Welcome to WCCO.com’s 2018 political guide!

We reached out to all Minnesota candidates running for U.S Senate, Governor, U.S Congress, Attorney General, Secretary of State and State Auditor this fall. Candidates were asked to provide a two-minute video discussing their platform as well as answer a set of our viewer’s questions.

Above is the video and below are the answers Jim Hagedorn provided. This is not a paid advertisement nor does WCCO endorse any candidate.

Responses from Jim Hagedorn, Republican candidate for the 1st District:

Should voting rights be restored to convicted felons?

Restoring voting rights for felons is decided by state governments.

Do you support legalization of the recreational use of marijuana?

No.

Do you believe that there should be a cap on how much money a candidate can spend on campaigning? If so, how much?

Numerous court cases have upheld the First Amendment right of individuals to spend as much of their own money as they would like to attempt to win election. Immediate disclosure and possible limitations on contributions from out of state are possible reforms worth discussing.

Should people convicted of non-violent drug offenses be released from prison and their records expunged?

No, not at this time.

Do you support changing the law to release non-violent drug offenders currently serving federal prison terms?



No, not at this time.

Should Congress appropriate $25 billion to build a security wall along the U.S.-Mexico border?

I support many solutions to secure America’s borders and reinstate the rule of law.

I will partner with President Trump and vote in Congress to: build the wall; implement a biometric Visa and Passport system; replace chain migration with merit-based immigration; strip sanctuary cities of federal funding; enable the immediate deportation of foreigners who overstay Visas or enter the United States unlawfully; end birthright citizenship; and, establish a verifiable work program to help fill agriculture and other jobs in the U.S. and give workers who follow the law the option of building up credits towards citizenship.



Should children brought to the United States with their parents illegally be given a path to U.S. citizenship, or should they be deported to their native countries?

My goal is to work to secure America’s borders and implement a merit-based system of legal immigration. I oppose amnesty for illegal aliens and support enforcement of U.S. immigration law.

Do you think North Korea will “denuclearize,” as President Trump says it will?



I appreciate the effort made by President Trump to directly address the challenges posed by a hostile and “nuclear” North Korea – challenges that several other presidents “pushed under the rug.” It is my sincere hope that the President’s overture will lead to peace, with North and South Korea thriving on a denuclearized peninsula.

Do you believe in climate change, and should the U.S. rejoin the Paris climate accords?

The earth has been heating and cooling since God’s creation. I support an energy policy of U.S. energy independence achieved by an all of the above approach.

America has vast natural resources, including oil, natural gas and coal, and we should use those and all energy sources to deliver abundant, reliable and affordable energy. I also support the construction of the energy infrastructure – pipelines, refineries and distribution points – to efficiently utilize our energy resources and place downward pressure on the cost of energy.

I oppose the U.S. rejoining the Paris climate change accord and believe the global warming regulations, taxes, cap and trade schemes and green energy mandates of Obama and the liberal Democrats are highly destructive. The extremist anti-energy policies of the left will place U.S. businesses and farmers at a global competitive disadvantage, eliminate high-wage blue collar jobs, and needlessly drive up the cost of living and inflate the price of virtually every product and service in America.

Canada is retaliating for the U.S. tariffs by imposing tariffs of its own on Minnesota products. Among the Minnesota products: grain, aluminum, boats and boat accessories, packaged dairy products, ATVs, and much more. China imposed retaliatory tariffs on Minnesota soybeans and pork products. Do you believe it will hurt Minnesota producers?

In my view, tariffs only benefit the governments that impose them and the industries being protected, and only on a temporary basis.

I support open markets, expanded global trade and the export of American goods, especially our fine agricultural products. One of my priorities is to serve on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and work to sustain agriculture and our southern Minnesota way of life.

President Trump campaigned on resetting trade rules with many foreign nations, including China, Mexico and Canada. The President and his team are currently negotiating, and the threatened imposition of tariffs is part of that negotiation.

I will continue to encourage the President to work in good faith and expeditiously to establish trade agreements that will benefit all Americans – businesses, farmers, blue collar workers and consumers, alike.

It will always be my goal while serving in Congress to defend the interests and values of First District residents.