Minnesota state Sen. Matt Klein enters the Second Congressional District race

Physician and Mendota Heights state Sen. Matt Klein entered the Second Congressional District race on Tuesday to replace Rep. Angie Craig, who is running for the U.S. Senate.

Klein believes his three decades of experience as a doctor, coupled with his nine years serving in the Minnesota Legislature, will help him appeal to voters in the purple district.

“I know that Minnesotans are deeply worried and rightly worried about their finances, their jobs, their health, and even the foundations of our democracy, and I think they deserve elected leaders that are responsible and hardworking and focused on results,” Klein said in an interview with the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Klein describes himself as a moderate Democrat who plans to use a similar playbook as Craig, who worked closely with farmers, law enforcement, unions and teachers in the district.

“[Craig’s] worked really hard, and that’s the kind of person I am, that’s the kind of politician I am,” said Klein, who will do a full tour of the district soon.

In the state Senate, Klein chairs the Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee and is the vice chair of the Taxes Committee. He said some of his biggest accomplishments were made in the 2023 legislative session, when state lawmakers enshrined reproductive rights for Minnesotans into law, created Minnesota’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board, passed a child tax credit and eliminated Social Security taxes for people under certain income limits.

Klein says he wants to appeal to not just Democrats in the district, but Republican and Independent voters as well.

“That’s sort of the path that has been victorious in the past here,” he said. “Not only appealing to progressives, but also hearing the voices of our farmers, our law enforcement agents, our veterans, our seniors.”

Klein said he plans to seek the DFL endorsement in what could become a crowded field for the seat.

He’s the second candidate to jump into the race. Former Lakeville mayor Matt Little, who also served as a DFLer in the state Senate, entered the race last week. Several other candidates from both parties could jump into the race in the coming weeks, including at least one potential independent candidate.

Klein said he has a good shot at winning the DFL endorsement, but he will move on to the Democratic primary if he doesn’t get the party’s backing.

“I think I’m a candidate who can win in the general election, and I want all of the voters of our district to have the option,” Klein said.

For now, he said he’s met with at least one representative from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and believes he will keep coordinating with them as the race heats up.

Klein entered the race with endorsements from the Minnesota Pipe Trades Association and Iron Workers Local 512, making him the only candidate so far who’s won labor support.

If elected to Congress, Klein said he would focus on issues related to science, public health and consumer protection work.

Klein said he disagrees with how Donald Trump has gone about rapidly cutting government spending, but he’s willing to work with the president on the issue.

“I actually share the president’s passion for cutting government waste and removing bureaucracy, and I would be willing to partner with him on that, if we can do it well,” Klein said. “Unfortunately, I think he’s taken a clumsy and a reckless and a brutal approach to addressing that issue and has caused harm to working people and dangers to seniors in our public health.”

And though he thinks there’s been “chaos surrounding health policy” and “vaccine misinformation,” he said he’s willing to work with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“I’m absolutely willing to work with anybody, especially somebody who is the HHS secretary. They have an important voice in our public policy,” Klein said. “Having said that, I won’t deviate from what I think is the truth about good health and about scientific fact, and I’m willing to stand up for that.”