| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: Politix |
| Hagedorn defeats Miller in primary |
| 2014-08-14 |
| [MANKATOFREEPRESS] MANKATOd, MN — After a hard-fought primary battle, Jim Hagedorn of Blue Earth pulled off a upset victory Tuesday night over endorsed Republican candidate Aaron Miller of Byron to become the challenger to face 1st District Congressman Tim Walz of Mankato in the November election. Despite losing the Republican endorsement to Miller in April, the race was called at about 10 p.m. for Hagedorn. With 76 percent reporting, Hagedorn earned 57 percent of the votes, or 9,429 votes, compared to Miller's 43 percent, or 7,171 votes. "I'm very honored and humbled by this opportunity. I look forward to working with all Republicans to take back this (district) and take back our country," Hagedorn said. Hagedorn's victory is a big surprise for many longtime Republican party activists and a strong rebuke of the Republican endorsement system, especially give the many hurdles Hagedorn faced during his return. He lost the endorsement race, conceded and called for Republicans to support Miller, but re-entered the race in May. He accused Miller of failing to campaign hard enough to effectively challenge Walz, a Mankato Democrat. Miller called the claim a "fabrication." Hagedorn said his victory was due to the sheer amount of travel time he spent meeting Republican voters all over the district. He said the heavy focus on shaking hands and talking in person was critical to his run. He said he also heavily focused on rural areas, especially in the western side of the district, that are often overlooked by campaigns. |
| Posted by:Fred |