Former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab joins GOP field in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Angie Craig has picked up another Republican challenger: Joe Teirab, a Marine Corps veteran, former federal prosecutor and Harvard Law School graduate.

Teirab, 36, is running for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s 2nd District, which is swing territory that includes Twin Cities suburbs south of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers.

“I’m running for Congress to fight for safer communities, to put an end to Bidenomics that has made life unaffordable for too many families, to get our debt and deficit under control and to ensure safety and prosperity for all Minnesotans,” Teirab said in a statement Tuesday.

Teirab was born in the Twin Cities but grew up in Windom in southwestern Minnesota. He served over four years on active duty as an officer in the Marine Corps, including a deployment to Iraq. He lives in Burnsville and is the son of a Sudanese immigrant.

Other declared GOP candidates include Burnsville criminal defense lawyer Tayler Rahm and former Lexington Mayor Mike Murphy.

Craig is seeking a fourth term. She defeated Republican Tyler Kistner by 5 percentage points in 2022 and 2 points in 2020, after unseating GOP incumbent Jason Lewis by 5 points in 2018. She declared having $1.5 million in cash on hand in her most recent campaign finance disclosure.