MINNEAPOLIS — Democrat Matt Little likes to come out swinging when he talks about his Republican opponent, Eric Pratt, as the two battle to represent what was once Minnesota’s swingiest district.

During a live interview at the State Fair, Little proclaimed that Pratt is “scared of daddy Trump.”

That sort of in-your-face style is in stark contrast to Pratt, a low-key state senator who is reluctant to go negative and is more given to one-on-one conversations with voters. Though he says Little’s ideas are “probably outside the mainstream,” Pratt also calls his opponent “a heck of a campaigner” and a “good communicator.”

These divergent approaches give voters in the 2nd Congressional District a distinct choice of political styles as they prepare to replace U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, a moderate Democrat who held this politically purple suburban-to-rural district south of the Twin Cities since 2019.

The district’s decision in November will be key in determining who controls the closely divided U.S. House next year. So far, the national parties have yet to put the seat in play as the district has become more safely Democratic.

Still, in a year when the GOP is facing national headwinds over the economy and the war with Iran and Minnesota Democrats are playing defense on fraud in state programs, Pratt is hoping the district’s independent streak isn’t a thing of the past.

“They tend to vote for the person as much as the party,” Pratt said of 2nd District voters. “You’ve got your party loyalists, but those independent voters really focus on the person.”

Pratt is betting that his level-headed personality and ability to be a “conservative Republican that talks in a very moderate tone” will appeal to voters in the swing district.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say: ‘I really appreciate your authenticity, your character,’” he said. “They talk about my calm demeanor.”

Little’s brash brand of politics has also made a splash.

He attempted to break the record for hands shaken by a politician at the State Fair, and he was the catalyst for one of Pratt’s campaign staffer’s resignations after he convened a news conference calling out their past antisemitic and Islamophobic social media posts.

Little’s style could help him in a year when Democrats are energized to vote in the wake of Operation Metro Surge, said former DFL state Sen. Jeff Hayden, who served with Little and Pratt in the state Legislature.

“For Sen. Pratt to kind of take this approach of being boring and low key versus Matt being more youthful and energetic and maybe over the top, I know a lot of young people who want to vote for energetic people who they believe is going to go there and shake things up,” Hayden said.

Little, the former mayor of Lakeville, also believes his political style could help him win over independent and Republican voters.

“People are angry, and they want something to change,” Little said.

He said Medicare for All and opposition to data centers and foreign wars are areas that cut across party lines.

“There’s a lot of Republicans that don’t want a data center in their backyard, we’ve been talking about that,” Little said. “A lot of Republicans that can’t afford their health insurance, we’re talking about that. A lot of Republicans want to pull out of these foreign wars, we’re talking about that.”

Little and Pratt are trying to paint one another as being too out of the mainstream for the district.

“He’s got the extreme left of his party backing him, and so I’m not going to tie him to anybody. He’s done it all by himself,” Pratt said of Little.

Former Minnesota Republican Party Chair David Hann thinks Little’s progressive politics and support from the party’s left wing will hurt him in a general election.

“Angie Craig certainly was not considered on the far end of her political party’s spectrum,” Hann said. “I think she understood that to be successful and to get re-elected she had to appeal to some of those more centrist voters. I think that’s where Matt Little is going to have a hard time.”

Meanwhile, Little is trying to tie Pratt to the president, a strategy Democrats are using in races across the country.

“He wanted Donald Trump’s endorsement,” Little said of Pratt. “He just can’t get it for some reason.”

Pratt, who has expressed trepidation toward Trump in the past, said he has not talked to Trump about a possible endorsement, but said: “Who wouldn’t want a presidential endorsement?”

“Right now, I’m just running a race,” Pratt added. “Matt Little is running against Donald Trump, and I’m really running to represent the people of the 2nd District.”

Little’s Democratic primary opponents recently endorsed him, giving Little a unifying boost heading into the general election.

But his biggest endorsement could come from Craig, whom he distanced himself from during the primary as he ran as the most progressive candidate in the field. Little quietly supported fellow progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the Senate race after he initially endorsed Craig.

“We think it would be important to have the incumbent’s endorsement,” Little said.

Craig said she is supporting Little but stopped short of a full on endorsement.

“I am committed to making sure a Democrat holds this seat in November,” Craig said in a statement. “While Minnesotans continue to suffer the consequences of this reckless administration, my constituents cannot afford a representative like Eric Pratt who will serve as a rubber stamp for President Trump’s harmful agenda.”

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