Republican Jim Hagedorn and Democrat Dan Feehan participated in a spirited debate Friday morning in their race for Minnesota’s First Congressional District.
The First District encompasses the southern region of Minnesota where issues such as agricultural regulations and the effects of climate change are impacting farming communities in the area. But Hagedorn and Feehan spent a good portion of their airtime debating whether or not the Democrat even grew up in the district.
“This election is about two fundamental choices, two world views, which direction are we going to go,” Hagedorn began the debate, saying Feehan wants “to take us back to the Obama years, and then some.”
Feehan, who served as acting assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration, responded by arguing that he will “be an independent voice in Washington,” which set the tone for the remainder of the debate.
“Dan, you’re not an independent voice. You’re a political appointee of Barack Obama. You were sent out here by the resistance—Pelosi and company to try to take power in this district,” said Hagedorn, who repeatedly accused Feehan of lying about growing up in the First District.
“So this is the tone of Mr. Hagedorn’s campaign. This is his fourth run at the seat, and this is what he brings to the table. This idea of an us and them, and that’s not what I’m about,” responded Feehan, who touted his military record as proof of his “independent leadership.”
The debate, growing more impassioned by the second, then turned to the topic of President Donald Trump, whom Hagedorn strongly supports. Asked whether he supports any of Trump’s policies, Feehan noted that he is a strong supporter of ending the war in Afghanistan, but then criticized both Trump and Hagedorn for flip-flopping on the issue.
“I know you weren’t living here. You were working for Obama in D.C. You’re not from the district. You never lived in our district a day in your life until Tim Walz quit this race and they sent you out from Washington,” Hagedorn responded.
Feehan used the response to demonstrate the “unwillingness of [his] opponent to differ from the president,” jokingly advising Hagedorn to find a job in the Trump administration.
“There’s some openings in the Trump administration,” he said, noting that he was born in the First District.
“You’re being disingenuous and phony because the First District changed 20 years ago. The 21 counties of this district you never lived in. Let’s just get that out,” Hagedorn added.
“Washington is full of Jim Hagedorns. That’s why it is broken right now,” Feehan again responded.
On the issue of health care, Hagedorn emphasized the importance of repealing Obamacare and replacing it “with free market reforms.”
“At a minimum, send the authority back to the states. You know, the state of Minnesota did not need Obamacare. This was the one state in all of the union that didn’t need Obamacare. We had 94 percent of the people covered,” he continued.
Feehan suggested that Hagedorn wants to “go backwards,” adding that a Medicare “buy-in” is the way forward.
“My opponent likes to bring up conversations from 2010 because he’s been running for Congress since 2010. I’m living in 2018 right now and the reality of a health care system that is failing people in every way, shape, and form. The status quo is not working,” Feehan stated.
The candidates also discussed climate change, agricultural regulations, and had a lively exchange on the effectiveness of Trump’s proposed border wall.
According to an early September poll, Hagedorn led Feehan 44 percent to 33 percent, though others have deemed the race a toss-up.
– – –
Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
