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Minnesota will get at least one new member in the U.S. House in November’s election. The 2nd Congressional District seat is open after Angie Craig waged an unsuccessful Senate run. 

The mostly suburban district that stretches south into farm country is up for grabs. Republican state Sen. Eric Pratt is his party’s nominee and will face former state Sen. Matt Little, the Democratic nominee.

Pratt joined MPR News host Nina Moini and politics editor Brian Bakst to talk about his campaign. 

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

Why did you feel now is the right time for you to shift your attention to Washington?

I've had a great career in the Minnesota Senate and really enjoyed working with my colleagues. I was able to work on a lot of bipartisan legislation. I had the opportunity to chair the Jobs Committee, the the Education Committee — but it felt like it was time to to move on. This is the area I grew up in. This is the area where I raised my family. 

I think we need someone in Washington who can be very solutions-oriented. When I was first thinking of running for the Senate, my old boss one time said bankers are problem solvers, and we need more problem solvers in government. 

When I think back on my career in business, when I led the fraud team and I managed a large portfolio on the school board and we turned a million-dollar debt into a $3 million surplus and our test scores went up — and then the good work that we've done in the Minnesota Senate. I think we need that kind of leadership in Washington, and that's what I expect and hope to bring.

What makes you think the district could shift back to Republicans this year?

One thing about the 2nd district is they tend to vote for the person more than the party, so I'm really running about what I can bring to the job rather than what a Republican can bring to the job. I'm relying on my business experience, relying on my school board experience. When I hired people, the best indicator of success was looking at the past successes that they've had. 

I believe the the families in Minnesota's 2nd district are more center-right. But, you know, Rep. Craig has been has been a a very good Congresswoman for us. She's been more moderate, and people respect that. I've won elections in part of my district that have been more swing, and I'm the only Republican that's gotten over 50 percent in that area, the last three times I've run.

What's one thing you think Congress could do to make life more affordable?

Right now, especially here in Minnesota, we are so overtaxed. Not only did the Democrats spend the $18 billion surplus but added another $10 billion in taxes. 

I think we've got to look at what's hitting Minnesota families first and foremost. Working on pro-growth strategies to make sure we have great jobs for people to take and build their careers with, but also using that growth to help us balance the budget. That's what we did at the school board. That's what we did at the state, and what I hope to be able to do in the Congress.

Subsidies for private insurance expired this year. Should they be restored?

Even with government intervention, healthcare has become more and more expensive and inaccessible for people. So we really have to figure that piece out. 

I want to make sure that everybody has access to the healthcare they need in order to stay healthy. I'm committed to doing that. I don't have all the answers yet, but I do know that that having a single-payer system would be more expensive than allowing competition back into healthcare and helping patients be better consumers.

I worked on some things to help with affordability. I was the lead negotiator when the state put a $35 cap on insulin, working across the aisle with my DFL colleagues in the House, working with the governor's office to get that done. It took us 10 months, but we were able to finally get affordable insulin over the finish line. 

Should Congress approve more funding for the war in Iran without a clear exit plan? What should be done about the economic burdens it's caused?

I think many of the economic burdens are going to be short-lived. We all hope the negotiations are fruitful. But we also see how completely unstable the Iranian government has been, and they've been at war with us for effectively 47 years. It’s been a problem that's been kicked down the road. 

We can't afford to have a nuclear Iran, and we can't allow Iran to upset the entire region. So we need to finish the job with Iran and come to a peace agreement very soon. I'm hopeful that the administration will get that done, and hopefully we can get some some of the more reasonable voices in Iran to step up and help us with that.

What kind of oversight role do you want Congress to play on the Trump administration in his final two years?

For decades we've seen the role of Congress weakened and every president has used the War Powers Act. Every president has relied more and more on executive orders. I would like to see more of these of these issues come before Congress and take a vote. I supported it here at the state level, trying to have the legislature more involved in decisions rather than the governor's executive order. 

We have co-equal branches as a government for a reason, and I think we need to to support that.

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After winning the GOP primary, state Sen. Eric Pratt will ask voters in the general election to send him to Congress to represent a competitive district in southeast Minnesota. 

Republican Eric Pratt advances in competitive 2nd Congressional District race

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