Angie Craig, Jason Lewis Ready For Tight Race In 2nd District

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The race between Democrat Angie Craig and Republican Jason Lewis has featured a flood of TV commercials. Not just from the candidates, but by outside groups.

Much of the focus has been on the comments made by Lewis during his 20-plus years as a conservative talk show host. The race is also getting national attention because it is a rare open seat after the retirement of Republican John Kline.

Both Craig and Lewis are expressing confidence in their campaigns. Real Clear politics has the race in the leaning Democratic column. The Cook political report has it in the toss-up category.

One stop for Angie Craig on Monday: A Northfield Head Start.

One of Jason Lewis' stops was at an Eagan Park-and-Ride, before cutting one final commercial.

Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District is less conservative than it once was. It includes suburban areas like Inver Grove Heights and Prior Lake, and farm areas around Northfield and Red Wing.

Outside groups have spent more than $5 million on scathing ads.

One ad from the RNCC says, "On Obamacare Angie Craig has been big pushing to expand Obamacare even further."

An ad from the DCCC quotes Lewis as saying, "A vast majority of young single women are non-thinking" and "I will do something that no one else is willing to do here: Trump is right."

Lewis maintains the ads that have gone after his statements during his 25-year radio career are taken out of context. He said, "Two television stations looked at ads and found them not only out of context but deliberately misleading."

Craig, an executive with St. Jude Medical, does defend Obamacare but acknowledges it needs a fix. It's something she pledges to work on if she wins.

"As a member of Congress I know the health care industry. I also grew up without health insurance so this is a deeply personal issue to me," Craig said.

Craig has had a big money advantage in the race. Outside groups have spent $1 million more on her than they have on Lewis. And Craig has personally raised four times what Lewis has, about $3.7 million.