In August, Minnesotan Brad Finstad won a closer-than-ever expected special election to succeed his friend and fellow Republican, the late Rep. Jim Hagedorn.
Finstad, former state legislator and state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development office, barely managed 52 percent of the vote against former Hormel CEO and liberal Democrat Jeff Ettinger. Given the tightness of their contest, the Finstad-Ettinger rematch in the November general election was considered one of the Democrats' top targets for a picking up a House seat anywhere.
With barely a week to go before the voting, however, signs are strong that a third-party candidate favoring marijuana legalization may ensure Finstad's election to a full term.
According to a just-completed poll conducted by KSTP-TV, Finstad leads Ettinger by 46% to 37% districtwide. Showing surprising strength with 6% is Richard Riesdorf of Legalize Marijuana Now.
One veteran conservative activist in Gopher State politics told us, "If Reisdorf continues to poll as he is in the KSTP survey, Brad will win for sure."
Bordering Iowa, the heavily rural 1st District is one of the most competitive in the nation. Democrat Tim Walz held the district from 2006 until his election as governor in 2018, when he was succeeded by Republican Hagedorn (who had given the incumbent two very close reelection battles).
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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