MINNEAPOLIS — Republican Brad Finstad defeated Democrat Jeff Ettinger in the special election race Tuesday 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.
Finstad will represent Minnesota's First District until January. He and Ettinger will have a rematch in November, with the full two-year congressional term on the line. The two easily won their respective parties' primary elections Tuesday, earning spots on the November ballot.
