Minnesota state Sen. Matt Klein, DFL-Mendota, has announced he is running for Congress in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. Klein joins former state Sen. Matt Little of Lakeville in the race for the district’s DFL nomination.
A medical doctor, Klein has served in the Minnesota Senate since first being elected back in 2016. The DFL lawmaker is a graduate of Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and currently works for the Mayo Clinic in their internal medicine division.
“In Minnesota, we believe in rolling up our sleeves and working together,” said Klein when he announced his campaign. “We take care of each other. That’s who we are, and that’s what I’ve done my whole life. That’s why I’m running for Congress.”
Little, a former Lakeville city councilor and mayor, served in the state Senate from 2017 to 2021. After losing his legislative seat in 2020, the former state senator ran for Dakota County Attorney in 2022 and lost by just over 3 points. Little operates his own law firm representing seniors and the disabled.
“Taking back Congress is the only way to check this administration’s daily abuse of power,” said Little regarding the Trump Administration. “America won independence from a King before; we can do it again! Let’s fight for hope, opportunity, and a future where everyone gets a fair shot at the American dream.”
Given MN-02’s recent history as a swing district, the race for the seat is poised to be one of Minnesota’s most-watched political stories of 2026 and could draw national attention.
MN-02 encompasses much of the state’s south metro area and has been represented by Democratic Congresswoman Angie Craig since 2019. Last month, Craig launched a bid for an open U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota.
While Craig won MN-02 in 2024 by a wide margin, the district has been close in recent elections. From 2016 through 2022, every race for the south metro district was decided by six points or less; sometimes the margin was less than three points.
More candidates for MN-02 are likely to emerge in the coming days.
Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, is reportedly considering a bid for MN-02, as is Dan Feehan, the DFL nominee for Minnesota’s First Congressional District (MN-01) in 2018 and 2020. Feehan lost both elections for MN-01 by less than three points.
also a bit of news about #MN02 — Dan Feehan, the Dem nominee in #MN01 in 2018 and 2020, is strongly considering running, per three sources familiar https://t.co/llx5FDsMXX
— Erin Covey (@ercovey) May 1, 2025
On the Republican side, Tyler Kistner is expected to join the race. Last week, an advisor to Kistner told the Minnesota Star Tribune that the congressional hopeful plans to announce his campaign “soon.” A former U.S. Marine, Kistner was the GOP nominee for MN-02 in 2020 and 2022, losing by 2-points and 5-points respectively.
Other prospective GOP candidates for the seat include Joe Teirab and Tayler Rahm. Another former U.S. Marine, Teirab was the GOP nominee for MN-02 in 2024 and lost the election to Craig by roughly 13 points. Rahm is a defense attorney who sought the GOP nomination for the seat in 2024.
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.
