Tayler Rahm and Tad Jude won the Republican Party’s endorsement in their respective races for Congress Saturday. But the biggest surprise of the weekend came in Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District, where local GOP delegates ended their convention without endorsing incumbent Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach or her challenger, Steve Boyd.
Neither candidate was able to cross the 60% threshold needed to earn the endorsement after three rounds of voting. The convention then approved a motion to make no endorsement.
Boyd, a small business owner from Kensington, called it a “major accomplishment” to block a “sitting congresswoman from obtaining the GOP endorsement.”
“Today’s battle, while technically a stalemate, was really a victory for our grassroots campaign, and one of just many more ahead. We were outspent by nearly 10-1 this quarter by her establishment machine and she still didn’t win,” he said in a press release.
“I’m very grateful for the overwhelming support we have received from across the district. It just goes to show that Americans are turning out to show they are fed up with the establishment in Washington.”
Fischbach has represented the Seventh District, which runs along the western half of the state and is considered the reddest in Minnesota, since January 2021. A former state senator and lieutenant governor, Fischbach has been endorsed for reelection by former President Donald Trump, making Saturday’s result all the more surprising.
She is among the most conservative members of Congress, according to a congressional scorecard maintained by Heritage Action.
Fischbach’s campaign previously told Alpha News that 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 among the issues that are most important to her.
Both Fischbach and Boyd said before Saturday’s convention that they would run in the primary regardless of the endorsement.
Second District
Rahm, a defense attorney, defeated former U.S. Marine and federal prosecutor Joe Teirab to earn the support of Second District Republicans. Rahm won the endorsement on the first ballot with more than 70% of the vote.
The district has been a top target nationally for Republicans over the last two election cycles because of its status as Minnesota’s last true swing district.
The south metro district flipped from Republican to Democratic hands in 2018 when Jason Lewis lost to Angie Craig. Prior to Craig’s tenure, the district was represented by Republicans for more than 15 years.
“It was an open and shut case. People from all parts of our Republican coalition easily agreed that Rahm is the best candidate. He is clearly a uniting force,” Joseph Ditto, chair of the CD2 Republicans, said in a press release. “I expect Joe Teirab will reconsider his primary run in light of this overwhelming defeat today.”
Teirab announced before the convention that he would take his campaign to the primary, citing Rahm’s low fundraising numbers and history of representing criminals as an attorney.
“This election is too important to let Angie Craig go against the weakest Republican challenger in decades,” Teirab said in a statement. “We have the message and the resources to prosecute the case against Angie Craig, and I look forward to earning the trust and support of Republican primary voters.”
Third District
A four-way contest in the Third District ended with the endorsement of retired judge Tad Jude, who won his first election in 1972 at the age of 20 when he was elected to the Minnesota House.
Now 72, Jude served as a district court judge for a decade before retiring in 2021. He unsuccessfully ran for both attorney general and Hennepin County attorney in 2022.
“The promise of Minnesota and the promise of America need saving,” Jude said in his campaign announcement. “We have urgent problems that need to be addressed. Community safety, a broken immigration system, and a budget running out of control are at the forefront.”
He defeated Jamie Page, Quentin Wittrock, and Brad Kohler for the endorsement and will likely run against Democratic Minnesota Sen. Kelly Morrison.
The suburban Third District is currently represented by DFL Congressman Dean Phillips, who announced in November that he would not be seeking a fourth term shortly after he launched a longshot primary challenge to President Joe Biden.
The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 13.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
