A former state representative from the New Ulm area has announced his bid for Congress. Brad Finstad filed his candidacy for Minnesota’s upcoming 1st Congressional District Special Election, set for August 9th.
Finstad formerly served as the State Director for USDA Rural Development under President Donald Trump.
The election winner will fill Congressman Jim Hagedorn’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Hagedorn died last month and was laid to rest over the weekend.
Finstad is the third Republican to file for the election. Last week, former Maverick football player Ken Navitsky filed to run as a Republican.
Richard Painter, a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Law, is the only candidate to file as a Democrat so far. Painter is a former Republican and one-time ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush.
The filing deadline for the Special Election is March 15th, at 5pm.