By Pat Kessler
MINNEAPOLIS— A campaign ad from Republican congressional candidate Joe Teirab is making waves in the race in Minnesota’s 2nd District.
That ad blames Democratic Rep. Angie Craig for a series of problems ranging from inflation to corruption — but is that true?
As the former Navy and federal prosecutor jogs, he links three-term Democrat Angie Craig to skyrocketing inflation — and much more — projecting the 20% number onto a wall of buildings.
“Career politicians like Angie Craig are killing the American Dream,” Teirab says in the ad. “Rooming inflation, open borders, insider deals and corruption.”
The claim of 20% inflation is a whopper and needs context.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, US inflation did not reach 20%. In 2022, it reached a painful 9.1% in one month after the pandemic. Now it is 2.5%.
Consumer prices have risen about 20% over the past four years, compared to about 8% under former President Trump.
In the ad, Teirab calls Craig a career politician.
“Now I’m running for Congress because career politicians are like Angie Craig,” he says in the ad.
Craig is not a career politician by almost any definition. She served in Congress for six years. Before that, she was a longtime business leader in Minnesota.
“Open borders” is a derogatory political phrase aimed at Democrats.
It is not policy and it is incorrect to say that Craig favors no security measures at the border.
Illegal border crossings are a serious problem and Craig has voted with Republicans for stricter enforcement.
The Teirab ad also links Craig to ‘insider deals’ and ‘corruption’.
Craig has not been accused of either and it is incorrect to suggest that he has.
