WASHINGTON — Brad Finstad is trying to balance mainstream appeal and conservative credentials as he aims to conquer a part of southern Minnesota known for its political swings.
Running for the open seat of the First Congressional District, Finstad is looking like a farm kid from southern Minnesota. The kind of farmer who wakes up knowing things will be broken and will have to be fixed.
“Some on both sides of the aisle are more interested in the fame of the position. They are interested in throwing bombs, elbows to their throats, kind of politics, name calling, finger pointing,” Finstad, who lives in New Ulm, said in an interview. “And that interests me less.”
Whether Finstad succeeds the late GOP Rep. Jim Hagedorn in Congress depends on whether he can overcome a challenge in the Aug. 9 special election of former Hormel Foods CEO Jeff Ettinger. Campaign finance records show Ettinger, a DFLer, has already contributed $900,000 of his own money to the race. Two other candidates – Haroun McClellan of the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party and Richard Reisdorf of the Legal Marijuana Now Party – are also on the special ballot.
“He’s like a career guy in government. He’s been either a politician, or an aide to a politician, or a lobbyist, or a politician,” Ettinger, a first-time candidate, said about of Finstad. “Basically, it’s his career. I don’t really see him as a very likely agent of change for Washington.”
Finstad, 46, served at Minnesota House from 2003 to 2009. His work in the years since has included time as executive director of the Center for Rural Policy and Development, a term as state director of the United States Department of Agriculture for rural development in Minnesota during the Trump administration and a leading role with the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. He and his family own and operate agronomy company Frontier Labs and have a soybean and corn farm, according to the Finstad campaign.
“He’s a man of principle,” said Pennsylvania GOP Rep. Glenn Thompson, the House Republican’s lead on the agriculture committee, which endorsed Finstad early in his lead candidacy. “I think Minnesota would add another great congressman if elected.”
While at the Statehouse, Finstad was the lead House sponsor of a bill that resulted in a new stadium for the Twins. He also signed an unsuccessful amendment to the state constitution that would have banned same-sex marriage, as well as a failed amendment that would have established that “there is no constitutional right to abortion” in the state. State.
Finstad won a special Republican primary in May for the First District by just 427 votes out of more than 35,000 GOP candidates, barely fending off state Rep. Jeremy Munson in a crowded field that also included Hagedorn’s widow, Jennifer Carnahan. Outside groups supporting Munson or Finstad have poured more than $3 million into that primary race, according to federal campaign finance records.
Given the timing of Hagedorn’s death in February after a battle with kidney cancer, the August 9 special election to fill the remainder of the late Republican’s term is being held on the same day primary voters in the new first district will decide. which candidates will make it to the November general election. In this fall’s race, where Republicans are favored, a full two-year term to represent the congressional district is at stake.
Theresa Keaveny, chair of the DFL Rural Caucus, said she was troubled by Finstad’s positions on abortion, health care and other issues.
“When I look at his website and see his campaign materials, it concerns me in terms of, well, what policies is he actually going to support?” said Keaveny.
Following the May primary, Munson gave in to Finstad, but then asked to run against him in the August 9 primary which is held on the same day as the special election.
After initially keeping quiet about his intentions, Munson recently launched a long-running bid to defeat Finstad in the GOP primary.
“He’s a Republican from the George Bush era. That’s the last time he was in power and everything has changed for the Republican Party since the days of George Bush,” Munson said. “People are more focused on fighting for freedom and freedom and limited government than being a George Bush Republican.”
Munson’s decision has been criticized by the state’s GOP chairman as the party attempts to both win the Aug. 9 special and retain the seat in November’s regular election.
“Jeremy is definitely a good guy and he gets people excited,” Brown County Republican Party Chairman and Finstad supporter Greg Bartz said during the May primary earlier this month — before Munson started. his last-minute push. “I like Jeremy, but I think Finstad can appeal to the middle a bit easier.”
Democratic Governor Tim Walz held the First District seat for six terms before winning the governorship in 2018. Hagedorn won the seat twice and was among Republicans who voted against certifying the Democratic president’s victory Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election in two swing states. Finstad differs from Hagedorn on this issue and said he would have voted to certify the election.
While the United States Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade reverberates around the country, Finstad touts her past work to help start a crisis pregnancy center in New Ulm called First Choice Pregnancy Services. And asked about his political goals, Finstad said “it all starts with family wallet issues.”
He considers himself a conservative who knows he won’t agree sometimes with someone in the middle. But he thinks there might be issues where they can work together, which he sees as a different mindset from ‘I’m right, you’re wrong, we can never talk to each other again’.
At the same time, Finstad’s campaign website displays familiar, friendly language: that he is “Pro-Trump,” “Pro-Gun,” “Pro-Life,” and “a conservative fighter running for office.” Congress to fire Nancy Pelosi as president of the Loger.”
As the campaign nears its home stretch, Finstad is aware that his party has only won more than 50% of the vote in a general election for the seat once in the past 16 years. .
“There’s just the political history that says we have to do a better job of attracting people from southern Minnesota, as people from southern Minnesota,” Finstad said, “and not necessarily trying to run to one extreme or the other.”
Staff Writer Ryan Faircloth contributed to this report.
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