Finstad sworn into Congress

The State of Minnesota officially has a new congressman.

Shortly before 8:30 a.m. Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swore in Republican Brad Finstad, the winner of this week’s special election for Minnesota’s First Congressional District.

Finstad was elected to finish out the term of the late Rep. Jim Hagedorn after defeating DFL challenger Jeff Ettinger and receiving 51% of the vote.

Hagedorn, a Republican, died of cancer in February.

Finstad spoke briefly after being sworn in, and also took a moment to remember Hagedorn.

“He was a true fighter for Minnesota, and he was a great example of hard work and what we strive to be in Minnesota,” Finstad said.

He went on to say he will come to work every day in Congress with the intention to do everything he can to fix things, adding he will take his “farmer mentality, figuring out what’s broke and how we’re gonna fix it and move on.”

Tuesday, voters simultaneously cast ballots for the regularly scheduled primary election and chose a November rematch between Finstad and Ettinger to decide who will represent the newly redrawn First Congressional District for a full term.

You can watch the full swearing-in ceremony in the video player below. Finstad also issued a statement regarding the ceremony, which can be found in full below.

“It is an extraordinary honor to have been chosen by my fellow Minnesotans to serve in this Congress. Minnesota’s First Congressional District has been home to several generations of my family, and I believe it’s the greatest place on Earth. Having the opportunity to bring our values to Washington, D.C. is an important job, and I am committed to working hard for the people of our district every day.

Let us take time to remember my predecessor, the late Congressman Hagedorn. He was a man of honor and worked hard for the people of the first district.

I’d like to thank my wonderful wife Jackie, our seven children, and all of my family, for their steadfast love and support. I could not do this without them.

People in my district sent a farmer to Congress. As a farmer, we wake up in the morning and don’t wonder if something will be broken during the day; we know something will be, so instead, we wonder how we will fix it. I will come to work every day in Congress with the intention to do everything I can to fix things. We inherited the best country on earth from the last generation. We have an obligation to make sure the greatest country on earth is what we are passing to the next generation.”

Congressman Brad Finstad (R-Minn.)