ROCHESTER, Minn. – A veteran Rochester math teacher, Jake Johnson, declared his candidacy to replace Brad Finstad as Minnesota’s representative in Congress. Johnson was the first Democrat to announce. Finstad is a steadfast Trump Republican, whose record is notable only for unwavering Trump support. In announcing, Johnson said his candidacy is a response to unconstitutional Trump budget cuts and attacks on institutions at the core American culture and values. Johnson called it his duty “to step up as a normal concerned citizen.” Johnson has taught three years at Mayo High School. Earlier he taught across town at John Marshall High School for 16 years. He has also been active with the teachers’ union. He currently is the union’s governmental relations representative. Johnson acknowledged he’s early for the November 2026 election but noted that Finstad already has announced for a third term. In recent weeks Johnson has been crisscrossing the 13,000-square mile MN-1 district and talking eyeball-to-eyeball with constituents. About the Trump presidency and a complicit Congress, including Finstad, Johnson said that economic hardships for farmers and other working people need not be. He points out that he grew up poor in Stewartville. In a Rochester Post Bulletin interview he said his family relied on governmental safety nets: The institutions that Trump either has attacked or threatened has been “really personal to me,” he said.
Johnson. Sees Trump and acolyte Finstad as out of touch with the people.
Verbatim
Johnson: “There’s a lot of folks that I’ve talked to that say ‘my representative doesn’t listen to me, my representative won’t take my calls, my representative just answers my well-thought-out letters with a form email, They’re sick of it. People need a spirit of service that we’re not getting.”
MN-1 spans southern Minneita from South Dakota to Wisconsin. Primarily rural and agricultural but changing rapidly due to Rochester’s population growth Other population centers: Austin, Albert Lea, Lake City, Mankato, Owatonna, Red Wing, Wabasha, Winona, Worthington.
Earlier: Finstad still avoiding risk with MN-1 crowds