More than 800 constituents showed up to a town hall at Duluth East High School. Pete’s chair sat empty. (Duluth Reader.)

His office called the organizers “left-wing extremists” and pointed instead to a telephone town hall. (Duluth News Tribune.) When he met Teamsters in person, most media were barred or ejected and an estimated 250–300 protesters waited outside. (Fox21, Timberjay.)

He will take the photo op. He will not take the question. (North Shore Journal.)

Pete Stauber voted against the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, declaring he “will not be complicit in paving a destructive and irreversible path towards socialism.” (HuffPost.)

Then the money started arriving in northern Minnesota — and Pete started taking the credit for it.

• $1 billion for the Blatnik Bridge. He called it “a HUGE win for #MN08” that he “was proud to advocate for.” X stapled a Community Note underneath: Pete Stauber voted against the bill that is funding this project. (Heartland Signal, MN DFL.)
• $20 million for the Duluth airport tower. Gov. Tim Walz replied to the announcement: “This funding is from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which you voted against. Luckily for Minnesotans your colleagues got it done without you.”
• Broadband for greater Minnesota. The same law he voted against funds high-speed internet across the 8th District. (Blandin on Broadband.)

Vote no. Take the photo. It is the same move he has run since 1988: break the rule, let someone else pay, keep the trophy.