• MN-02: Former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab announced Monday that he would continue on to the Aug. 13 Republican primary even if he loses Saturday's party convention to attorney Tayler Rahm. Both candidates previously pledged to drop out if delegates backed the other's effort against Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, but Teirab told supporters he'd changed his mind because he felt Rahm was too flawed to beat the incumbent.
Teirab cited his opponent's weak fundraising as well as a recent Fox News story reporting that Rahm's law firm had recently changed its website to remove mentions of the type of clients it had defended in the past. Rahm, for his part, used Teirab's reversal to argue to delegates that he's the only candidate "who is committed to honesty and integrity."
While securing party backing at a convention in Minnesota doesn't have any direct bearing on ballot access for the primary (as is the case in several other states), candidates often pledge to, in local parlance, "abide" by the endorsement and end their campaigns if someone else wins.
These endorsements are often especially potent on the GOP side. In a 2022 piece, the Star Tribune's Jessie Van Berkel noted that "Republicans have historically stuck with their party's pick" in primaries. Party leaders also have reason to prefer matters get settled early.
"A primary challenge, regardless of outcome, will weaken our chances to beat Craig," 2nd District GOP chair Joseph Ditto told the Star Tribune after Teirab revised his plans. Ditto added the party needs to begin making its case against the congresswoman "on April 28, not Aug. 14."
However, as Teirab's move demonstrates, not everyone likes to put their fate in the hands of a relatively small group of delegates, especially when they're the only candidate with the money to advertise to a broader primary electorate. That's the case in this race, as Teirab outraised Rahm $533,000 to $64,000 during the opening quarter of 2024 and finished March with a huge $662,000 to $60,000 cash advantage.
Both their hauls, however, are still drafted by what Craig brought in. The incumbent raised $1 million during the same period, and she ended last month with $2.8 million in the bank. The 2nd District, which is based in the southern Twin Cities suburbs, favored Joe Biden 53-45 in 2020.