Incumbent Michelle Fischbach (R) defeated Steve Boyd (R) in the Republican primary in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District

By

David Luchs

Incumbent Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R) defeated Steve Boyd (R) in the Republican primary for Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District on Aug. 13, 2024.

The primary took place after the state Republican Party declined to endorse either Fischbach or Boyd at its nominating convention. According to MinnPost, Boyd’s status as “an outsider who promises to shake up the system and join Congress’s rebellious Freedom Caucus” influenced the party’s decision not to endorse. Former President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Fischbach on Mar. 21, 2024, ahead of the April 2024 state party convention.

Fischbach was first elected to the U.S. House in 2020 after earlier serving two decades in state government, including as lieutenant governor. Fischbach ran on her record and former President Trump’s endorsement, saying she had a 100% record with National Right to Life and “A” ratings with the National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America. Fischbach said she would “continue fighting for [rural communities], especially to undo the damage of high inflation and strangling regulations on our families, farms and businesses.”

Boyd was, as of the 2024 election, a small business owner who worked with Safe Families for Children, a family support organization, and Patriot Academy, a civics education organization. Boyd said he was running “not out of a desire for power, but a desire to be a catalyst for the change we need at every level and a willingness to stand on those principles, regardless of consequence or outcome.”

As of Aug. 5, 2024, four independent election forecasters rated the general election Solid/Safe Republican. In 2022, Fischbach defeated Jill Abahsain (D) 66.9% to 27.6%.

All 435 seats are up for election. Republicans have a 220 to 213 majority with two vacancies. As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Republican candidate won 66.9%-27.6%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Donald Trump (R) would have defeated Joe Biden (D) 65.7%-32.5%.