Democrat Feehan won’t seek 1st District U.S. House seat

A man speaking.
Then-U.S. House candidate Dan Feehan spoke to students and the media on Election Day 2020 on the campus of Minnesota State University Mankato. On Tuesday, he announced he will not seek the 1st District seat following the death of GOP U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn.
Jackson Forderer for MPR News

Democrat Dan Feehan said Tuesday he will not run a third time for Congress in southern Minnesota's 1st District, even though the seat is open following the death of Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn.  

In a statement posted to Facebook, Feehan said he received "overwhelming"  encouragement to run for the open seat. He said he made the decision not to run after weighing it with his wife and young children, concluding he needs to spend more time with them. 

"In 2022, I owe a wise eleven year old, an imaginative eight year old, a joyful two year old, and an amazing partner my time and my presence," he said.

Feehan, an Army veteran and former teacher, was narrowly defeated by Hagedorn in the past two congressional elections. 

Several Republicans and Democrats are expected to run in the Aug. 9 special election to fill out the remainder of Hagedorn's term. Democrats hope to retake the seat even though Donald Trump handily defeated Joe Biden there in 2020.

Hagedorn died last month after a battle with cancer. A private funeral service is planned for Saturday.

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