Republican Representative for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, Brad Finstad, calls for recount

Fast Read

Republican U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad was thought to be safe, but his Democratic challenger, Jake Johnson, rode the “blue wave” on Tuesday to win what appears to be a very close victory. Finstad, however, is requesting a recount.

Republican Brad Finstad is calling for a recount after unofficial results show Democratic challenger Jake Johnson leading the race in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District by just a few hundred votes, making it one of the tightest races in the country.

Finstad’s campaign said in an emailed statement Thursday afternoon that it would allow the recount process and wait for the results.

“I am grateful to everyone who participated in the election,” the emailed statement said. “We will ensure that the entire process established under state and federal law is followed, so that every vote is counted accurately and transparently as we move toward a final determination of the results.”

Any candidate can request a recount, but Minnesota law provides for a taxpayer-funded recount when the margin is less than 0.25% of all votes cast. Results compiled by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office show Democrat Jake Johnson with 323 more votes than Finstad, a margin of less than 0.1 percent.

Although the results have not yet been certified, Johnson declared victory on Wednesday.

If Johnson does indeed win, he would flip another Republican seat, adding to the “blue tsunami” and the new Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Johnson is a former Rochester high school math teacher, and this is his first run for public office.

Finstad told reporters at a watch party at Sleepy Eye Tuesday night that he is committed to bipartisan collaboration if re-elected.

“I will work with everyone who strives to make our country better,” he said, “and especially, if we have the opportunity to make southern Minnesota a little better for the next generation.”

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon explained the next steps in the recount process on MPR’s Minnesota Now on Thursday, saying “it’s really done at the county level…and each county would do the counting (of ballots) in a central location within that county.”

“Everyone can watch, everyone can come in,” Simon continued. “You can record it, you can sit there and watch the proceedings, and there will be a hand count.”

“There would obviously be representatives from each of the campaigns and political parties, and ultimately … it would be the state polling board, which I chair, that would certify those results.”

Simon said these certified results can be challenged.

“Any party can go to court and challenge the certified results of a recount, and we’ve seen examples of that in Minnesota,” Simon added.

Larry Jacobs, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota, said the time-consuming process can take several days or even weeks, but it is important to maintain transparency and trust in the electoral process.

“It’s very public and every campaign allows you to see exactly what’s going on,” Jacobs said. “The hope is that the result is then considered legitimate, and the losing candidate doesn’t feel like they were tricked into winning.”

Although Johnson’s celebration of his victory may have been a little premature, Jacobs said it was likely his victory would be confirmed after a recount.

“If the lead was, say, a few dozen or a few votes, then yes, there is a chance the race could be reversed,” Jacobs said. “But generally in Minnesota, if the number is in the hundreds, the race holds. My guess is that Finstad’s efforts to overturn the results will not succeed.”