Top analyst: Special election win in 1st Congressional District likely gives Finstad advantage in November

Republican Brad Finstad defeated Democrat Jeff Ettinger in a special election in Minnesota’s First Congressional District and will serve out the remaining months in the term of the late Congressman Jim Hagedorn.  Hamline University political analyst David Schultz says Finstad probably has an advantage going into the November election against Ettinger:

“It was a district of course that was already leaning Republican.  The redistricting, of which the November election will now kick in for, is even a little bit more Republican that the one for the special election.”

Schultz says it’s questionable whether Finstad will gain much of an “incumbency” advantage from serving out the remainder of Hagedorn’s term — which is only a few months — but says Finstad will now certainly have additional resources available to him for the campaign.