Congressional candidate Joe Teirab will run in the August GOP primary election for Minnesota’s Second Congressional District regardless of who wins the Republican endorsement for the seat.
A former U.S. Marine and federal prosecutor, Teirab is running against defense attorney Tayler Rahm to be the south metro district’s Republican candidate. In an email to supporters, Teirab stated that he will still fight to win the GOP endorsement, but will run in the Republican primary election even if he fails to win the endorsement.
Teirab had previously said he would abide by the GOP endorsement. The endorsing convention for the congressional district is on Saturday, April 27.
In his statement outlining his reasons for the change, Teirab expressed his belief that his GOP primary opponent, Rahm, will not be able to win the November general election against incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Angie Craig should Rahm be the candidate.
Citing a Fox News story on Rahm’s career as a defense attorney, Teirab stated that Rahm will be particularly vulnerable to attack ads which highlight the candidate’s work representing criminals in court. In Teirab’s email to his supporters, he described Rahm’s clients as “the worst of the worst.”
“Multiple child rapists and sex offenders. Individuals that committed murder, illegal immigrants, repeated domestic abusers. The list goes on,” the email said.
Compounded by Rahm’s low fundraising numbers, Teirab believes a Rahm candidacy would hand an “easy victory” to Congresswoman Craig.
As such, Teirab will run in the August primary election to be the Republican nominee even if Rahm receives the party’s endorsement for the seat this weekend.
“I simply do not believe that my opponent is capable of winning in November,” said Teirab. “I have to do what I believe is right, and handing a victory to Angie Craig is not right.”
After Teirab made his announcement, a spokesperson for the Rahm campaign confirmed that Rahm will still abide by the GOP endorsement regardless of Teirab’s change of mind.
In a press statement issued Monday, the Rahm campaign said Teirab has reneged on his endorsement promise “despite pledging in writing multiple times and verbally at various events as recently as six days ago in a church of all places to abide by the endorsement.”
The Rahm campaign sent photos to Alpha News which appear to show Teirab’s signature affixed to a Scott County GOP document which pledges to support the GOP-endorsed candidate for the district.
Rahm has accused the Teirab campaign of engaging in “dishonest” and “self-serving” tactics.
According to Rahm, Teirab’s “decision to run a primary isn’t about the issues he claims. It’s because he knows he will lose the endorsement. His reliance on smear tactics and misinformation is a disservice to our community.”
Describing Teirab’s attacks as “baseless,” Rahm added, “As a defense lawyer, I’ve upheld the highest ethical standards, earning respect from both prosecutors and judges. [Teirab’s] attempts to twist the truth won’t go unnoticed.”
Since Teirab announced that he will not abide by the endorsement, the Rahm campaign says it has received significant financial contributions from individuals who are outraged by Teirab’s decision.
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.
