ROCHESTER, Minn. — Southern Minnesota voters Tuesday look to replace the late US Rep. Jim Hagedorn, and it involves making two decisions on the same day.
The First District seat has been vacant since February, when Rep. Hagedorn died of cancer while still in office.
Republican Brad Finstad and Democrat Jeff Ettinger are the top two candidates in a special election to finish the last four and half months of Hagedorn's final term. Both Finstad and Ettinger are also running in their regular party primaries for a shot at a two-year term.
"This election is about common sense, family pocketbook issues, things like the price of gasoline and undoing the damage from the Biden administration," Finstad told KARE 11.
He's a New Ulm farmer and soil lab operator, who served in the state legislature and more recently headed the regional USDA Rural Development Office in the Trump Administration.
"I'll be putting my head down with that farmer mentality, rolling up my sleeves and getting things done. That's what's resonating with folks, and that's who I am."
Jeff Ettinger is an attorney who spent 27 years at Hormel Foods in Austin, including 11 years as the CEO of the company that now does $12 billion in annual sales. He currently heads the Hormel Foundation.
"I decided to run after what happened on January 6th - not only the riot but the fact that Mr. Hagedorn refused to certify the election. Those are both to me really dismaying," Ettinger told KARE 11.
"I've been hearing a lot about inflation. People are feeling squeezed. And I hope to bring my economic experience to that issue. I'm also very concerned about preserving our democracy."
Ettinger and Finstad both conceded having two contests the same day may be confusing to voters, who will find the special election on one side of the ballot and the regular partisan primary on the other.
The special election uses the old district boundaries, drawn in 2012 based on the 2010 Census. The primary race will use the new district boundaries, drawn earlier this year based on the 2020 Census.
For example, people in Red Wing are in the First District map, so they can vote in the primary. But they weren't on the old First District map, so they can't vote in the special election. Elections officials will have to track the two races separately, when it comes to tallying up the vote totals.
Finstad's top primary competitor is Rep. Jeremy Munson, who placed second in the special primary in May. Munson has gained support of Rand Paul and Ted Cruz.
"We need to get spending under control and in this race I'm the candidate who's been fighting for limited government in St. Paul, pushing back against these multiple-subject omnibus bills and ridiculous spending."
The First Congressional District has historically skewed Republican. Donald Trump carried that part of Minnesota in both 2016 and 2020. But Democrats haven't lost hope because Tim Walz represented CD1 in Congress for 12 years before leaving to run for governor in 2018.
For more information on this race, or what you need to know before you vote visit KARE 11's Voters Toolkit page.
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