Brad Finstad Bio
Bradley Howard Finstad, known professionally as Brad Finstad, is an American politician and farmer serving since 2022 as the U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 1st congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, he represents a section of southern Minnesota along the Iowa border. Finstad won a 2022 special election to finish the late Jim Hagedorn’s term and was subsequently reelected.
Before his time in Congress, Finstad served three terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives, worked as an agricultural policy advisor in Washington, and led a rural policy nonprofit. He also operated his family’s farm in southern Minnesota, tying his public service closely to the agricultural priorities of his district.
Early Life and Background
Bradley Howard Finstad was born on May 30, 1976, in New Ulm, Minnesota. He is a fourth-generation resident of the area and grew up on his family’s farm in Brown County, Minnesota, which his family has operated for several generations. This rural upbringing shaped his lifelong focus on agricultural policy and rural development.
Finstad attended local schools in southern Minnesota before pursuing higher education at the University of Minnesota. There he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural education, a course of study that combined his classroom interests with the practical demands of farm life. His college training helped him move naturally into agricultural advocacy work after graduation.
Path to US Politics
After graduating from college, Finstad joined the human resources department of Christensen Family Farms in Brown County, Minnesota. He then worked briefly as an area director for the Minnesota Farm Bureau before joining the staff of U.S. Representative Mark Kennedy as an agricultural policy advisor in Washington.
In 2002, Finstad was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives and took office in 2003. During his final term in the state legislature, he served as assistant minority leader and also sat on the Rural Health Advisory Committee under Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. He left the state House in 2009 after three terms, having built a reputation as a reliable voice for rural communities.
Brad Finstad Career
Early Career (2003–2009)
Finstad’s first notable political role came in 2003 when he began serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives. Representing a southern Minnesota district, he focused on rural health care, agricultural programs, and small-town economic development during three terms in office.
He rose to assistant minority leader during his final term and contributed to the Rural Health Advisory Committee under Governor Tim Pawlenty. These formative years gave Finstad a working knowledge of state policymaking that he later carried into federal service.
Breakthrough (2009–2022)
After leaving the Minnesota House in 2009, Finstad served as CEO of the Center for Rural Policy and Development, a nonprofit policy research organization based in St. Peter, Minnesota, from 2008 to 2017. He also worked for an agricultural research and consulting company during this period, expanding his influence in rural policy circles.
In November 2017, President Donald Trump appointed Finstad as Minnesota state director of USDA Rural Development. He held that post until shortly after Trump left office in 2021. He then joined the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association as interim executive director, leaving that position in 2022 to run for Congress.
After Congressman Jim Hagedorn died in office, Finstad announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2022 special election. On May 24, he won the special Republican primary with 38.1% of the vote, defeating state representative Jeremy Munson and seven other candidates. He then won the August 2022 special election by about four points against Democratic-Farmer-Labor nominee Jeff Ettinger, a former Hormel CEO. Finstad was sworn in by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on August 12, 2022, and voted against the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 that same day.
Republican Era (2022–Present)
Finstad quickly moved from a narrow special election win to a more comfortable hold on his seat. In the November 8, 2022 general election, he again defeated Jeff Ettinger, this time with 53.9% of the vote to Ettinger’s 42.3%, following a second Republican primary win over Munson.
He was elected to a third term on November 5, 2024, defeating Rachel Bohman with 58.5% of the vote to Bohman’s 41.4%. On Capitol Hill, Finstad has been among 71 House Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023, voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and joined 100 other Republicans in voting for an amendment to prohibit funding for the Office of Vice President Kamala Harris. He also serves on committee assignments for the 119th Congress.
Notable Events and Milestones
Finstad’s signature political moment came with his August 2022 special election victory to complete the term of the late Jim Hagedorn, a win that came in one of the most competitive congressional races in Minnesota that year. Defeating Jeff Ettinger twice in 2022 and then winning a decisive third term in 2024 cemented his standing as the voice of southern Minnesota’s 1st district.
Brad Finstad Career Wins
Brad Finstad’s political career features four decisive victories at the ballot box, beginning with his 2002 election to the Minnesota House of Representatives and continuing through his federal wins in 2022 and 2024. His ability to win both narrow special elections and broader general elections has defined his career arc.
Congressional Election Highlights
Finstad’s first congressional win came in the August 2022 special election, when he defeated Democrat Jeff Ettinger by about four points. He then won the November 2022 general election against Ettinger with 53.9% of the vote, before securing his third term in November 2024 against Rachel Bohman with 58.5% of the vote. His two general-election wins over Ettinger and Bohman show a steadily expanding margin in Minnesota’s 1st district.
Other Wins & Achievements
Before his federal victories, Finstad won three consecutive terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives starting in 2002, rising to assistant minority leader in his final term. He also earned a presidential appointment as Minnesota state director of USDA Rural Development in 2017, a recognition of his standing in national agricultural policy circles.
Brad Finstad Family
Family Background and Farming Lineage
Brad Finstad is a fourth-generation resident of the New Ulm area in southern Minnesota and grew up on his family’s farm in Brown County. The farm, which his family has operated for several generations, remains central to his identity, and he continues to operate it alongside his political career. This deep agricultural lineage informs much of his policy work on rural development and farm support.
Personal Life
Finstad is married to his wife, Jaclyn, and the couple resides in southern Minnesota. He is Catholic, a faith tradition common in his native region. Beyond politics and farming, Finstad has spent much of his career connected to rural communities through nonprofit leadership and agricultural advisory roles.