Talking Points: The Battle For The 2nd District

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District has been represented since 2003 by Republican Congressman John Kline, who is set to retire.

Kline endorsed businesswoman Darlene Miller in the primary, but last Tuesday Miller and two other candidates were soundly defeated by former radio talk show host Jason Lewis.

Lewis' history of provocative comments from his radio show -- as well as a 2011 book -- have come under fire from both Democrats and Republicans.

Chris Fields, the deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP, has said Lewis' comments on women and racial issues are contradictory to Republican values.

"They are going to go back and distort and take my comments out of context, but that is the politics of yesteryear," Lewis said on WCCO Sunday Morning. "People don't want to hear that in the 2nd district or across the country."

Instead, Lewis says people want to hear about lowering health insurance premiums and protecting against terror attacks.

"We need solutions to the problems going forward, not going backward," Lewis said.

Interview: Angie Craig Talks Affordable Health Care

The former talk show host is being challenged for Kline's seat by Democrat Angie Craig, a former senior vice president at the medical device company St. Jude Medical.

Craig is the first openly gay candidate to run for Congress in Minnesota as the nominee of a major party. She and her wife have four teenage sons.

"There is a very big difference between myself and Jason Lewis," she said on WCCO Sunday Morning, adding that she's looking for "common ground solutions" on issues like affordable health care.

While the 2nd District has been held by a Republican for 10 years, the district also narrowly voted for Barrack Obama in 2012.

This is one reason why both the major parties are expected to spend a lot of money to win this congressional race.