Republican Congressman Chip Cravaack and Democratic challenger Rick Nolan discussed mining regulations, health care, business growth, and the national debt at their debate in Cambridge. Not surprisingly, they found little common ground. The campaign is among the closest and most expensive House races in the country.

DFL challenger Rick Nolan, rekindling his congressional career 30 years after he last served in the U.S. House, has defeated one-term Rep. Chip Cravaack, R-Minn., in one of the most closely watched and expensive U.S. House races in the nation.

Minnesota’s 8th District race between incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack and Democrat Rick Nolan is among the nation's closes House races. It's also among the most expensive – No. 6 on a list of races ranked by spending by outside groups. About $5.6 million has been dumped in the race as of Monday, the Duluth News Tribune reports.

Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific's hardboard manufacturing plant in Duluth will permanently shut down on Aug. 31, the Duluth News Tribune. A company spokesman said, "The employees are welcome to apply for any other jobs we have” at other facilities. The closure leaves 140 employees looking for work. They will be paid and receive benefits for 60 days.

DFL challenger Rick Nolan in a Duluth debate Tuesday called first-term incumbent Rep. Chip Cravaack, R-Minn., a "big spender" on defense who has neglected domestic issues including transportation, the Star Tribune reports. Cravaack advocated lower taxes and fewer regulations to create jobs, and he said Nolan is symbolic of an "antiquated" style of big government.

DFL challenger Rick Nolan has moved ahead of freshman Republican Chip Cravaack 50 percent to 43 percent, according to a new Star Tribune poll of likely voters in the Eighth Congressional District. Previous polls showed the race was a tossup.

Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack didn't wait long after Tuesday's primaries to take a shot at his Democratic opponent in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District. On Wednesday, Cravaack kicked off his re-election campaign by calling former Rep. Rick Nolan a "big-government guy," and Nolan called himself a "real true native of this district" in reference to his party's issue with Cravaack’s family moving to New Hampshire.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released its first ad in Minnesota Saturday that targets Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack in the 8th District race for Congress -- a day after the National Republican Congressional Committee started running ads against Cravaack's opponent, former U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan.