WDIO’s 8th Congressional District Debate moved due to scheduling conflict

Minnesota’s two 8th Congressional District candidates are coming together tonight for a 40-minute commercial-free debate, hosted and moderated by WDIO’s Baihly Warfield and Darren Danielson.

Tonight’s debate is a rematch between incumbent Pete Stauber (R) and Jen Schultz (D).

You can watch LIVE on WDIO and on WDIO’s streaming platforms, and will be streamed live on YouTube.

The debate had to be rescheduled due to a conflict with one of the candidates. This debate will have a similar format as the 2022 election cycle.

In August, Stauber’s team reached out to WDIO about the possibility of a debate. In the weeks to follow, the two campaigns agreed upon October 22. Stauber’s team notified WDIO on Tuesday that he had now been assigned to be in the southern part of the nation. In response, WDIO worked with both the Stauber and Schultz teams to coordinate a new date.

In a press release sent on October 15, the Schultz campaign said, “After months of dodging calls to debate Democratic congressional candidate Jen Schultz, Congressman Pete Stauber has finally agreed to a debate—only to force a last-minute reschedule. The debate, originally set for October 22nd, has now been pushed to October 29th because Stauber decided to prioritize a politically motivated trip out of state over engaging with the voters of Minnesota’s 8th District.” Schultz went on to say in the press release, “I hope Pete Stauber will finally show up on October 29th and give voters the answers they deserve.”

In response, Stauber’s campaign shared the following statement on October 16, saying, “Debating on WDIO has been a priority for Pete since he first asked the station in August to get something scheduled, which they did. Pete offered up three additional dates to ensure the debate happened, minutes after learning he would be traveling on Monday and Tuesday for conservatives who represent border communities that have been severely impacted by Kamala Harris, who has allowed the invasion of 13 million illegal immigrants over the past four years. It’s pathetic to see Pete’s opponent desperately lie about this process to voters. Pete’s looking forward to the debate on Oct. 29.”

The two previously ran against each other in the 2022 midterms, with Stauber winning 57 percent of the vote to Schultz’s 42 percent.

Stauber, a former professional hockey player and Duluth Police officer, is seeking his fourth term in office, having first been elected in 2018. Schultz, a Professor of Economics at UMD, served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2015 to 2023. She represented District 7A during her time in St. Paul.

Stauber and Schultz participated in a debate on October 19, 2022 prior to the 2022 election. You can watch the 2022 debate in its entirety here.

Stauber’s campaign website lists four broad issues: federal spending, public safety & border security, American energy and Life & Liberty.

According to the website, Stauber believes in a constitutional amendment to ensure a balanced budget – blaming inflation on federal deficit spending.  For public safety, Stauber says he fights for law enforcement resources in Congress, as well as an emphasis on border security. As for American energy, Stauber supports domestic oil projects such as the Keystone XL pipeline and blames high energy prices on the Biden Administration. The website’s life & liberty section details his support for gunowner rights, as well as his opposition to using taxpayer funds for abortion.

Schultz’s campaign website reaches much further when it comes to stances, listing positions on 15 different issues, such as healthcare, education, affordable housing and infrastructure.

Her website says she believes in a single-payer healthcare system, known informally as “Medicare for all” and touts Minnesota’s low healthcare premiums.  On education, Schultz says she believes in increasing federal funding to all public schools, from Pre-K to the college level. When it comes to affordable housing, Schultz thinks that Congress must do more to help local governments with crisis. More funding for “traditional infrastructure” such as roads and bridges is also listed as a priority.

WDIO’s debate is scheduled for 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, October 29.