MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn. — A University of Minnesota law and ethics professor, Richard Painter, has declared his candidacy to replace the late Jim Hagedorn as southern Minnesota’s voice in Congress. As soon as he files appropriate paperwork with the secretary of state, Painter’s name will be added to the Democratic primary ballot for May 24. Also expected on the Democratic ballot: Red Wing book dealer Richard DeVoe. Expected on the Republican side: State Representative Jeremy Munson of Lake Crystal and Minneapolis school bus driver Bob Carney.
Affiliation switch
Painter is no newcomer to political campaigns. In 2018 he challenged incumbent U.S. Senator Tina Smith in the Democratic primary. He lost 76% to 13%. Ironically Painter had been a Republican until 2018. He had been an ethics lawyer for President George W. Bush, a Republican, from 2005 to 2007.
Painter became a player in national dialogue as a cable television news commentator on ethically dubious behavior by President Trump. At the time he was affiliated with the Campaign Legal Center. He was involved with a lawsuit against Trump on profiting financially from business dealings while president. Painter wrote a 2020 his book coauthored with Peter Golonbock: “American Nero: The History of the Destruction of the Rule of Law, and Why Trump Is the Worst Offender.” His television interviews were mostly from Minneapolis.
Political positions
Painter describes himself as a centrist. Even when a Republican, he criticized the party’s move to the right. He has bene outspoken against political action committees as “dark money” organizations. In his 2018 Senate campaign he refused contributions from PACs. He supports major investments in transportation and other infrastructure projects. He opposed government subsidies to construct sports stadiums. In the Trump era he spoke against tariffs, especially tariffs on steel and aluminum. On gun issues he has called the National Rifle Association as a “protection racket.” He favors licensing guns, which he likens as benign as licensing automobiles.
Painter. As an MSNBC commentator from a set in Minneapolis..
Media presence
Holds a degree in history summa cum laude from Harvard and a a law degree from Yale. In college he was an active Democrat. He made his first appearance on national television the CNN program “Firing Line” in 1980. He criticized President Reagan for “reckless deficit spending and cuts to social programs.” In 1984 he chaired Harvard Students for Walter Mondale.
Personal detail
In 2015 Painter was diagnosed with shingles an Ramsay Hunt Syndrome. The right side of his face is partially paralyzed. His age: 60. Painter’s wife, Karen Painter is a professor of music history at the University of Minnesota.
Residency
Painter doesn’t live un the MN-1 Congressional district but says h plans to move 45 miles south on Interstate 35 from his suburban Minneapolis suburban home in Mendota Heights home to Faribault, which is in MN-1. Residency is not a legal requirement for the U.S. House but politically is a good idea.