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District 1 special primary narrows pool to two for August election

By
Lori Sorenson

Brad Finstad, New Ulm, will be the Republican candidate facing DFL candidate Jeff Ettinger, Austin, in the special election to replace the late U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn.
Finstad, a former USDA official for the Trump administration, and Ettinger a former Hormel CEO, emerged from the crowded Republican and Democratic primary races Tuesday, May 24.
Voters in southern Minnesota chose from eight DFL candidates and 10 GOP candidates to determine who would advance to an Aug. 9 special election for the seat.
Ettinger garnered more than 64 percent of the DLF vote while Finstad won by only 388 votes over state Rep. Jeremy Munson on the GOP side.
The winner of the Ettinger-Finstad race will serve the remainder of Hagedorn’s term, which ends in January.
On the same day as the Aug. 9 special election, a primary will decide party nominees for the normal November general election.
The winner of the fall contest, which will be held under the new court-drawn lines brought about by redistricting, will be elected to a full two-year term to the seat.
Information about the candidates and the process can be found at the Secretary of State’s website, sos.state.mn.us.

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