Pete Stauber has won a fourth term in the 8th Congressional District

Minnesota’s 8th congressional district was once a Democratic lock. But rural areas, which much of the Northland is, has moved more to the right in recent elections and Republican candidates like Pete Stauber have benefitted.

Stauber won his fourth term in Tuesday’s general election, in what was a rematch between him and Jen Schultz, a former state lawmaker and economist at the University of Minnesota Duluth. In the last match-up, Stauber beat Schultz getting 57 percent of the vote. As of 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday night, Stauber was leading Schultz 65% to 35%.

After winning the race, Rep. Stauber issued the following statement:

“I continue to be humbled by the strong showing of support from the voters of the 8th congressional district tonight and I pledge to continue fighting in Congress for their way of life and faithfully representing the values they hold closely.

“We have a long night ahead to see if President Trump will win, but I’ve heard the voters loud and clear: they are fed up with skyrocketing prices, an open southern border, and chaos abroad. I look forward to turning the page on the past four disastrous years and hopefully working alongside President Trump to put America first and get our economy moving again by becoming energy and critical mineral dominant. We must close the southern border and restore our standing in the world where America will once again be respected by friends and foes.

“To my constituents, I reaffirm this commitment to you: I will always put you first, I will always have your backs, and I will always fight relentlessly for our way of life.”

Schultz spent a couple hours Tuesday night with fellow DFLers at a watch party at Bent Paddle but turned down requests for an interview and left without making a statement.

Dear Supporters,
While the election results are not what we wanted, I couldn’t be prouder of the campaign we built together. We fought for the issues that matter most to the people of northern Minnesota. Our campaign reflected my commitment to the people over outside interests.…

— Jen Schultz for Congress MN08 (@RepJenSchultz) November 6, 2024

WDIO hosted the only debate of this election season between Stauber and Schultz for the sprawling 8th Congressional District. During the 40-minute long debate Schultz criticized Stauber for not accomplishing more during his three terms in office. While Stauber painted Schultz as a liberal who doesn’t represent the priorities of constiuents in the 8th district.

The battle for majority control in the U.S. House of Representatives was up for grabs in Tuesday night’s general election. The entire house chamber sheds its skin every two years, all 435 house seats went before America’s voters Tuesday.

Republicans have a slim majority with 220 seats to Democrats’ 212, with three vacancies, making our 8th district U.S. Congressional race a pivotal one for the nation.