Pete Stauber

Jen Schultz

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DULUTH— The two major party candidates for Minnesota’s Eighth District congressional seat squared off in their only debate of the campaign on Tuesday, sponsored by WDIO television in Duluth.
Republican Rep. Pete Stauber, now seeking his fourth term, and his DFL opponent Jen Schultz answered several questions from moderators Darren Danielson and Baihly Warfield during the 40-minute forum that touched on issues from inflation to Great Lakes shipping.
Schultz, a UMD economics professor and former state legislator representing the Duluth area, took issue with Stauber’s limited record of accomplishment in Washington, noting that in six years he had passed two bills, one to name a post office and the other to form a task force.
On inflation, Schultz said her background in economics would help her address the cost-of-living for families and she noted that she had grown up in a family that struggled financially, being raised by a single mother.
Stauber said producing more domestic energy was the key to reducing prices and he took issue with the Biden administration, which he called the “most anti-energy, anti-mining” administration in history. “You know, it’s not right that folks in the Northland, especially with the heating season coming up, have to pay 30 or 40 percent more for their heating bills every month,” he said.
Schultz noted that oil production in the U.S. was at record highs under the Biden administration. She also noted that corporate consolidation had given many large companies too much market power, which is contributing to inflation. “It’s not the government setting these prices, it’s big companies. What Congress can do is to make sure that we have more competition, that we address the high level of mergers and acquisitions.”
On the need for more housing, Stauber blamed the shortage of housing on immigrants, claiming there are 25 million illegal immigrants, although most studies estimate about half that number. But Stauber said illegal immigrants are competing for available housing, making it harder for Americans to afford. He also took issue with timber policies, which he said were preventing the production of the lumber needed to build new housing. In addition, he cited government regulations that limited the kind of products, like ceiling fans, that can be used in homes.
Schultz said solving the problem will take a concerted push to expand the supply of new housing along with changes in monetary policy to bring down mortgage rates. Schultz cited new legislation sponsored by Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith, which would bring down financing costs for developers and said she would support such measures if elected to Congress. “We also have old housing stock throughout the district,” which she said needs to be upgraded. “We also need to make it affordable for older adults that are in a larger home to relocate to a smaller residence.”
On keeping mining competitive on the Iron Range, Stauber accused Democrats of “wanting to shut down the Iron Range,” and claimed that Minnesota has “the best environmental” standards. He touted the Duluth Complex, a sulfide-bearing ore body that he said contains trillions of dollars in minerals. “There’s only one presidential candidate who will open mines here. It’s Donald Trump,” he said.
Schultz called for “moving mining forward,” by diversifying to bring more financial benefits from the region’s mineral resources. “I want to make steel on the Iron Range. I want to think big,” she said. She called for more funding for entities like the Natural Resources Research Institute and the Entrepreneur Fund to generate new ways to utilize the region’s mineral resources to create jobs. But she said advancing mining means involving major stakeholders including property owners and tribal nations concerned about clean water. “Mining and permitting gets litigated in the courts because there’s not the leadership to bring everyone to the table,” she said. “People are concerned about water quality because it impacts property values. “For a lot of people in this district, almost all of their wealth is in their property.”
When asked if they would respect the outcome of the 2024 election, regardless of the victor, both candidates said they would. Schultz took issue, however, with Stauber’s actions in the wake of the 2020 election and called him an “election denier.” “He wanted to overturn the 2020 election. He voted against investigating the insurrectioin on Jan. 6 where 140 police officers were injured and some people died,” she said.
Stauber said he ultimately voted to certify the 2020 election and he called on everyone to turn down the rhetoric. “We are all Americans. We want the best for our children and our grandchildren… politics should not divide our families and communities, and it has,” he said.
Schultz addressed the divisions in her closing statement. “People are tired of the anger and the hatred and the bitterness and the political rhetoric, but my opponent contributes to that,” she said. “His emails are filled with anger and hate and blaming and complaining instead of solving the problems he talks about,” she said. Schultz said Stauber is quick to complain about problems, but rarely makes an effort to solve them, citing the recent bipartisan border security bill, which Stauber opposed even as he complains about illegal immigration.
While the moderators did not bring up reproductive rights, Schultz addressed the issue in her closing statement, citing Stauber’s votes against a woman’s right to choose. “I’m going to fight to make sure we have all our rights, our reproductive rights,” she said.
Stauber, in his closing remarks, took Schultz to task. “You know, no matter how hard my opponent tries, she cannot run from the extreme, failed far left policies of the Biden-Harris administration that has resulted in skyrocketing prices, a wide open southern border, and wars abroad,” and he urged people to vote on Tuesday. “We should never let West and East coast elites tell us how to live here in the Northland,” he said. “I am fighting for our way of life.”