MINNEAPOLIS — Republican Brad Finstad jumped to an early lead over Democrat Jeff Ettinger Tuesday in the special election race to fill the vacant congressional seat in southern Minnesota.
Finstad, a former U.S. Department of Agriculture official, and Ettinger, the former CEO of Hormel Foods, were vying to complete the term of the late GOP U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn, who died in February after suffering from kidney cancer.
If elected, Finstad will represent Minnesota's 1st District until January. And he and Ettinger will hold a rematch in November, with the full two-year congressional term on the line. The two were poised to win their respective parties' primary elections, which were also held Tuesday.
