Seven DFL candidates pitch voters at UMD forum in 8th District race

Health care and the cost of living dominated the room at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where seven Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates used a Thursday evening forum to show St. Louis County voters how they would take on Republican Rep. Pete Stauber in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District.

Bob Helland, Emanuel Anastos, Trina Swanson, Jeremiah Liend, Wendell Smith, Debra Topping and JP McBride shared the stage before students and community members in a district that stretches from Duluth across much of northeastern Minnesota, including the Mesabi and Vermilion iron ranges and the Boundary Waters area. The discussion centered on health care, affordable housing, inflation, cost-of-living pressure and the broader political climate, issues that land hard in a region where mining, shipping, tourism and service-sector work all shape household budgets.

The sharpest policy contrast came in the candidates’ emphasis. Anastos, who has been active in Cloquet, has centered his campaign on Medicare for All and free public education, while Swanson has said her message is about “dignity, competence, and showing up for working families.” Those two pitches reflected the broader field’s mix of backgrounds, which included candidates with experience in health care, labor, public service, environmental advocacy, social services and the private sector.

For Duluth and St. Louis County voters, the stakes are concrete. The 8th District has a population of 713,312, 391,838 housing units and a median household income of $74,635, numbers that help explain why health care access and affordability were so prominent. In a district where many households feel pressure from rent, groceries and medical bills, the contest is already shaping up as a referendum on whether a Democrat can present a credible challenge to Stauber’s record and message.

Stauber, a Duluth native and now serving his fourth term, beat Jen Schultz in 2024 by 244,498 votes to 176,724, or 57.99% to 41.92%, in a race that drew 421,606 total votes. The Minnesota Secretary of State certified those results on November 21, 2024. That margin gives Democrats a steep climb, but the turnout at earlier candidate events suggests the district is paying attention. One prior Duluth forum drew more than 160 community members, and student organizers said their goal at UMD was to help classmates understand their choices and stay engaged.