MINNEAPOLIS — A closely-watched race in Minnesota could help decide who controls the next Congress. Democratic Representative Angie Craig is facing a rematch against Republican Tyler Kistner.

The district stretches from precincts in Woodbury through Mankato and now includes all of Le Sueur County.

Rep. Angie Craig is stressing her recent endorsement by the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association and her support for abortion rights.

“Since Roe v Wade was overturned, one in three American women have lost access to reproductive rights. In public, my GOP opponent says he is a 100 percent pro life,” Craig says in a recent ad.

Kistner is running hard on inflation, saying President Joe Biden’s spending plans supported by Craig, like the Inflation Reduction Act, have hurt the country.

“It’s the Inflation Recession Act. It increased government spending, it did nothing to address the energy crisis in this country, and in the past week the economy is only getting worse,” Kistner said in a recent ad.

One complicating factor is third-party Legal Marijuana Now candidate Paula Overby. Six years ago, Overby got nearly 29,000 votes, enough some analysts believe to tip the 2016 race against Craig and allow Republican Jason Lewis to win. 

In 2020, when Craig narrowly beat Kistner. The Legal Marijuana Now candidate that year Adam Weeks, who died during the campaign, still received more than 24,000 votes. 

More than $11 million is expected to be spent on this race, a lot of the money from outside the state. Why? It is one of a handful of tossup districts in the country that could determine who controls the U.S. House of Representatives.  

Our political analysts Abou Amara, a Democrat, and Amy Koch, a Republican, weighed-in on the race and potential impact Overby could have. 

We did hope to bring you an interview with Overby and we hope to schedule an interview with her at a later time.  

As of the latest reporting period, Craig had raised $5.2 million for her campaign. Kistner had raised $2.1 million.

Esme Murphy

Esme Murphy, a reporter and Sunday morning anchor for WCCO-TV, has been a member of the WCCO-TV staff since December 1990. She is also a weekend talk show host on WCCO Radio. Born and raised in New York City, Esme ventured into reporting after graduating from Harvard University.