov. 5, voters will finally have their say after hearing from the candidates over the last several months. But how informed their votes will be may vary, depending on where they reside and how frequently the candidates on their ballots have been willing to spar with their opponents.
While three-term Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar has agreed to debate Republican challenger Royce White this Sunday on WCCO Radio, it will be just the second time the candidates have debated.
In August, Klobuchar shared a stage with the former NBA player at FarmFest in southwestern Minnesota. White had been publicly pushing to debate Klobuchar at least one more time, and on Sunday morning WCCO Radio will host a debate between the two on the “Sunday Take” program.
Polling conducted in late August and September shows Klobuchar has between an 11- and 14-point lead over White among likely voters.
“Amy must’ve gotten the REAL polling data,” White said in a social media post last month, after learning Klobuchar had agreed to a second debate. “Tied in the suburbs and with independents means trouble. 18 years, it’s time for something new. I was supposed to get beat by historic numbers, the stage is set now for a historic upset.”
But the frequency with which debates have been taking place in other congressional races across Minnesota has varied.
CD2 – Angie Craig and Joe Teirab
Three-term incumbent DFLer Angie Craig has engaged in three debates so far with Republican challenger Joe Teirab in their hotly contested Second Congressional District contest.
Craig and Teirab debated once at FarmFest in August and again on Oct. 4 in St. Paul, which was broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio. On Oct. 7 they participated in a candidate forum held by the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce.
CD3 – Tad Jude and Kelly Morrison
The three debates between Craig and Teirab contrasts with no debates that have been held to date between Third Congressional District candidates Republican Tad Jude and DFLer Kelly Morrison.
Jude, a retired judge and former state legislator and county commissioner, told Alpha News this week that Morrison, a first-term state senator, has went out of her way to dodge debate invites with him. The two will finally square off Friday evening when they are expected to debate during a segment on TPT’s “Almanac” program, Jude confirmed.
CD1 – Brad Finstad and Rachel Bohman
In the First Congressional District race, Republican incumbent Brad Finstad shared the debate stage with DFL challenger Rachel Bohman at FarmFest in August, and then again last week in Mankato.
CD8 – Pete Stauber and Jennifer Schultz
In northeast Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District, Republican incumbent Pete Stauber and challenger Jennifer Schultz will engage in their first public debate of this election cycle on Oct. 29. The forum will be televised by WDIO and moderated by news anchors Baihly Warfield and Darren Danielson. Stauber defeated Schultz in 2022 by 15 points.
CD7 – Michelle Fischbach and A. John Peters
Republican incumbent Michelle Fischbach debated DFL challenger A. John Peters on Oct. 8. The forum was televised regionally and moderated by Prairie Public Television.
CD6 – Tom Emmer and Jeanne Hendricks
Republican incumbent Tom Emmer defeated DFLer Jeanne Hendricks in 2022 by 25 points. The opponents have engaged in no debates to date.
MN-CD5 – Ilhan Omar and Dalia Al-Aqidi
Three-term incumbent Ilhan Omar defeated her DFL primary opponent Don Samuels by a comfortable margin in August. No debates between Omar and Republican challenger Dalia Al-Aqidi have taken place to date.
CD4 – Betty McCollum and May Lor Xiong
Democrat incumbent Betty McCollum defeated Republican challenger May Lor Xiong in 2022 by 35 points. Last month, Lor Xiong took to social media to tell voters that McCollum has avoided her invites to debate.
“What is she hiding from?” Lor Xiong asked. “All these failed policies from the Democrats that she doesn’t want to associate herself with?”
About 10 days later, the two candidates participated in a forum with Valley Access Channels.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
