WILLMAR 鈥� Michelle Fischbach won her seat in Congress in 2020 by upsetting 15-term DFL incumbent Collin Peterson.
Now running for her third term, the Republican incumbent is facing a primary challenge from a candidate hopeful of pulling off an upset to match hers.
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Steve Boyd, of Kensington, Minnesota, enters the Republican primary never having held an elected office, and having sworn off funding from special interests or political action committees.
In contrast, Fischbach鈥檚 experience includes serving in the Minnesota Senate from 1996 through 2018, and as lieutenant governor in 2018 and 2019. In Congress, she holds seats on the powerful Ways & Means and Rules committees.
The Aug. 13 primary determines which of the two will be on the ballot in November against A.J. Peters, the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party's endorsed candidate.
Early primary voting began June 28 and continues through Aug. 12, according to
Boyd鈥檚 political accomplishment to date: He prevented the congresswoman from getting her party鈥檚 endorsement at the earlier this year in Morton. It鈥檚 no small feat, he points out, especially when considering that Fischbach has maintained a conservative voting record throughout her tenure in the most conservative of Minnesota鈥檚 congressional districts.
鈥淚 think we have a strong chance to surprise a lot of people,鈥� Boyd, 39, told Forum Communications Co. in a recent interview.
He holds his optimism despite a poll released by Fischbach鈥檚 campaign showing she holds a 57% to 22% advantage.
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鈥淭hat鈥檚 a big gap for an underdog campaign to close,鈥� said David Sturrock, a professor of political science at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall who is active in Republican Party politics.
He said Boyd has been conducting a 鈥渧igorous campaign,鈥� but that national conservative support for him has not materialized.
Fischbach has not been ignoring the threat he might pose, either.
鈥淏eyond her own in-person campaigning, Fischbach has aired television and digital ads and sent numerous direct mail pieces which feature her endorsement by Donald Trump and emphasize border security, gun owner rights and pro-life positions,鈥� Sturrock pointed out in an email.
Boyd dismisses the polling as not being conducted well. More to the point, he said he鈥檚 not expecting to win the primary with support from the establishment Republicans that the polling targeted.
Boyd said he鈥檚 looking for his support from Republicans who are not always on the radar screen; many of them are raising young families and too busy to be involved in party activities, he said.
He believes he can get them to the polls on Aug. 13. They are frustrated with politics as usual, and looking for someone who will put principles before party and politics, he said.
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Boyd has been referred to as a Christian conservative. He said that his faith and Christian values are important to him, and voters should know that.
He grew up the son of a minister with the Seventh-day Adventists, and a mother whom he said was very interested in politics. On his own, he took on studies in biblical citizenship and the U.S. Constitution offered by the Patriot Academy. Begun by a former Texas state lawmaker, the leadership training program's stated mission is to educate citizen leaders to "help restore our Constitutional Republic and the Biblical principles that cause a Nation to thrive."
Boyd, 39, and his wife, Talitha, are parents to five children ages 9 to 19, three of them adopted. He earned a degree in sales and marketing management from the Alexandria Technical & Community College. He owns his own fertilizer and lawn care business. The couple home-schooled their children.
Fischbach, 58, of Regal, and her husband, Scott, are parents to two grown children. She grew up in Woodbury, and earned a bachelor's degree in political science from St. Cloud State and a Juris Doctor from William Mitchell 歪歪漫画 of Law. She was elected to the Paynesville City Council in 1994 and two years later won a special election to join the state Legislature.
Boyd and Fischbach hold nearly identical conservative positions on issues ranging from abortion to a belief in limiting the role of government. Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Fischbach. Boyd said he supports the former president. 鈥淔ully, especially in this election,鈥� he said.
For Boyd, the biggest difference between him and his opponent is his frustration with 鈥渉ow we do politics. ... We play a lot of games,鈥� said Boyd, who charges that elected officials put staying in office and party first.
He charges that while Fischbach has maintained a conservative score card in Congress, her actions are more important than her votes. As a member of the House Rules Committee, she cast the deciding vote in moving an amendment on foreign aid legislation forward despite being able to cast a "no" vote for it in the House for the record, he said.
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He also underscores what he considers other differences between himself and Fischbach. She rarely hosts town hall meetings or public sessions with constituents, visiting and touring with special interest and other groups in private, he said.
Boyd pledged that if elected, he would hold a town hall meeting in each of every year. He鈥檚 held more than 50 town hall meetings as part of his primary campaign to date, and has put on thousands of miles driving to summer parades in communities across the sprawling, rural district.
Boyd also pointed out that Fischbach does not serve on the House Agriculture Committee, despite the obvious importance of agriculture to the district. Boyd said serving on the Agriculture Committee, which Fischbach鈥檚 predecessor once chaired, would be a top priority for him.
Fischbach鈥檚 campaign team said she was too busy for an interview on the primary race. In a written response, the campaign team said she believes the country is at 鈥減ivotal point in history鈥� with the possibility of a Republican trifecta in Washington D.C.
鈥淲ith President Trump back in the White House, Congress must be bold with rolling back the excesses of federal spending and overreach,鈥� she said in a statement.
The congresswoman said her goals are to curb inflation, close the border and pass immigration reform, and significantly deal with federal spending and the national debt.
鈥淭he good people of western Minnesota are hurting from fentanyl, rising prices, and feeling like they are falling behind,鈥� she stated.
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Boyd calls attention to his identical concerns about these issues as well, especially the debt. He said people have a sense of unease about the economy and fears that the 鈥渂ubble will burst鈥� with a national debt of $35 trillion clouding the future.
Sacrifices will be needed in the future to right the economic path, according to Boyd. He believes the country must look at programs such as Social Security, but emphasized that promises must be kept to those who have paid into it.
Boyd said he will not run a write-in campaign or throw wrenches into the process if he does not win in the primary.
Sturrock is among those who do not believe Boyd鈥檚 ability to stymie Fishbach in winning the party鈥檚 endorsement will matter in the long run.
鈥淏oth the Republican and DFL endorsements are losing their historic role in selecting nominees for state and federal office,鈥� he explained. 鈥淪teve Boyd was able to mobilize and turn out delegates more interested in conservative issues and less impressed by incumbency, name recognition and fundraising. It is doubtful that the deadlock at the April 27 convention will have much influence on the Aug. 13 primary election.鈥�
Win or lose, Boyd said he feels very good about the campaign and believes it will having a lasting impact on the party either way.
The winner of the primary 鈥� whether Fischbach or Boyd 鈥� is likely bound for Washington D.C. , according to Sturrock. He does not believe the Democrats can mount a serious challenge in the district.
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鈥淎s Democrats have found many ways to lose support in rural areas, their candidates in greater Minnesota have become less competitive. Either Republican would figure to win comfortably in the 2024 general election,鈥� he said.
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