A former Independence Party candidate, he has run as a DFL candidate since 2016. Erik Osberg Contributed / Erik Osberg for Congress / Kvidt Creative LLCThe DFL primary winner will face Fischbach in November. The DFL candidate charges that “reckless tariffs don’t work and have led to much of the inflation we’re currently experiencing.” Carlson has won two primary contests in the Independence Party but has never won any of the DFL primaries he has entered. He lost to Secretary of State Steve Simon in the 2024 DFL primary with 2.95% of the vote.