Saw this coming

In perhaps the worst kept secret in Minnesota politics.....

The former chair of Minnesota's Republican Party is running for Congress just months after fellow GOP leaders helped force her from power.

Jennifer Carnahan (so it's back to "Carnahan?" What happened to "Caranhan-Hagedorn?" - ed.) announced Monday she is running in the First District Congressional race in hopes of winning the southern Minnesota seat her late husband Jim Hagedorn held.

Carnahan enters a crowded field of more than a dozen candidates for the First District seat, including a host of Republicans, Democrats and a third party candidate running under the Legal Marijuana Now banner.

In a press release, Carnahan referenced both Hagedorn and former President Donald Trump.

"I am committed to continuing my husband's legacy of fighting to secure the border, defending conservative values, safeguarding the integrity of our elections, and serving the people of Minnesota's First Congressional District," said Carnahan.

"Like President Trump, I am a businesswoman and fighter. Here in Minnesota, I disrupted the status quo and brought the Republican Party back to relevance. Now, I ask for the support of southern Minnesota to do the same in Washington."

Uh....brought the Republican Party back to relevance??? Last I checked, the GOP has not won a statewide race in Minnesota since 2006. Heck the only electoral success the MNGOP had in her 4-1/2 year tenure was shrinking the DFL majority in the MN House in 2020. The only other thing she could be referring to is the fundraising prowess she had as Chair, but that was only due to the generosity of some sugar daddy who was filming p*rn in his Minneapolis condo (and, as we later learned, sex trafficking minor females). 

The MN Democrat Party chair had a boilerplate response. 

In a statement, Minnesota DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said that Carnahan resigned her role as state part chair "in disgrace" and highlighted the controversies she faced last August.

"Jennifer Carnahan's leadership ability has been entirely discredited by those who worked most closely with her," Martin said. "It is clear that Carnahan has no business serving in any elected office whatsoever."

Huh. He didn't use the word "extreme" here. Deviating from the template a bit, eh Kenny? 

Actually, I agree with everything Martin conveyed in his statement. That said, you know as well as I that he and his fellow progs are hoping Carnahan is the GOP candidate for the August special election. The reason being is it would be the Dems' only opportunity to flip that seat, albeit for five months. As such, Congressman Hagedorn's allies in the U.S. House want nothing to do with Jenny. 

One House Republican involved in the National Republican Congressional Committee, addressing Carnahan’s problems on condition of anonymity, said, “I guarantee Jim’s friends are going to end up endorsing someone else.” This GOP lawmaker added that colleagues are waiting to see if Carnahan tries to run on Hagedorn’s name or campaigns with her own on the ballot. “Just Carnahan? Is it Jennifer Carnahan-Hagedorn? Or is it just completely Jennifer Hagedorn?”

Whether or not she gets in the race, Carnahan would face a fight to claim Hagedorn’s seat. Already, six other Republicans have filed to run, and while former President Donald Trump won the district by more than 10 points in 2020, it is a battleground that a Democrat — specifically now-Gov. Tim Walz — held as recently as 2018.

One final thought: Trump has weighed in on several GOP Congressional candidacies ahead of state primaries. Don't think for one second that Jenny's shout out to the former POTUS was not a calculated move. 

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