Pete Stauber | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's8th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Rick Nolan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Member of theSt. Louis County Commission from the 5th district | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 1, 2013 – January 3, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Peg Sweeney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Keith Musolf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Peter Allen Stauber (1966-05-10)May 10, 1966 (age 59) Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Republican | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Jodi Stauber | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Dan Stauber (brother) Robb Stauber (brother) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Lake Superior State University (BA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | House website Campaign website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ice hockey player
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Peter Allen Stauber (born May 10, 1966)[1] is an American politician, former minor-league hockey player, and retired law enforcement officer fromMinnesota serving as theUnited States representative forMinnesota's 8th congressional district. A member of theRepublican Party, Stauber has represented the district since 2019.[2]
Stauber was born and grew up inDuluth, Minnesota. He playedcollege hockey forLake Superior State University, where as a star player on the team, he led the Lakers to a national championship in the1988 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. Stauber met his political idol PresidentRonald Reagan when the team visited theWhite House after winning the national championship. He later said this event formed his political ambition.[3] He then had a brief career in minor-league hockey. Stauber served as a lieutenant in the Duluth Police Department from 1995 to 2017. During his service as a police officer, he was shot while on duty. He also served as a county commissioner inSt. Louis County, Minnesota, from 2013 to 2019.
Stauber succeededDFL incumbentRick Nolan by defeating Democratic nomineeJoe Radinovich in the2018 United States House of Representatives elections. Representing a working-class and mostly rural district, Stauber is only the second Republican to represent his district since 1947.
Stauber was born on May 10, 1966, inDuluth, Minnesota. His brotherRobb played in theNational Hockey League (NHL).[4][5] Stauber attendedDenfeld High School in Duluth[6] and graduated fromLake Superior State University with a bachelor's degree in criminology.
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Stauber was a star player for theLake Superior State Lakers.[7][6][8][5][9] He is credited with helping lead the Lakers to victory in the playoffs and the 1988 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship game.[10][11] Lake Superior "became the smallest school ever to win college hockey's biggest prize."[6] In that game, Stauber took a critical shot, described by opinion columnist Mike Mullen during Stauber's 2018 candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives as "risky, arguably crafty, and inarguably illegal,"[6] and byStar Tribune sportswriter John Gilbert in his 1988 story on the championship game as the moment when "Pete Stauber got away undetected when he straight-armed the net off its moorings during aSaints rush with 1:23 to go in regulation."[12]
After winning the national championship, the team was invited to theWhite House, where Stauber met PresidentRonald Reagan, an event he has called a pivotal moment in the formation of his interest in politics.[6]
In 1990, Stauber signed a multi-year contract with theDetroit Red Wings.[13] He played three seasons with affiliate clubAdirondack Red Wings in theAmerican Hockey League (AHL), and played 25 regular season games with theToledo Storm in theECHL, as well as a successfulRiley Cup playoff run during the 1991–92 season.[14] TheFlorida Panthers selected him from the Red Wings in the1993 NHL expansion draft.[15] However, due to a longstanding neck injury, he announced his retirement and joined the Duluth Police Department, where he served for 23 years.[14]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1984–85 | Austin Mavericks | MWJHL | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | 6 | 9 | — | ||
| 1985–86 | Rochester Mustangs | MWJHL | 46 | 40 | 28 | 68 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1986–87 | Lake Superior State University | WCHA | 40 | 22 | 13 | 35 | 80 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1987–88 | Lake Superior State University | WCHA | 45 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1988–89 | Lake Superior State University | WCHA | 46 | 25 | 13 | 38 | 115 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1989–90 | Lake Superior State University | WCHA | 46 | 25 | 31 | 56 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990–91 | Adirondack Red Wings | USHL | 26 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Adirondack Red Wings | USHL | 25 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1991–92 | Toledo Storm | ECHL | 25 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 46 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 46 | ||
| 1992–93 | Adirondack Red Wings | USHL | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| WCHA totals | 177 | 97 | 90 | 232 | 388 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| USHL totals | 63 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
In June 2018,Donald Trump campaigned for Stauber during his run for U.S. Representative, making his first visit to Minnesota as president and attending his first rally to support a Republican candidate for the House of Representatives in the 2018 general election, visiting Stauber's hometown ofDuluth.[16][17] At the time, Stauber had been involved in local politics, serving since 2013 as a member of theSt. Louis County, Minnesota Commission (which includes Duluth). He had also served on theHermantown City Council for eight years.[18]
The 8th district had an open seat in a previouslyDemocratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL)-held district where the last two elections were close.[17][19][20] Partisan funders on both sides of the aisle reserved "millions" of dollars for advertising in a race widely regarded as a potential Republican pickup of a seat that had been held since 2013 byRick Nolan.[21] In November, Stauber defeated the DFL nominee, former Nolan aideJoe Radinovich, to become only the fifth person to represent the district in 71 years, and the second Republican to do so. He won primarily by running up his margins in the district's more conservative western portion.
During his 2018 campaign, Stauber ran on a policy of allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, becoming only one of a handful of Republicans to endorse what was primarily a progressive idea.[22] Stauber has since walked back from his campaign pledge.[22]
Stauber was reelected on November 4, 2020, defeating DFL nominee Quinn Nystrom, becoming the first Republican in 76 years to be reelected in the 8th district.[23] In December 2020, he filed a motion to supportTexas v. Pennsylvania, described as a "seditious abuse of the judicial process" and aimed at invalidating millions of votes in various swing states. TheDuluth News Tribune, which had endorsed Stauber, and many other local officials sharply criticized him for the ploy in an open letter.[24]
Stauber was reelected on November 8, 2022, defeating DFL nomineeJennifer Schultz.[25]
Stauber was reelected on November 5, 2024, defeating DFL nominee Jennifer Schultz, in a rematch of the 2022 election.[26]
According to theMcCourt School of Public Policy atGeorgetown University, Stauber held a Bipartisan Index Score of 0.7 in the116th United States Congress for 2019, which placed him 64th out of 435 members.[27] Based onFiveThirtyEight's congressional vote tracker atABC News, Stauber voted withDonald Trump's statedpublic policy positions 90.4% of the time,[28] which ranked him average in the 116th United States Congress when predictive scoring (district partisanship and voting record) is used.[29]
On September 30, 2020, Stauber hosted Trump in a visit to his district, attending a rally of about 3,000 people at theDuluth International Airport. Along with two of his Minnesota Republican House colleagues, Stauber rode with Trump onAir Force One.[30] After it was determined that Stauber had interacted with people who tested positive forCOVID-19 in Washington D.C., including Trump, Stauber took a Delta flight in violation of Delta's rules, potentially exposing the other passengers to the virus.[31]
In December 2020, Stauber was one of 126 Republican members of theHouse of Representatives to sign anamicus brief in support ofTexas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at theUnited States Supreme Court contesting the results of the2020 presidential election, in whichJoe Biden defeated Trump.[32]
A group ofOjibwe tribes from Stauber's district rebuked him for his attempts to block President Biden's nomination ofDeb Haaland asUnited States Secretary of the Interior. The Midwest Alliance of Sovereign Tribes also complained about his actions. A member of theHouse subcommittee on Indigenous Peoples, Stauber cited Haaland's support of theGreen New Deal and opposition to oil drilling. As a member of the House, he did not vote on the nomination.[33]
During theSpeaker of the United States House of Representatives election in January 2023, Stauber consistently voted forKevin McCarthy.[34] In October 2023, he voted againstremoving McCarthy as speaker, which was unsuccessful and resulted in anotherelection.[35] Stauber backedJim Jordan on the first ballot andBruce Westerman on the next two ballots[36] before voting forMike Johnson on the fourth and final ballot.[37] In December 2023, he was among the 105 Republicans who voted to expelGeorge Santos from the House.[38]
In April and May 2023, Stauber introduced a resolution and bill to end mineral withdrawal inEly, Minnesota, as a response to a moratorium theBiden administration enacted the previous year.[39] In April 2024, the House of Representatives passed Stauber's bill, 212–203. It was unlikely to pass the Democratic–controlled Senate, and theWhite House publicly voiced its opposition to it.[40][41] With the Republicans having secured a federalgovernment trifecta, Stauber announced in January 2025 that he was reintroducing the bill.[42]
In a January 2025 interview, Stauber said theTrump administration'sfederal government grant pause was acceptable. He justified it by citing wasteful spending, claiming millions of dollars had been spent on condoms in theGaza Strip.[43]
For the119th Congress:[44]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pete Stauber | 44,814 | 89.9 | |
| Republican | Harry Welty | 5,021 | 10.1 | |
| Total votes | 49,835 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pete Stauber | 159,364 | 50.7 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Joe Radinovich | 141,948 | 45.2 | |
| Independence | Ray "Skip" Sandman | 12,741 | 4.0 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 156 | 0.1 | |
| Total votes | 314,209 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic (DFL) | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pete Stauber (incumbent) | 223,432 | 56.7 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Quinn Nystrom | 147,853 | 37.6 | |
| Grassroots | Judith Schwartzbacker | 22,190 | 5.6 | |
| Write-in | 236 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 393,711 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pete Stauber (incumbent) | 188,755 | 57.2 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Jennifer Schultz | 141,009 | 42.7 | |
| Write-in | 316 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 330,080 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Pete Stauber (incumbent) | 244,498 | 58.0 | |
| Democratic (DFL) | Jennifer Schultz | 176,724 | 41.9 | |
| Write-in | 384 | 0.1 | ||
| Total votes | 421,606 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicanhold | ||||
Of German ancestry, Stauber lives inHermantown, where he and his family belong to the St. Lawrence Catholic Church.[55] He is married to his wife, Jodi, anIraq War veteran and the first female Command Chief of the148th Fighter Wing.[56] The couple have six children.[57] Their eldest son, Levi, played as a forward for theMichigan Tech Huskies.[58]
Stauber and his brothers run the Stauber Brothers Military Heroes Hockey Camp, a summer program for children with parents in the military.[59] The six co-own the Duluth Hockey Company, which began as a sporting goods retailer but since 2015 has specialized in hockey-related merchandise.[60][61] During theCOVID-19 pandemic, the company received over $86,000 in relief funds from thePaycheck Protection Program.[62][63]
As one of his sons hasDown syndrome, Stauber has advocated for continuing medical research of the genetic disorder. He received the Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award from the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in 2023.[64]
While on police duty in 1995, Stauber was shot and lightly wounded in the head when a bullet entered his squad car.[65][18][66]
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMinnesota's 8th congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chair of theRepublican Main Street Caucus 2021–2023 Served alongside:Don Bacon,Mike Bost | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 230th | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
