ST. PAUL, Minn. – Political newcomer Jeff Ettinger, a retired executive officer of meat-packing giant Hormel, easily won an open primary to become the Democratic candidate for the southern Minnesota seat in Congress. Chosen as the Republican candidate was Brad Finstad, a former Trump administration appointee as state agent for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The night was a nail-biter between Finstad and maverick State Representative Jeremy Munson. They were separated by only 489 votes. Two third-party candidates, both marijuana legalization activists but representing separate parties, also will be on a ballot in August to decide who goes to Washington to fill out the the remaining months of the term of Jim Hagedorn, who died in February. With 100% of the ballots counted, these were the final numbers, rounded to the nearest one-10th of a percent:
Democrats
Jeff Ettinger, 12, 261 (64.3%)
Sarah Brakebill-Hacke, 2,524 (13.2%)
Richard Painter, 1.740 (9.1%)
Candice Deal-Bartell, 1,177 (6.2%)
James Rainwater. 460 (2.4%)
Rick DeVoe, 392 (2.0%)
Warren Lee Anderson, 385 (2.0%)
Richard Kalberer, 144 (0.7%)
Republicans
Brad Finstad, 13,835 (38.0%)
Jeremy Munson, 13, 446 (36.9%)
Jennifer Carnahan, 2,918 (8.0%)
Matt Benda, 2,647 (7.3%)
Nels Pierson, 1,925 (5.3%)
Kevin Kocina, 986 (2.7%)
Bob Carney Jr., 216 (0.6%)
Roger Ungemach, 163 (0.5%)
J.R. Ewing, 157 (0.4%)
Ken Navitsky, 129 (0.4%)
Legal Marijuana Now
Richard Reisdorf, 369 (100%)
Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis
Haroun McClellan, 202 (100%)
Ettinger. Affable man about town in Austin. Currently runs the charity Hormel Foundation. Age 63.
Finstad. Former three-term state representative from New Ulm. Active in the Minnesota Farm Bureau. Age 45.