Who’s mulling a run for Angie Craig’s U.S. House seat?

Rep. Angie Craig’s entry to the U.S. Senate race Tuesday is expected to create a competitive contest for her House seat in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District.

She’s prevailed in tough races since she was first elected in 2018 and notched a double-digit win last year, the largest margin of victory in her congressional career. Republicans weren’t planning to target her in 2026 if she decided to stay in the U.S. House.

Now, her exit has put the seat back on the radar of Republicans, and several candidates from both parties are expected to jump into the race soon. Craig told the Star Tribune she will not make an endorsement in the race to succeed her and said she is confident Democrats will prevail.

“I won’t weigh in for my seat, but I’m absolutely confident that we will hold my seat,” Craig said in a brief interview on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

“We have a number of great candidates that I understand are considering running. And, look, when I started this journey almost a decade ago, [former GOP Rep.] John Kline had just won it by 17%, and last cycle, I won it by almost 14[%], so I have full confidence that we’ve made this a blue seat, and it’ll remain in Democratic hands,” she said.

Craig’s congressional district covers the south Twin Cities metro area and includes Scott, Dakota and Le Sueur counties as well as parts of Rice and Washington counties.

“The writing is on the wall for House Democrats, and their vulnerable members like Angie Craig are racing for the exits. Republicans look forward to flipping this open seat red,” National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Zach Bannon said in a statement following Craig’s Senate announcement.

Former state Sen. Matt Little previously told the Star Tribune he would run for Craig’s House seat if she ran for Senate. Former Minneapolis DFL Vice Chair Mike Norton has also said he plans to run for Craig’s seat.

In the Republican field, Craig’s two-time Republican opponent Tyler Kistner plans to announce he’s running for the seat “soon,” his advisor, Matthew Pagano, told the Star Tribune.

Kistner had the support from the NRCC and Second Congressional District Republicans during his 2020 and 2022 runs against Craig.

Tayler Rahm, who dropped out of the Second Congressional District Republican primary last year and had strong support from the district’s conservative grassroots base, also did not rule out another run when recently asked.

“Right now, I’m keeping my options open,” Rahm said in an interview earlier this month. “My decision is going to be based on what is best for the district and for my family.”

Other Democrats in the mix include state Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, who has congressional campaign websites registered in her name. Maye Quade did not rule out a run for the Second District when asked this month.

State Rep. Kaela Berg, DFL-Burnsville, said she is “not ruling out running.”

“I love the work that I get to do in the Minnesota House to help my community and I am honored to have their trust and faith in this work,” Berg said in a text. “I am focused on the final weeks of this session.”

Craig’s exit from the House comes as Republicans are trying to hold their slim majority and are eager to find districts that can help them expand the map. Democrats need to win five seats to take back the majority.

Craig choosing to run for Senate could complicate Democrats’ path, but she has said she’s made the district safe enough for another Democrat to win in 2026. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also feels confident that the party can hold the seat.

Hepworth said he feels good about Democrats’ chances at holding the seat, regardless of it going back on the radar of national Republicans.

“It’s never a pre-determined outcome in the Second District, but I think we have a really good chance at holding the district,” Hepworth said.

Meanwhile, Second Congressional District Republican Chair Joe Ditto said he thinks Republicans have a shot at flipping the seat, so long as Teirab does not make a run for it this cycle.

Though Teirab had the support of the NRCC, President Donald Trump and Rep. Tom Emmer, the highest ranking Minnesota Republican, during his bid against Craig last year, he was not able to win the Second District Republican Party’s backing, which may have hurt his candidacy.