MN-1 Rochester, Mankato
Minnesota
Not calledR -2.0closes 9:00 pm ET
Lean R
Who's running
Brad FinstadRIncumbent
Brad Finstad has been in Congress since winning a 2022 special election. He is a farmer who served in the Minnesota House and ran USDA Rural Development in Minnesota under Trump. He has seven children.
What they say they'll do
- Sits on the Agriculture Committee
- Endorsed by Trump; Speaker Johnson raised money for him
- Ties Johnson to Gov. Walz and fraud claims
Jake JohnsonD
Jake Johnson has taught high school math in Rochester for about 20 years and led the local teachers union. He is one of 11 kids from Stewartville. This is his first run for office.
What they say they'll do
- Held a town hall in all 21 counties
- Backed by former GOP Gov. Arne Carlson
- Runs on tariffs, Medicaid cuts and data centers
The tea ☕
- Finstad's ad showed Johnson next to Gov. Walz, but the photo was edited. A small business owner named Beth Benike said she was erased from the picture and replaced with Walz. Critics said it may break Minnesota's deepfake law. Finstad's camp said the ad is legal.
- Johnson's ad said Finstad took $20,000 from a Chinese company buying up farmland. A Fox 9 fact check called the claim questionable, since Finstad voted for more scrutiny of foreign farm buyers.
Sources
- https://ballotpedia.org/Minnesota%27s_1st_Congressional_District_election,_2026
- https://mprnews.org/story/2026/10/29/finstad-johnson-race-in-southern-minnesota-could-help-flip-the-house
- https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-1st-congressional-district-race-finstad-johnson-ads-draw-criticism.amp
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brad_Finstad