DULUTH — A former federal worker easily defeated a reality TV personality in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s 8th Congressional District primary and will face Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Hermantown, in November’s general election.

DFL-endorsed candidate Trina Swanson, of Hermantown, beat Luke Gulbranson, of Eveleth, 77.2% to 16.9% with all precincts reporting as of 12:50 a.m. District 8 stretches from the Arrowhead region of northern Minnesota down to Hugo and Forest Lake in Washington County.

“We are taking tonight and then it’s back to work,” Swanson said in an interview with the Duluth News Tribune late Tuesday. “We know that we have a tough race ahead of us, and we know Stauber has a lot of support here still, but we are very much focused on the affordability crisis and the kitchen table issues and giving representation that is for the working class and the 99%, and not the 1%.”

A third candidate, John Munter, who has run unsuccessfully in the two previous DFL primaries for the seat, had 6.5% of the vote.

Stauber, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, easily defeated primary challenger Anthony Hamilton, of Mora, in Tuesday’s primary by a nearly 73-percentage-point margin.

Although the 8th Congressional District was once a DFL stronghold, Stauber, a former Duluth police officer and professional hockey player, has won easily since his first victory in 2018.

Stauber cruised to victory in 2024 over DFL challenger Jen Schultz, of Duluth, with 58% of the vote, slightly higher than his margin over the same opponent in 2022.

Stauber’s campaign did not immediately respond to the News Tribune’s request for comment Tuesday night.

“The people of northern and central Minnesota built the coalition that became the DFL. Today, they nominated Trina Swanson to represent them in Congress because she’s been everywhere and is fighting for everyone,” DFL Party Chair Richard Carlbom said in a statement Tuesday evening. “The people of Minnesota’s Eighth are ready for a representative who will bring the change they want and need in their district.”

Swanson, who worked for two decades at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, rising to director of international operations, said she believes that her experience would prepare her for the role on day one.

She left last year during Trump’s second term as “it became very clear very quickly that I was going to be asked to do things that I was uncomfortable with that I thought were unethical and even possibly illegal,” she said.

Gulbranson, Swanson’s primary challenger, grew up in Eveleth before becoming an actor, model and cast member of Bravo’s “Summer House” and Netflix’s “Selling the OC.” He’s also worked as a real estate agent in New York City and runs a maple syrup company.

Asked if she was surprised by her margin of victory, Swanson said it reflected the excitement and momentum she felt from voters on the campaign trail.

“You never know how it’s going to turn out on election night,” Swanson said. “But I was anticipating a lot of support, and I’m incredibly excited that that’s what happened.”