What to look for in tonight’s MN-02 Debate

October 14, 2016

angie craig

Jason Lewis and Angie Craig will meet tonight for their first debate at 7:00PM (CT) on TPT Almanac. Here’s where the race stands and what to look for tonight:

  • Jason Lewis has seized momentum in the race for the 2nd A new poll taken this week shows that despite millions of dollars in attack ads from Angie Craig and her D.C. liberal allies, Jason Lewis leads Craig by three points. And this morning, Cook Political Report moved the race from “Lean Democrat” to “Toss Up.”
  • Tonight’s debate will also feature liberal Independence Party candidate Paula Overby, who won 5% of the vote in 2014. Will Craig highlight her reliably liberal positions to avoid losing the left to Overby? Or will she continue to pose as a moderate tonight?
  • Will Craig double down on her promise, highlighted by a new NRCC ad to fight to expand Obamacare if elected? Or will she run from Obamacare after state officials announced that insurance premiums in Minnesota will rise by 50-67% in 2017.
  • Craig has made her business experience the centerpiece of her campaign, but will she address her company’s multimillion dollar settlements resulting from ripping off veterans and making defective products that led to patient deaths? Or the hundreds of thousands of dollars she steered to politicians as the head of her company’s PAC?
  • Will Craig clarify whether she would support Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House? Craig refused to commit to backing Pelosi when asked in September, but on Monday cancelled a debate to attend a fundraiser with the toxic former Speaker

NRCC Comment: “Tonight’s debate will make clear that Angie Craig is out of step with 2nd District voters. Angie Craig’s support for Obamacare, her business’s record of ripping off veterans, and her own history as a political insider make her an unacceptable choice to represent Minnesota families.” – NRCC Spokesman Bob Salera