MINNEAPOLIS — Matt Little, a former state legislator and mayor of Lakeville, won the 2nd District DFL endorsement May 9 after delegates opted for a progressive candidate to replace moderate Rep. Angie Craig.

His victory means a three-way Democratic primary will ensue in August.

Shortly before Little won the endorsement on the first ballot, his two opponents, state Sen. Matt Klein and state Rep. Kaela Berg, said they would remain in the race.

Delegates wrestled Saturday at Burnsville High School over whether to keep the status quo of the purple south-metro district by backing Klein — who shares the same brand of moderate Democratic politics as the district’s outgoing congresswoman — or take a chance on a progressive by backing Little or Berg.

Craig is running for U.S. Senate to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith.

Little, who had strong momentum ahead of the endorsement and believed he could win it based on his count of delegate support, ran through a list of his priorities before the results were called, which include support for an assault weapons ban and banning mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

“Let us be bold and brave on immigration, let us be bold and brave on trans rights, let us be bold and brave on tribal sovereignty, let us be bold and brave and pass a wealth tax,” Little told supporters.

During her speech to delegates, Berg flexed her working-class credentials.

“For 23 years, I’ve been a flight attendant, a union member, a labor leader, a mother and a fighter,” Berg said. “I’m running for Congress because working people deserve someone who has actually lived the struggles they face every day.”

Klein highlighted his experience as a physician and state legislator as what sets him apart.

“This is a swing district. We must hold it, and we must hold it by a margin that flips seats around the country,” Klein said. “I’ve won tough races.”

In order to win the endorsement to replace Craig, candidates needed 60% of delegate support. Little had 63% of the delegate votes.

The primary election is Aug. 11.

Klein has maintained since he entered the race that he would move on to the primary even if he does not receive the endorsement.

Berg, who indicated when she entered the race in October that she, too, would keep running in a primary, was recently undecided on what she would do post-convention. But Saturday she confirmed to delegates that she will continue on to a primary if another candidate was endorsed.

DFL delegates tend to skew more progressive than the broader party base, and they are more energized following President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in the state.

Although the three Democrats have differing brands of politics, they share many of the same views on the issues.

They all support impeaching Trump if Democrats retake the House. They support some form of universal healthcare and oppose the war in Iran. And they all have said they would have opposed the Laken Riley Act, a bill that allows law enforcement to detain and possibly deport undocumented immigrants arrested for nonviolent crimes.

Craig supported the bill in Congress, a position that has become a central line of attack by Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in their Senate primary battle. Craig recently said she regrets voting for the bill.

Observers of the race to replace Craig think the current political environment puts any of the three candidates in a good position to win, given the seat has swung in the party’s favor in recent elections.

Republican state Sen. Eric Pratt recently won the 2nd District GOP endorsement and has no primary opponent.

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