Voter history records show that Brad Finstad, a candidate in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District Republican primary, did not vote in the 2020 presidential preference primary.
Finstad was a Trump administration appointee, serving as state director for USDA Rural Development in Minnesota.
Finstad is running for the seat vacated when U.S. Representative Jim Hagedorn passed away in February.
Hagedorn’s untimely death created an immediate vacancy. There will be a special election to determine who serves the rest of his term. The special election Republican primary is scheduled for May 24, while the general part of the special will be held on August 9.
Also, August 9 is the same day that the Republican primary to determine the GOP nominee for the November election will be held.
The Minnesota Sun previously reported that Hagedorn’s widow, Jennifer Carnahan, is running for the seat as well. Carnahan most recently served as chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota from 2017-to 2021. Her campaign said she took the party out of $1 million in debt and flipped three house seats from Democrat to Republican. Former President Donald Trump appointed Carnahan to serve on the White House Initiative for Asian American and Pacific Islanders.
Carnahan told The Sun that her husband told her on his deathbed to run for the seat, and she wants to carry on his legacy.
“Though my heart is still heavy after Jim’s passing, the encouragement I have received from throughout southern Minnesota has inspired me to carry on his legacy by running to complete the remainder of his term,” she said.
Carnahan added, “In the final weeks before his passing, Jim told me to keep forging ahead, to keep reaching my dreams, and to win this seat. Jim was my best friend and the love of my life, and it is his blessing that strengthens me for the challenges ahead. I am committed to continuing my husband’s legacy of fighting to secure the border, defending conservative values, safeguarding the integrity of our elections, and serving the people of Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District.”
Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District is considered a deep red district for the November election, with Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight giving it a partisan rating of R+14. The Cook Political Report gives the race a “Likely Republican” rating.
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Aaron Gulbransen is a reporter at The Minnesota Sun and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow Aaron on GETTR.
Photo “Brad Finstad” by Randy Feenstra.
