Matt Little, the former mayor of Lakeville and a former state senator, is attempting to move to the big leagues: the US House. In a crowded race in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, Little is joined by three other Democrats and one Republican, and most of these other candidates are currently in the state legislature.
The reason why so many DFLers are gunning for the open seat is because it was just held by US Rep. Angie Craig, a moderate Democrat who has held the seat since 2019. The district is considered purple or “slightly blue” because until Craig, the seat was held by three different Republicans, going back to 2001.
With multiple Democrats in the race, Little is the DFL-endorsed candidate who is running a more explicitly progressive campaign. As a strong believer of Medicare for All and the replacement of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Little is the latest candidate to test where Democratic voters want to see the heart of their political party go. “There’s been $2 million spent against me in outside money from DC, and I think that’s a good thing. I think that tells you I can’t be bought,” Little said.
Medicare for All
Little has had harsh experiences with healthcare insurance companies in the past, and he said his story isn’t unique when he listens to voters talk about the issues. “My mom got really sick when I was about a freshman in high school. She really struggled and had to fight the insurance companies,” Little explained to Courier Minnesota at Farm Fest in Morgan earlier this month.
He said that his mom asked him to help her write the appeal letter to their insurance company, and that he’ll “never forget the pressure” he felt in that moment. “I felt then, as a kid, [that] my mom’s healthcare is riding on me, whether I can find the right words.” Little says his mom has had two chronic conditions since then, and that he doesn’t believe people should have to “cling to a job” in order to be able to receive affordable, robust health insurance.
Two of Little’s Democratic opponents, Rep. Kaela Berg and Sen. Matt Klein, are campaigning on the idea of a public option. But, Little says this isn’t good enough, since he argues that’s what Minnesota basically has now with MNsure, the state’s health insurance option.
Instead of a public option, Little says Minnesotans need healthcare insurance from birth to death. Last month, he organized a town hall in Eagan with US Rep. Pramila Jayapal, the Medicare for All author,, on the topic. Both Jayapal and Little said they would make this happen in Congress, and Jayapal endorsed Little in the race.
ICE reform isn’t enough
Minnesotans have good reason to be suspicious of ICE activity in the state given what happened after Operation Metro Surge began here in December 2025. Two people, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were shot and killed by federal agents within days of each other. Since OMS ended in February, ICE has continued its rampage in other states. In just one week, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Joan Sebastian Duran Guerrero were fatally shot, a similar story.
The state and its residents want justice in Good and Pretti’s cases, and so far, those responsible have taken little accountability for what happened. As of now, both Good and Pretti’s investigations are ongoing, after local authorities were shut out by federal officials. Requests have been made to access federal evidence in the cases, and local authorities—after months of legal badgering, officials requests, and finally lawsuits—have only just recently received that evidence in Good’s case, and nothing in Pretti’s.
Little says subpoenas are the biggest power available for lawmakers in Congress to push for justice in these cases, as they can force individuals in power to provide honest answers. But, because these subpoenas would be issued by the Department of Justice, which is currently under direction from President Donald Trump and his administration, it’s not a process that can happen overnight. “So, we have to have a three-year plan in place, which is we hold these hearings, we hold people accountable, and then when we take back the White House, they do get held criminally liable,” Little said.
When it comes to the question of reforming ICE, Little says that complete replacement of the agency is the only option he can support. “There are folks in that organization, there’s a culture in that organization of discrimination, on a variety of fronts. And so I don’t think they can continue to exist.” He says taking away the “massive funding for this organization” is necessary, as well as a “whole list of laws.” This would include requiring that ICE agents remain unmasked and identify themselves with a badge number and agency while carrying out immigration enforcement activities, and invoking civil penalties if they hurt someone or violate their constitutional rights.
‘We’re all in this together’
Whether all Minnesotans agree on the issues and stances Little is taking, he says “we’re all in this together” and he is hopeful to represent all the district’s residents. He says that healthcare insurance companies are putting the premiums on everyone, childcare is unaffordable for everyone, and homes are too expensive for everyone, regardless of political affiliation. “These [issues] are all affecting us equally, and so we need to find out ways to make it more affordable for folks.”
