A candidate with Iron Range roots and a reality TV pedigree has entered the race to unseat U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber.
Luke Gulbranson, an Eveleth native known for his appearances on the reality shows “Summer House” and “Winter House,” announced his campaign in a YouTube video on Wednesday and via news releases as well.
Gulbranson, 42, joins the list of Democrats hoping to get the party nod and go on to face the incumbent Republican, who is seeking a fifth term in Congress.
In the news release, Gulbranson said he is “launching a campaign grounded in my Iron Range upbringing and focused on lowering costs, protecting essential programs, and expanding access to affordable healthcare.”
Gulbranson has deep ties to the area.
He was born and raised in Eveleth, played hockey and later moved on to a career in media, supporting himself through acting and modeling.
During the Covid pandemic, he moved back to Eveleth, built his own home and now describes himself as “a youth hockey coach, small businessman, outdoorsman, and woodworker” who spends his days tapping maple trees, running the trails with his border collie Trapper, riding motorcycles and picking his guitar.
Gulbranson said he grew up in a working- class family that “experienced the challenges many northern Minnesotans still face today — including periods of financial hardship and reliance on food assistance and Medicaid.”
“Hockey, family, and community shaped who I am,” Gulbranson said. “I know what it’s like to worry about putting food on the table or paying the electric bill. I’ve lived the challenges so many families in this district are facing right now. I’m running for Congress to make sure no one is forgotten and to fight for an economy and healthcare system that actually works for us.”
Gulbranson’s great-grandfather worked as a foreman at the Oliver Mine, his father was a member of Operating Engineers Local 49, and his mother worked as a nurse caregiver.
Gulbranson will seek party support to get his name on the ballot in the general election in November, 2026.
Stauber won re-election in 2024 with about 58 percent of the vote, against DFL challenger Jen Schultz of Duluth.
A Republican has not won a statewide election in Minnesota since 2006, but the 8th Congressional District, once a Democratic stronghold and later a battleground, has moved safely into the red category in recent elections.
On a related note, Democrat Cyle Cramer withdrew from the race earlier this week.
Cramer had campaigned in Ely earlier this year.
