Illinois Rep. Mike Bost, a member of the House Agriculture Committee, faces a potentially strong challenger in Democrat Brendan Kelly, says Roll Call, which rates the race as “likely Republican” instead of the previous “solid Republican.” The Capitol Hill publication also said St. Louis County commissioner Pete Stauber, a Republican, will run for the seat held by Minnesota Democrat Rick Nolan, an Agriculture Committee member who narrowly won re-election last November.
Roll Call described Bost’s district in southern Illinois as a bellwether — his victory over a Democratic incumbent in 2014 was a harbinger of Trump’s rural appeal. The region is traditionally Democratic although has trended GOP in recent elections. “But the congressman had just $205,000 in his campaign account at the end of March — a mediocre total for a potentially vulnerable incumbent. And Kelly comes to the race with great local reviews (even from some Republicans) and should be a formidable foe,” said Roll Call.
Similarly, Nolan’s district in northeastern Minnesota saw two of the most competitive contests in the country in 2014 and 2016, said Roll Call. “Stauber is a top GOP recruit for a rural district that Republicans are hoping to pick up.” The candidate is a police lieutenant in Duluth, the largest city in the district, and served two terms on the Hermantown City Council. Nolan has indicated he will run for a seventh term but has not announced his intentions. Two Democrats are considering a run, said Roll Call.