Republican state Sen. Eric Pratt will face former DFL state Sen. Matt Little in the race for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. The district, which encompasses much of the south metro area, is considered the most competitive congressional seat in Minnesota.
The matchup between Pratt and Little was locked in Tuesday night when Little won the DFL nomination for the seat. Little faced two current state lawmakers in his primary, state Sen. Matt Klein and state Rep. Kaela Berg. Pratt was unopposed in his primary.
Pratt and Little are vying to replace Rep. Angie Craig, who has represented the district since 2019. Craig opted against seeking reelection to her congressional seat and decided to run for U.S. Senate this year. She lost the DFL nomination to Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan.
For years, the Second District has been considered a toss-up seat. The 2025 Cook Partisan Voting Index says the district is a D+3 seat. Craig faced several close elections during her time in the seat, but won reelection in 2024 by more than 13 points.
However, Craig’s departure from the seat gives the GOP a better chance than normal to wrest the district from the DFL, and Pratt is one of the strongest candidates the GOP has fielded for the seat in recent years.
A banking and finance professional, Pratt has served in the Minnesota Senate since 2013. During his time in the legislature, Pratt has climbed the leadership ranks of the Senate Republican Caucus and currently serves as the ranking Republican on the powerful Senate Finance Committee.
Prior to his time in the legislature, Pratt held leadership positions at U.S. Bank and Target, and served on the Prior Lake-Savage School Board.
Meanwhile, Little is a lawyer and former member of the Minnesota Senate. He was elected to the Senate in 2016 but lost reelection in 2020. After his time in the legislature, Little ran for Dakota County Attorney in 2022 but lost a close race to Kathy Keena.
During this year’s DFL primary for the Second District, Little campaigned as a progressive, far-left Democrat. He supports Medicare for All, backs what he calls “LGBTQIA2S+ Rights,” and supports a long list of anti-ICE positions.
Among those positions, Little wants to cut ICE funding to “pre-Trump levels” before entirely replacing ICE with a different immigration agency. The former state senator also wants to establish an “Anti-ICE Bill of Rights” and restrict qualified immunity for federal agents.
Little is also supports raising taxes on corporations and high-earners to fund a tax break for working people. He has been endorsed by figures such as Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, and state Sen. Erin Maye Quade.
Pratt, whose platform contains fewer detailed policy positions than Little’s, says he will “focus on lowering costs, supporting small businesses and restoring stability to an economy that no longer feels affordable for working families” if he is elected to Congress.
Additionally, Pratt says he will “work to crack down on fraud,” supports law enforcement, and “believes laws should be enforced fairly, responsibly and consistently from our neighborhoods to the U.S. Border.”
Earlier this year, the Pratt campaign released a poll which showed Little at 45% and Pratt at 40%. That margin shifted to Pratt at 44% and Little at 43% after those surveyed were informed of Pratt’s background and “record of delivering results.”
The poll was commissioned by the Pratt campaign and conducted by Harper Polling in June.
According to campaign finance records, Pratt’s campaign has raised $511,213 since he announced his candidacy. As of July 20, Pratt had $254,372 in cash on hand.
Meanwhile, Little has raised over $900,000 since announcing his candidacy and has $127,543 in cash on hand as of July 20.
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.
