US House Democrat Pick Up - Jim Hagedorn Dies

[Mary in S. Carolina]

This is a swing district that the Democrats can pick up. The Mayo Clinic is in this district, and they are pis.ed at conservatives due to their covid response. Shouldn't there be more discussion on DU regarding this fact?

[Ocelot II]

1. Except for Rochester, the 1st CD is pretty rural and Trumpy.

The Dems could pick it up but it would be close. Even with the Mayo Clinic vs. Trumpist covid policies, doctors are affluent and tend GOP because taxes, and that's often enough to keep people in the GOP fold despite everything else. The district also has a couple of college towns, Mankato and Winona, but that might not be enough.

[FoxNewsSucks]

2. I know far too many people like that.

Their greed and self-interest outweigh everything else.

A surprising number of them are otherwise nice people.

[OnDoutside]

3. Will it remain vacant until November ?

[Ocelot II]

5. A special election will be held before then, not sure when.

[OnDoutside]

9. Thanks.

[onenote]

27. August 9.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

6. I think there is a special election

in August.

[OnDoutside]

8. Thanks.

[Ocelot II]

7. There are parts of Minnesota that are basically Alabama but cold.

Outside the cities and college towns it's pretty scary.

[DetroitLegalBeagle]

15. You are putting too much stock into January 6th

The vast majority of voters don't care that much. Most can agree that it was a bad thing and people deserve to be punished over it, but beyond that they are far more concerned on inflation, the economy, covid, education, etc. Its not going to swing votes when they are primarily concerned with other issues.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

20. See my other posts

[NickB79]

26. I grew up and still live in rural Minnesota, between the Twin Cities and Rochester

And no one cares about the insurrection here. It's literally never discussed anymore.

The top issues are police policies (due to the Floydd riots last year), the price of gas, housing, and groceries, and anger over COVID restrictions (EVERYONE is tired of wearing masks).

And even in my Teamster's union factory job, which historically has been a solid backer of Democrats, half my coworkers voted Trump last year!

As another poster pointed out, once you get away from major urban areas, much of Minnesota looks like a colder version of Alabama. In the past 10 years we've sadly gotten more conservative, losing the district in the OP, as well as the Iron Range in the north to Trumpers as mining jobs have died out and COVID restrictions cut off trade with Canada.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

10. There wasn't even a DFL candidate ready to run. I'd be very surprised to see the party pick it up.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

13. Defeatist Attitude

It was Democrat just 2 cycles back?? The question is why the DFL does not have a candidate? If we are going to win, we need to fight all the races that are within a margin of error. The DFL needs to start fighting for these districts.

[Ocelot II]

16. I hope Feehan runs again. It's not hopeless if he focuses hard on Rochester,

which is affluent and mostly GOP, but the citizens are at least educated and not totally stupid, and there are the college towns, so if he gets out the vote in those areas he could squeak out a win.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

18. 100% Agree

Need to focus on local issues (which are also national issues) including how the Mayo was overrun due to Covid, how college woman may have their rights taken away, how Trumps hurt farmers, how the GOP is hurting education, etc. We need to start phone banks for this district and other districts that are "within striking distance"

[Hortensis]

11. Special election: Primary May 24, main August 9.

This article strongly suggests Republican strength, listing several possible Republican primary candidates and no Democrats, but farther down is this:

Gov. Tim Walz held the First District seat in Congress for six terms, fending off two challenges from Hagedorn in 2014 and 2016. When Walz decided to run for governor in 2018 it created an opening for Hagedorn, who beat Democrat Dan Feehan by less than 1%.

Hagedorn won by a bigger margin in a rematch with Feehan in 2020, but that year a cannabis candidate, Bill Rood of the Grassroots Party, shaved away almost six points.

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/politics/special-election-will-decide-hagedorns-successor/89-8041f435-ff06-477a-b4fc-31a9238aaed2

Maybe genuinely pro-cannabis Minnesotans will decide their interests lie with electing Democrats this time instead of Republicans.

[Budi]

14. Well that was shortsighted & self defeatingly dumb.

Jfc. & we wonder why we can't ....ya know.
Oh well.

[Hortensis]

17. Well, that performance suggests smoking Democratic candidates

may be a bigger enthusiasm than legalizing pot for Grassroots leaders. And for them the result a thrilling victory rather than defeat.

[Mary in S. Carolina]

19. This district recently flipped to Republican

Republicans are going after educators (how did that work for Matt Bevin, the former Kentucky Governor lost to a Democrat in KENTUCKY), Trump hurt the farmers, women in MN are very independent which does not bode well with college women when Republicans are taking away their rights, the Mayo Clinic is pis.ed due to the Covid response that backed up the hospitals in Rochester. This seat is ours for the taking.

[malaise]

22. What was the scandal with his wife? n/t

[WhiskeyGrinder]

25. She's good friends with the young GOP strategist accused of sex trafficking, Tony Lazzaro.

She's an all-around unpleasant person. Caught on tape talking about how her husband was going to die in a couple years anyway.

[malaise]

28. Dems need to remind all of the scandal in the run up to the elections

That is all