Grant Hauschild

A. Cane

REGIONAL— State Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, announced this week that he won’t seek to challenge Eighth District Congressman Pete Stauber at this time.
Hauschild, who represents Senate District 3 in the Minnesota Legislature, has been seen as a rising DFL star and a likely candidate for higher office in the future. He said he has heard from many residents of the Third District urging him to challenge Stauber.
“I’ve been grateful for the encouragement to consider a run for Congress in Minnesota’s Eighth District. After giving it careful thought, I’ve decided now is not the right time,” said Hauschild. “My focus is on making sure northern Minnesota has a voice in the Senate majority and spending as much time as I can with my young family. We’ve accomplished a lot for northern Minnesota, and there’s still important work ahead to keep delivering for our region.”
Hauschild, a former staffer with North Dakota U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp and USDA Rural Development in the Obama administration, came to the Legislature with considerable political experience, and he has proven to be an able lawmaker who has worked to address numerous issues affecting northeastern Minnesota. That includes addressing the rural EMS crisis, working to improve equity in state aid payments for rural communities, and streamlining state permitting.
At a time when politics has become increasingly bitter and partisan, Hauschild has built a reputation for a bipartisan approach. He serves as Senate co-chair of the Minnesota Civility Caucus and is a co-founder of the Senate DFL Blue Dog Coalition, a group comprised of moderate legislators who seek bipartisan solutions to the state’s challenges.