On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Pete Stauber stood on a debate stage in Duluth next to his Democratic opponent, Trina Swanson. It was the first one-on-one debate of the race for Minnesota's 8th District, and it may be the only one.

Asked how to bring good jobs to the region, Swanson brought up something Stauber had said on national TV. "When you go on national television and you say you represent 'a failed state,' that's a problem," she said. "Instead, you should be going out there and talking about our incredible workforce."

Stauber's answer, as the Duluth News Tribune reported:

"My opponent's statement is factually incorrect. I have never, ever stated that Minnesota is 'a failed state.' That's an outright misrepresentation. I've never said that."

The paper's headline put it plainly: In debate, Stauber denies he said Minnesota was 'a failed state,' but he did.

What he actually said

On January 8, 2026, Stauber went on Newsmax. A Newsmax host asked whether Democrats were "politicizing" the flood of federal immigration agents into Minnesota. Stauber said:

"If you want to look at what a failed state looks like, all you have to do is look at the state of Minnesota under the lack of leadership of Tim Walz and our Attorney General (Keith) Ellison and, of course, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. For the last many, many months, they've villainized law enforcement, federal law enforcement."

It's on video. Aaron Rupar posted the clip the same day. Newsmax's own headline was "Rep. Stauber to Newsmax: Minnesota a 'Failed State' Under Walz." Mediaite's was "Congressman from Minnesota Flat Out Says He Represents 'A Failed State.'"

There's no ambiguity to hide in. He said the words "failed state," he said "Minnesota," and he put them in the same sentence.

When he said it

The timing makes it worse. Stauber gave that interview one day after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in south Minneapolis. The question he was answering was about the surge of federal agents into his own state. His answer was to call the state he represents a failed one, and to accuse its leaders of having "villainized" federal law enforcement.

He wasn't the only Republican who rushed to defend the agents. A week after the shooting, Michael Baumgartner called it "a justified shooting" while claiming he'd wait for the investigation.

The cleanup

At the debate, Stauber tried to recast the January comment. "What I have said is the fraud in this state is outrageous," he said.

That isn't what happened in January either. The News Tribune went back to the interview: Stauber called Minnesota "a failed state" in his first answer. The host didn't ask about fraud until the second question.

So the debate answer has two problems. He denied saying something he said on camera. Then he described the interview as being about something it wasn't, at the point he said it.

Not his first stretch

The News Tribune has had to correct the record on Stauber before. In August, Stauber said his colleague Tom Emmer was "fighting for his damn life." Stauber's own spokesperson later had to clarify: "Rep. Emmer is not fighting for his life. He had foot surgery."

And on the issues, too, his story changes depending on the room. Stauber bragged about his union bill at the Teamsters hall — then voted twice to kill it.

What we know

On January 8, 2026, the day after an ICE agent killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, Pete Stauber told Newsmax that "if you want to look at what a failed state looks like, all you have to do is look at the state of Minnesota." On October 6, at what may be his only debate before the election, he told voters in Minnesota's 8th District, "I have never, ever stated that Minnesota is 'a failed state.'" The interview is on video.

Source

• In debate, Stauber denies he said Minnesota was 'a failed state,' but he did — Duluth News Tribune