A close race in MN District 1: Jim Hagedorn and Dan Feehan up for election rematch

Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Nicollet County, is facing an almost nerve-wracking race: GOP incumbent Jim Hagedorn versus Democrat Dan Feehan. A district that voted for Democrat Barack Obama in 2012 but Republican Donald Trump in 2016, continues to face extreme partisan polarization. Feehan and Hagedorn ran against each other in 2018 and Hagedorn won by 0.4% percent of votes. Now, they face again in another close race.
Junior Regina Olono is an intern and bilingual fellow for the Dan Feehan for US Rep. campaign. Additionally, Olono is a Political Science major.
“I’ve been able to see, first hand, almost everything that I have been learning in my Political Science classes and there is a lot of work to be done,” Olono said in regard to the work of Feehan’s campaign staff with only five days until Election Day.
As election day quickly approaches, the pressure for both candidates’ campaign teams to engage with potential voters is amplified. However, in regards to her campaign efforts Olono remains positive.
“I think Dan Feehan has a really good chance of winning. One of the reasons that he lost in 2018 was because not enough Winona, Mankato, or Gustavus students vote in midterm elections versus in this election, which is a presidential election, a lot more people will be voting. That comes with a lot of those younger voters,” Olono said.
Part of the controversy of this particular stems from accusations coming from both ends of the political spectrum. Hagedorn has recently been accused of a campaign finance violation by former members of the Congressional Ethics Board and the Feehan campaign. In addition, Feehan has also been accused by Jim Hagedorn of inappropriately accepting money throughout his campaign. Both candidates have denied these allegations to be true.
Junior Tatum Batchelder, when asked why she is considering Hagedorn for re-election, spoke to his experience and his adaptations to creating free-market solutions to health care issues but also felt that both candidates had a long list of pros and cons.
“This congressional race seems up in the air to many, but if I had to pick, I predict Hagedorn will get re-elected. I think times are different now [than they were in 2018], but I still do think Hagedorn’s experience will give him a leg up in the race,” Batchelder said.
“I think it’s even more important to know the candidates’ differences on the topic of health care during this current pandemic when voting. From my understanding, Hagedorn still hopes to lower costs and increase access to health care but critiques the way the Affordable Care Act goes about that. He plans to clear up the transparency of prescription costs for smarter consumer choices as well as expand flexible spending accounts so people can pay medical bills tax-free. On the other hand, Feehan stands with a public option for health care with an overall goal of more, but not all, people having access to medical care,” Batchelder said.
When asked why she supports Feehan to be the next U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s District 1, Olono spoke primarily to Feehan’s integrity.
“Personally, I really resonate with Feehan’s message, putting people first, and I think that is something that is often lost in politics. I feel like one of the main differences [between the two candidates] is that Feehan really cares about diversity and inclusivity. He does a really good job of drawing the line and making sure people are being taken care of,” Olono said.
Olono was also primarily concerned with the aforementioned campaign finance accusations surrounding Hagedorn, which further solidified her personal confidence in Feehan.
“Personally, I do not trust Jim Hagedorn. I think that he should definitely take care of his financial corruption scandal and either face legal consequences or, in the very least, be held accountable,” Olono said.
Both Batchelder and Olono emphasized the importance of voting in this election.
“This election is said to be a toss-up. Now, more than ever before, it is important to get out there and vote for your city, state, and country,” Batchelder said.
The outcome for this particular election will represent partisan control in the US House of Representatives. The Representative of Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District contributes to the 117th Congress. Currently, Democrats have 232 to 198 majority in the House but all seats are now up for reelection. Thus, the partisan leaning of the House could go either way following the Nov. 3rd election. .