MINNEAPOLIS — Rick Nolan has won the 3-way Democratic primary in Minnesota’s 8th District to take on freshman GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack in November.

Nolan, the endorsed Democratic candidate, overcame Tarryl Clark and Jeff Anderson after a hard-fought race. He’s trying a comeback after representing parts of northern Minnesota in Washington from 1975 to 1981.

Cravaack is seen as a top target for Democrats nationally after he upset long-time Democratic Rep. Jim Oberstar in 2010. Democrats had controlled the seat for decades.

Clark is a former state senator who moved to the district after losing a congressional race to Michele Bachmann in 2006. Anderson is a former Duluth city councilman.

The 8th District covers northeastern Minnesota including Duluth and the Iron Range.