Jim Hagedorn Explained

Jim Hagedorn
State:Minnesota
Term Start:January 3, 2019
Term End:February 17, 2022
Predecessor:Tim Walz
Successor:Brad Finstad
Birth Name:James Lee Hagedorn
Birth Date:4 August 1962
Birth Place:Blue Earth, Minnesota, U.S.
Death Place:Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.
Party:Republican
Relatives:Tom Hagedorn (father)
Education:George Mason University (BA)

James Lee Hagedorn (; August 4, 1962 – February 17, 2022) was an American politician from Minnesota. A Republican, he was the U.S. representative for from 2019 until his death.[1] The district stretches across southern Minnesota along the border with Iowa and includes Rochester, Austin, and Mankato.

Early life and education

Hagedorn was born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, in 1962,[2] the son of former U.S. Representative Tom Hagedorn and Kathleen Hagedorn (née Mittlestadt).[3] He was raised on his family's farm near Truman, Minnesota, and in McLean, Virginia, near Washington, D.C., while his father served in Congress from 1975 to 1983.[4] [5] Hagedorn graduated from Langley High School.

He graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and political science in 1993.[6]

Early political career

Government career

Hagedorn served as a legislative aide to U.S. Representative Arlan Stangeland from 1984 to 1991.[7] He then worked in the United States Department of the Treasury as director for legislative and public affairs for the Financial Management Service from 1991 to 1998 and as congressional affairs officer for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing until 2009.[7] [8]

Mr. Conservative blog

From 2002 to 2008, Hagedorn authored a now-deleted blog, Mr. Conservative. According to Mother Jones, the blog made Native Americans a "favorite punching bag" and commented on female Supreme Court justices and Barack Obama's ancestry "in ways many voters won't appreciate."[9] Hagedorn said the blog was intended to be humorous and satirical.[10]

Hagedorn's blogging history led the conservative newspaper the Washington Examiner to run an editorial calling him "the worst midterm candidate in America" in 2018.[11] [12]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2010

Hagedorn lost the Republican nomination for Minnesota's 1st congressional district in the 2010 election.[7] [13] [14]

2014

Returning to Minnesota in 2013, he won the Republican nomination, but lost to Democratic incumbent Tim Walz.[15] [7]

2016

Hagedorn again won the Republican nomination, and again lost to Walz in a closer race.[7]

2018

Hagedorn received the Republican nomination, despite the NRA Political Victory Fund endorsing another candidate, state Senator Carla Nelson, who also received funds from Representative Elise Stefanik, Richard Uihlein and Paul Singer. Hagedorn described himself as the most conservative candidate, who was loyal to Donald Trump.[16]

After Hagedorn won the primary, then-head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Representative Steve Stivers, said of the viewpoints expressed on Hagedorn's blog, "that is news to me". The NRCC spokeswoman said the posts were inappropriate and not condoned by the group.[17]

In the general election, with Walz giving up the seat to run for governor of Minnesota, Hagedorn defeated Democratic nominee Daniel Feehan, a former Department of Defense official, in a very close race.

2020

Hagedorn was reelected in 2020, narrowly defeating Feehan again.[18]

Tenure

According to the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, Hagedorn held a Bipartisan Index Score of -0.0 in the 116th United States Congress for 2019, placing him 190th out of 435 members.[19] Based on FiveThirtyEight's congressional vote tracker at ABC News, Hagedorn voted with Donald Trump's stated public policy positions 94.4% of the time,[20] making him average in the 116th United States Congress according to predictive scoring (district partisanship and voting record).[21]

Depictions of Jesus

In 2020, in response to activist Shaun King saying that depictions of Jesus as white should be destroyed, Hagedorn wrote that the Democratic Party and Black Lives Matter movement "are at war with our country, our beliefs and western culture." In response to critiques that the term "Western culture" has been used to promote white nationalism, Hagedorn said, "The notion that statues and images of Jesus Christ somehow represent white supremacy and should be destroyed is ludicrous and represent a growing intolerant movement on the left to silence any voices that do not align with their radical secular views."[22] His comments led several corporate donors, including Intel and UnitedHealth Group, to ask him to return their donations.[23] [24]

Office funding

In 2020, LegiStorm released an analysis of Hagedorn's office spending, finding that the office had spent more than one fifth of its $1.4 million annual office budget on publicly funded constituent mail. Around 40% of his office's annual budget was spent in the first quarter of 2020, surpassing any other member of Congress during the same time period.[25] Some expenses for Hagedorn's mailings went to a firm partially owned by a part-time Hagedorn staffer.[26] Hagedorn initiated an internal review of his office's spending and reported the findings to the House Ethics Committee, which declined to pursue the matter.[27] As a result of the internal review, Hagedorn dismissed his chief of staff and said, "I acknowledge responsibility for the oversight of my office and will continue to make any necessary management improvements."[28]

In October 2020, Politico alleged that Hagedorn "appears to have enjoyed rent-free use of a campaign office supplied by a political donor."[29] Hagedorn denied the report, saying his campaign had leased a post office box and not office space in the building in question.[30]

Contesting election results

In December 2020, Hagedorn was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[31] Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.[32] [33] [34]

On January 7, 2021, Hagedorn objected to the certification of the 2020 presidential election results in Congress based on false claims of voter fraud.[35]

Financial disclosures

In December 2021, Business Insider reported that Hagedorn had violated the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act of 2012, a federal transparency and conflict-of-interest law, by failing to properly disclose a sale of stock in Exact Sciences Corp. that he made in 2020.[36]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Personal life

Hagedorn was married to Jennifer Carnahan, who chaired the Republican Party of Minnesota until 2021.[42] They lived in Blue Earth, Minnesota.[6]

Hagedorn was Lutheran.[43]

Health and death

Hagedorn was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer in 2019[44] and received immunotherapy. In December 2020, he underwent surgery to remove the diseased kidney.[45] In July 2021, Hagedorn announced that his cancer had returned.[46]

In January 2022, Hagedorn was admitted to the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, after testing positive for COVID-19; he had previously been vaccinated against the disease.[47] [48] Hagedorn died on February 17, 2022, at the age of 59.[49] He was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Blue Earth.[50]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Rao . Maya . November 7, 2018 . GOP's Jim Hagedorn wins Minnesota's First District seat on fourth try . . November 7, 2018.
  2. Web site: June 2, 2017 . Candidate Conversation - Jim Hagedorn (R) . subscription . April 21, 2020 . Inside Elections . en.
  3. Book: Holt, Marjorie . The Case Against the Reckless Congress . 1976 . Green Hill Publishers . 9780916054083 . November 7, 2018.
  4. Web site: Jim Hagedorn . November 7, 2018 . Greater Mankato Growth.
  5. News: Mewes . Trey . August 10, 2018 . GOP voters to decide between Hagedorn and Nelson . . November 7, 2018.
  6. Web site: Jim Hagedorn's Biography . May 20, 2020 . Vote Smart.
  7. Web site: Biography - Jim Hagedorn (1962) . May 20, 2020 . Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  8. Web site: Karnowski . Steve . October 12, 2018 . MN 1st District candidates Jim Hagedorn, Dan Feehan debate . November 7, 2018 . Twincities.com.
  9. Murphy . Tim . April 22, 2014 . House candidate called female senators "undeserving bimbos in tennis shoes" . . en-US . July 24, 2020.
  10. News: Lopez . Ricardo . August 23, 2014 . GOP U.S. House hopeful Jim Hagedorn defends old blog posts now under fire . . August 5, 2020.
  11. News: Wegmann . Philip . April 10, 2018 . Jim Hagedorn: The worst Republican candidate in America? . . July 24, 2020.
  12. News: Jones . Hannah . August 21, 2018 . U.S. House control could hinge on Minnesota's Jim Hagedorn, 'worst Republican candidate in America' . . July 24, 2020.
  13. News: Pathé . Simone . August 14, 2018 . Hagedorn Wins GOP Nomination for Toss-Up Minnesota Race . . August 23, 2019.
  14. News: Syed . Moiz . Willis . Derek . October 15, 2009 . Two GOP candidates with familiar names consider run against Walz . . July 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121102042802/https://postbulletin.typepad.com/political_party/2009/10/two-gop-candidates-with-familiar-names-consider-run-against-walz.html . November 2, 2012.
  15. News: Hunt . Chuck . November 15, 2013 . Back for another campaign . Faribault County Register . July 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180924120239/http://www.faribaultcountyregister.com/page/content.detail/id/509440/Back-for-another-campaign.html?nav=5002 . September 24, 2018 . live . The Blue Earth native and sometimes resident is back to try again to become the Republican candidate to run against U.S. Congressman Tim Walz a year from now in the November 2014 election..
  16. News: Pathé . Simone . August 10, 2018 . In Minnesota's 1st District, a Test Between New and Old GOP Candidates - Roll Call . . July 24, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200730174917/https://www.rollcall.com/2018/08/10/in-minnesotas-1st-district-a-test-between-new-and-old-gop-candidates/ . July 30, 2020 . live.
  17. News: Markay . Lachlan . Kucinich . Jackie . November 12, 2018 . GOP Chief Shocked to Discover His Candidate's Crazy Remarks . The Daily Beast . July 24, 2020.
  18. Web site: U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn wins re-election in Minnesota's First District. Briana. Bierschbach. Star Tribune. November 5, 2020. February 18, 2022.
  19. The Lugar Center - McCourt School Bipartisan Index House Scores 116th Congress First Session (2019) . May 13, 2020 . . May 20, 2020.
  20. Web site: January 30, 2017 . Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump - Jim Hagedorn . May 20, 2020 . . ABC News.
  21. Web site: January 30, 2017 . Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump . May 20, 2020 . . ABC News.
  22. News: Brice-Saddler . Michael . June 24, 2020 . GOP lawmakers launch new attacks on Black Lives Matter protesters . . July 24, 2020.
  23. News: Stolle . Matthew . July 26, 2020 . Hagedorn gets corporate blowback from BLM comments . . August 5, 2020.
  24. News: July 23, 2020 . Intel Calls For Minnesota Rep. Hagedorn To Return Campaign Donation Following Black Lives Matter . . August 5, 2020.
  25. Web site: Rep. Hagedorn spent 40 percent of his 2020 budget in just 3 months - Caught Our Eye . September 25, 2020 . www.legistorm.com.
  26. News: Schneider . Gabe . August 25, 2020 . The other mail scandal: Rep. Jim Hagedorn's office spending problems, explained . . June 1, 2021.
  27. News: September 9, 2020 . U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn says internal review resolved spending questions; DFL says not so fast . . June 1, 2021.
  28. News: Condon . Patrick . Bierschbach . Briana . August 26, 2020 . E-mails show U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn involved with constituent mail decisions . . September 23, 2020.
  29. News: Newhauser . Daniel . October 9, 2020 . The mystery of a GOP congressman's seemingly rent-free campaign office . . October 9, 2020 .
  30. News: Andrego . Lauren . October 12, 2020 . Hagedorn denies report his campaign used rent-free office . en . . June 1, 2021.
  31. News: Blood . Michael R. . Riccardi . Nicholas . December 5, 2020 . Biden officially secures enough electors to become president . . live . December 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201208201209/https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-donald-trump-elections-electoral-college-3e0b852c3cfadf853b08aecbfc3569fa . December 8, 2020.
  32. News: Liptak . Adam . Adam Liptak . December 11, 2020 . Supreme Court Rejects Texas Suit Seeking to Subvert Election . en-US . . live . December 12, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201211234955/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/11/us/politics/supreme-court-election-texas.html . December 11, 2020 . 0362-4331.
  33. Order in Pending Case . December 11, 2020 . . December 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201211234004/https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/121120zr_p860.pdf . December 11, 2020 . live.
  34. News: Diaz . Daniella . Brief from 126 Republicans supporting Texas lawsuit in Supreme Court . . live . December 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201212000435/https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/10/politics/read-house-republicans-texas-supreme-court/index.html . December 12, 2020.
  35. News: Yourish . Karen . Buchanan . Larry . Lu . Denise . January 7, 2021 . The 147 Republicans Who Voted to Overturn Election Results . en-US . . January 10, 2021 . 0362-4331.
  36. Web site: Rojas . Warren . 2021-12-14 . Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota violated the law by failing to properly disclose healthcare stock sale . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230306045747/https://www.businessinsider.com/jim-hagedorn-minnesota-congress-stock-act-trades-disclosure-2021-12 . 2023-03-06 . 2024-07-19 . . en-US.
  37. Web site: Hagedorn asks Perdue to ensure independent producers treated fairly. National Hog Farmer. May 19, 2020. February 19, 2022.
  38. Web site: Peterson, Conaway Announce House Agriculture Subcommittee Rosters for the 116th Congress. Hoard's Dairyman. February 8, 2019. February 19, 2022.
  39. Web site: The dawn of the age of Khan. Din. Benjamin. Politico. June 16, 2021. February 19, 2022.
  40. Web site: Committees of the 116th Congress - House Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Workforce. https://web.archive.org/web/20220219170234/https://www.c-span.org/congress/committee/?64563=&congress=116. www.c-span.org. C-SPAN. February 19, 2022. February 19, 2022.
  41. Web site: December 6, 2017 . Republican Study Committee Membership . March 28, 2021 . Republican Study Committee . en.
  42. News: GOP donor sentenced to 21 years for sex trafficking minors . . . August 9, 2023 . August 9, 2023 . August 9, 2023 . https://archive.today/20230809232315/https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/08/09/breaking-news/gop-donor-sentenced-to-21-years-for-sex-trafficking-minors/.
  43. Religious affiliation of members of 116th Congress . January 3, 2019 . . April 22, 2023.
  44. Web site: Marquette . Chris . February 20, 2019 . Rep. Jim Hagedorn announces he has kidney cancer . April 21, 2020 . Roll Call . en.
  45. News: Stolle . Matthew . December 28, 2020 . Doctors encouraged by Hagedorn's progress, congressman says . . December 29, 2020 . October 17, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211017074035/https://www.postbulletin.com/news/government-and-politics/6819134-Doctors-encouraged-with-Hagedorns-progress-congressman-says . dead .
  46. News: July 7, 2021 . Rep. Jim Hagedorn Announces Recurrence Of Kidney Cancer . en-US . . February 18, 2022.
  47. News: Watson . Kathryn . February 18, 2022 . Congressman Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota dies at 59 . en-US . . February 18, 2022.
  48. News: GOP Rep. Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota has died. CNN. Zanona. Melanie. February 18, 2022.
  49. News: February 18, 2022 . US Rep. Hagedorn dies at age 59 . . February 18, 2022.
  50. News: Congressman Jim Hagedorn to be laid to rest today. KEYC. March 4, 2022. March 17, 2022. McShane. Michael.

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