Brad Finstad (R) defeated Jeff Ettinger (D) in a special election to fill the seat representing Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House on Aug. 9, 2022. The special election filled the vacancy left by Jim Hagedorn (R), who died while in office on Feb. 17, 2022.
This was the 11th special election to take place during the 117th Congress. Five more are scheduled for future dates. This session, one special election has caused a seat to change party control. In Texas’ 34th Congressional District, Mayra Flores (R) won the seat previously held by Filemon Vela (D).
Since the 113th Congress, an average of 11 special elections have been held each session. The most elections held was 17 during the 115th Congress. Special elections during this time have resulted in a net change of four seats gained for Democrats and four seats lost for Republicans.
