DULUTH — U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber on Wednesday, Jan. 3, officially backed former President Donald Trump's reelection bid.
The Hermantown congressman joined fellow Minnesota Republican Reps. Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad and Michelle Fischbach in endorsing Trump, less than two weeks before the first primary contest of 2024.
"Donald Trump fought for our way of life in northern Minnesota when he was president," Stauber said in a statement. "He supported domestic mining and manufacturing jobs, built a strong economy and energy dominance, and our border was a priority.
"Joe Biden has been an unmitigated disaster and our country and the world is in turmoil as a result. Donald Trump will finish what he started and will get our country back on track."
Trump remains the clear favorite to earn his party's nomination for a third consecutive cycle, despite his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Biden, and the fact that he currently faces 91 felony charges in four separate indictments across state and federal courts.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Minnesota Republicans are now openly admitting what has been obvious for a while — they have become the party of, by, and for Donald Trump,” Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin said in response.
“Minnesota voters have repeatedly rejected Donald Trump’s anti-democracy, anti-abortion politics and his plans to take away working families’ health insurance, but Minnesota Republicans are doubling down. Republicans up and down the ballot in November will have to answer for why they are abandoning Minnesota values and kissing Donald Trump’s ring.”
Stauber has long been closely allied with Trump, dating back to 2018 when he first ran for the 8th Congressional District seat. The then-president traveled to Duluth that summer, hosting a rally in support of the candidate before some 8,372 supporters at Amsoil Arena. Stauber also traveled to Duluth with Trump aboard Air Force One for an airport rally in 2020.
The 45th president's efforts to bolster the Iron Range taconite industry and fast-track copper-nickel mining were consistently lauded by Stauber and other area political and business leaders. Under Trump's "America First" economic policy, he slapped tariffs on foreign steel and renewed mineral leases for Twin Metals, a proposed underground mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that has drawn fierce opposition from environmental activists.
The Biden administration in 2022 canceled two federal mining leases for the copper-nickel project, and a year later imposed a 20-year moratorium on mining activities on federal land within the Rainy River Watershed and Superior National Forest — a seemingly fatal blow for Twin Metals, barring another change in administrations.
Stauber staunchly supported Trump through two impeachments during his tenure: the first for attempting to extort Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, Hunter, over foreign business dealings, and the second for inciting the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as the presidential vote was being certified by Congress.
Stauber, a retired Duluth police officer, stated that he was "extremely disappointed" in Trump that day, but he voted against the impeachment article just a week later. Stauber did vote to certify the results, though he had signed on to a Texas lawsuit seeking to invalidate millions of lawfully cast votes.
In the years since, Stauber has supported an ongoing impeachment inquiry into Biden — even though months of investigation have failed to show any clear evidence that the president improperly benefited from his son's ventures.
ADVERTISEMENT
Trump, while acquitted by the Senate in both impeachment trials, currently faces questions about his eligibility to run again. The Colorado Supreme Court and Maine secretary of state have both barred him from their state's primary ballots after determining he engaged in insurrection — an issue likely headed to the U.S. Supreme Court soon.
The Iowa Republican caucuses will be held Jan. 15, followed by the New Hampshire primary Jan. 23. Minnesota is among 16 states and territories voting on Super Tuesday, March 5.
Trump is tentatively set to begin his first criminal trial March 4 — a federal case brought by special counsel Jack Smith over his efforts to overturn the election. The former president also faces related state charges in Georgia, along with allegations of mishandling classified documents in Florida federal court and falsifying business records in a New York state case involving alleged hush money payments to a porn star.
Other major candidates remaining in the Republican field are former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The Trust Project
