U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., has endorsed Minnesota Rep. Jeremy Munson in the race to replace the late Jim Hagedorn, Alpha News has learned.
Hagedorn passed away last month after a three-year battle with kidney cancer, creating a vacancy in Minnesota’s First Congressional District. Twenty candidates have filed to run in the special election, including Munson, a Republican state representative from Lake Crystal.
“We are currently engaged in a fight for liberty and America’s future. Washington insiders have abused the Constitution for far too long. We need proven conservative fighters like Jeremy Munson who have demonstrated they have what it takes to drain the Washington swamp and defend our Constitution,” Massie said in a press release obtained exclusively by Alpha News.
Massie said Munson’s record in the Minnesota House “proves he understands the principles of liberty and will fight for them.”
Munson was a founding member of Minnesota’s New House Republican Caucus, a faction of four GOP lawmakers who broke away from the main caucus because they were disappointed in the leadership of House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt. That caucus will likely dissolve by default after the midterms because all members are either retiring or running for higher office.
Munson will face off against nine other Republicans in a May 24 special primary, including Jennifer Carnahan, Hagedorn’s widow and the former chair of the Minnesota GOP. She resigned from that position in August after a party donor was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges.
Munson said he’s “proud to have Congressman Thomas Massie as an ally in our America First movement in Congress.” The Minnesota legislator also received the endorsement of U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan Monday morning.
“I will always fight for liberty,” Munson said. “Our God-given rights continue to be compromised and eroded by Washington elites who want nothing more than to replace our freedoms by imposing their elitist views on the American people.”
He praised Massie for standing against “medical mandates and tyranny” in Congress during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He continues to stand in strong opposition to the failed policies of those who believe a bigger, more oppressive government is the answer to our current challenges,” Munson added. “I look forward to joining his fight against those who would rather be part of the ‘go along to get along’ crowd instead of fighting for the freedoms of the hard-working Americans who elected them.”
A special election for the vacant seat will take place on the same day as the statewide primary, which is Aug. 9. A special primary for the seat will be held on May 24. Both the special primary and election will be held under the old congressional district boundaries, whereas the statewide primary on Aug. 9 will be held under the new boundaries.
Early voting in the special primary begins April 8, just 18 days from now.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
