WILLMAR 鈥� Despite being endorsed by former President Donald Trump , U.S. Rep. Michelle Fischbach failed to gain the Republican Party endorsement Saturday over her outsider challenger, Steve Boyd, at the Minnesota Seventh Congressional District GOP Convention in Morton .
In a contentious Republican Party endorsement fight between Fischbach, of Regal, and Boyd, of Kensington, neither candidate gained the 60% needed for the endorsement after three rounds of voting. A convention vote approved a motion not to make an endorsement. Candidate Annette Watson had finished third in the first round of voting and then withdrew and endorsed Boyd, according to a Boyd campaign news release.
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Both Fischbach and Boyd are now expected to proceed to the Aug. 13 primary election without the GOP endorsement. The primary winner will earn the Republican endorsement for the 7th District race in the November general election. Prior to Saturday's convention, Fischbach had rescinded her earlier pledge to abide by the 7th District GOP endorsement.
Saturday's "battle, while technically a stalemate, was really a victory for our grassroots campaign," Boyd said in a news release. "We were outspent by nearly 10-1 this quarter by (Fischbach's) establishment machine and she still didn't win."
Fischbach has said she was honored by Trump's endorsement.
"This time, we will be running as a team to expand a conservative Republican majority in the U.S. House and make history by delivering our 10 electoral votes," she said in a March statement.
Boyd is considered a political outsider because he has never held political office. Fischbach, a longtime political insider, is considered by many to be part of the Republican establishment. However, many Trump-aligned political activists in the district are backing Boyd over the incumbent Fischbach.
Other controversies occurred at the GOP's 7th District convention. According to a Boyd campaign news release, an Otter Tail county delegation of 37 was prohibited from voting at the convention. In addition, Boyd's campaign team has alleged that Republican Party officials have continued to withhold delegate information from the Boyd campaign while providing that information to the Fischbach campaign.
Fischbach is one of at least three GOP incumbents in Congress who failed to win their party's endorsement at GOP conventions Saturday. Rep. Blake Moore did not win the Utah GOP District 1 endorsement, and Rep. Celeste Maloy did not earn the Utah District 2 GOP endorsement, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
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In the latest federal campaign filings, Fischbach outraised Boyd $224,000 to $67,000 from January to March. She spent just over $150,000 during that time period, while Boyd spent just over $64,000.
At the end of March, Fischbach had $385,730 in cash on hand and no debts, while Boyd had $23,241 in cash on hand and $5,000 in debts.
Fischbach is seeking her third term as a U.S. representative. She defeated longtime Rep. Collin Peterson, a DFL'er from Detroit Lakes, in 2020. In Congress since 2021, she now serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, Rules Committee, Budget Committee, and Ethics Committee.
She previously served in the Minnesota Senate for 22 years and also as the 49th lieutenant governor of Minnesota, according to her congressional website. She has a bachelor's degree in political science from St. Cloud State University and a law degree from Willmar Mitchell College of Law. She and her husband have two grown children and six grandchildren.
Boyd has been a small-business owner in Kensington since 2015, according to his campaign's website. He has been a volunteer in youth sports, civic groups and in his local church. He and his wife have five children.
Watson is an Iowa native, who moved to Minnesota in 2005, according to her campaign's website. She has lived in Morris since 2018. She and her husband have five children.
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