A deep dive into the GOP primary contest in western Minnesota

CATHY WURZER: We're just under three weeks away from the primary, and leading up to August 13, we're going to take a look at some races that our politics team will be keeping an eye on. We start with the seventh congressional district.

It's one of the largest and most rural of the eight districts covering northwestern and western Minnesota. Two-term Republican US Representative Michelle Fischbach carved out a solidly conservative reputation at the State Capitol before winning the seventh Minnesota congressional seat four years ago.

Yet, some in her party do not think Fischbach is conservative enough, and they're backing challenger Steve Boyd in the primary. The winner will be heavily favored to secure the seat in November. Clay Masters takes a look at the race.

CLAY MASTERS: A few dozen people gather at a community center in Arlington. This is a small town, an hour west of the Twin Cities. This is a Saturday afternoon fundraiser, in part, for US Representative Michelle Fischbach's campaign. People are drawn by an appearance from a big Donald Trump defender in Congress, Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan.

JANET ALSLEBEN: Well, I tell you, he can walk and talk and think all at the same time.

[LAUGHS]

CLAY MASTERS: This is Janet Alsleben from Glencoe. She lives in Minnesota's seventh congressional district, that stretches from the Canadian border nearly down to Iowa. While the presidential race is top of mind for most here, Alsleben says she wants to make sure Fischbach prevails in her primary against newcomer Steve Boyd.

JANET ALSLEBEN: She's doing great. As long as she stands up for Biblical principles and conservative principles, I think it's great.

CLAY MASTERS: Alsleben welcomes the competition if it pushes the incumbent to become, as she puts it, stronger and more conservative. Boyd was able to successfully block the Republican Party's endorsement of Fischbach at their district convention in April. Neither mustered the votes necessary to win, but the two-term Congresswoman doesn't seem too concerned.

MICHELLE FISCHBACH: I'm confident that my voting record speaks for itself.

CLAY MASTERS: It's a record that gets high marks from conservative action groups, like the Heritage Foundation. Her first big vote in Congress was to not certify the 2020 presidential election results. She has the backing of Donald Trump in her primary bid.

Fischbach has also been a leading advocate in this state of restricting abortion, and is married to the head of the National to Life organization. So I ask her if the Republican National committee's decision to leave a national abortion ban off its platform concerns her.

MICHELLE FISCHBACH: The platform is what President Trump wanted to see, and I think that's how he wanted to structure it this year. But it does not in any way, shape, or form lessen the commitment to mothers and children and the pro-life issue for the Republican Party.

CLAY MASTERS: But you don't find a whole lot of differences between the message from Fischbach and Steve Boyd. Abortion is one. Boyd tells NPR News he would like to see abortion restrictions at the federal level.

STEVE BOYD: I do believe that life begins at conception, and that if that's true, which I do believe it is, and I believe God has a purpose and a value in every single life, if I believe that, then that doesn't leave a lot of room for me to start to decide how many weeks it's OK.

CLAY MASTERS: Outside groups are helping to bolster Fischbach with TV ads, among her campaign advantages over Boyd. Still, his yard signs are everywhere in the countryside of this sprawling district, and so is he. Boyd walks in a lot of parades and holds many meet and greets, like this one in Dent in Otter Tail County.

STEVE BOYD: My faith is incredibly important to me. That is the foundation of everything I do, whether it's politics, my life, my family, my business. And this is something that I felt very called to do.

CLAY MASTERS: At this event, there's barbecue, lawn games, and a dunk tank--

[CHEERING]

--where different local politicians are taking turns.

STEVE BOYD: That's cold!

CLAY MASTERS: People at this event say they're ready for someone new to represent them in the US House. Georgette Wegscheid says she worked hard to get Fischbach elected in 2020 when she defeated longtime Democratic Congressman Collin Peterson, then the House Agriculture Chair from a farm-heavy part of the country.

GEORGETTE WEGSCHEID: He'd been in there forever, and we had high, high hopes. And I think it's time for a change. She had her chance.

CLAY MASTERS: For that change to happen, Boyd would need to overcome Fischbach's clear edge in fundraising and public recognition. And there's not much time left before the August 13 primary to do it. Clay Masters, NPR News, Dent.

CATHY WURZER: And joining us right now with some more perspective, is senior politics reporter, Clay Masters. Hey, Clay.

CLAY MASTERS: Hey, there.

CATHY WURZER: So, many people are probably familiar with Michelle Fischbach, but who is Steve Boyd?

CLAY MASTERS: Yeah, his background is in business. He owns a fertilizer, weed control, and tree health company, as he puts it. He's married, has five kids. In an interview, he told me he's always been interested and involved in the Republican Party as a delegate. He's also helped others run for office.

He also taught me he's taught what he calls, constitutional classes for youth and adults. He told me he felt called to run for office. As you heard in the package there, he talks a lot about his faith when he's talking to voters in these kinds of town halls.

At one point during his remarks in Dent, he was answering a question and said with a smile, that he has no illusions about going to Washington and thinking they'll wholeheartedly with open arms accept this crazy Christian conservative. So he's holding a lot of events in this really big district where he's bringing these messages, and folks were receptive at the event, at least where I saw him.

CATHY WURZER: So, Congresswoman Fischbach says she's not worried about Boyd blocking the GOP nomination. Is this race looking competitive?

CLAY MASTERS: The way we track competitiveness a lot of times has a lot to do with fundraising, and Fischbach is really outraising Boyd. She has a big advantage there, not to mention the support from outside groups.

Fischbach also has that big endorsement from former President Donald Trump. As you heard in the story, she feels like her record speaks for itself. When I talked to Boyd, he said the blocking of the nomination shows a groundswell of the grassroots. He tries to paint this as a establishment versus grassroots movement.

For this reporting, Cathy, I drove from rural Otter Tail County up to Moorhead and Clay County, and took a lot of back roads, and I saw a lot of Boyd signs. Didn't see any Fischbach signs, and of course, yard signs don't vote, but it was noteworthy, given that Boyd doesn't have a big TV ad presence or anything like that. That tells me it's from him getting out there.

Again, Fischbach is a very known entity in the state and she's seen as very conservative. Congressman Brad Finstad introduced her at an event earlier this month, calling her, Minnesota's most conservative politician in Washington.

CATHY WURZER: I'm wondering, what are you hearing from folks? What do you think changed for people in that district who now say they want somebody new?

CLAY MASTERS: A lot of the Boyd supporters I spoke with, Cathy, really couldn't put their finger on why they wanted the change, other than to say, she had her time and they wanted new representation. Some told me they think Boyd is more conservative.

But I want to go back to the blocking of the nomination back in April at the convention. There's been a long-running feud between activists in Otter Tail County and the state party. And there's reporting out there that shows that played a part in blocking that endorsement.

The convention had three rounds of voting, and Fischbach failed to obtain the 60% of the vote necessary to earn that party endorsement. So the process ended after a motion to suspend the rules was passed. So I mean, it's not clear how much this blocked endorsement resonates throughout the district's voters. We'll have to see.

And I also want to point out, if Fischbach did not have a challenger, I'm sure Republicans would prefer to use those funds they're using for this primary in other down ballot races for Republicans in Minnesota's legislative House races that might be a little more competitive in the general election.

CATHY WURZER: Right, right. So, what will you be watching for in this race?

CLAY MASTERS: I mean, it's a cliche, but turnout, right, election night. Obviously, Minnesota voters already voted in the presidential primary back on Super Tuesday. Some voters in the district I spoke with, were either unaware that Fischbach had a challenger, or when the primary actually was.

Again, August 13. And I think maybe voters might be a little more aware of this primary election, because they're just so plugged in with all of the national news about the presidential race.

CATHY WURZER: Right. All right, Clay, thank you for putting the miles on your car. We appreciate you.

CLAY MASTERS: You're welcome. Thanks, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: That's MPR's senior politics reporter, Clay Masters.