GOP Rep. Brad Finstad's absence at Trump speech questioned by conservative activists

When former President Donald Trump came to Minnesota last month, Republicans Reps. Tom Emmer, Peter Stauber and Michelle Fischbach all stumped for him from the stage.

Trump's visit kicked off the Minnesota Republican Party's push to flip the state for him. But missing from the stage — and any mention by the former president — was the delegation's fourth House Republican, Rep. Brad Finstad.

"You're probably the double-digit person who has called me with that same question," said Phillip Parrish, a Republican activist in the southern Minnesota First District, when asked about Finstad's absence.

Parrish said the congressman told him he could not make it to the Trump dinner because he was at a subcommittee meeting, but Finstad's campaign declined to say why he did not attend.

When Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts, Emmer, Stauber and Fischbach quickly released detailed statements on social media sharply condemning the verdict. But Finstad did not react until several hours after Parrish called him out on X, threatening a primary challenge if Finstad did not immediately condemn the Trump verdict.

"Justice was not done today!" Finstad said in a response that Parrish called "a politically safe tweet." But it was enough to stop the Republican activist from running against Finstad.

Finstad's campaign said the Minnesota congressman fully supports Trump. The former president endorsed Finstad in April and he and the three other Minnesota Republican members of Congress endorsed him in early January.

"The congressman served in the Trump administration, the congressman was an early endorser of President Trump. The congressman has been endorsed by President Trump, the congressman has never shied away from supporting President Trump," campaign spokesman David FitzSimmons said in an interview.

His campaign would not comment on Parrish's post and said the congressman reacted to the Trump verdict on his own and was not influenced to do so.

Finstad's absence from the Trump speech could be part of a larger political strategy for an incumbent who does not have to worry about a primary, said Larry Jacobs, the director of the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the University of Minnesota.

"Finstad probably is a bit more moderate than the party [and] is trying to avoid being sucked into the Donald Trump wing of the party," said Jacobs, "But when he resists that, he faces a backlash from the Trump wing."

Finstad represents a district held by Democrat Tim Walz for six terms before he became governor in 2019 — but has since swung to Republicans.

The late Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn narrowly won the seat in 2018, when he beat Democrat Dan Feehan by just over 1,300 votes and by over three points in a 2020 rematch.

The special election after Hagedorn's death in 2022 drew a crowded field of Republicans. Many of them, including Finstad, jockeyed for Trump's support, who did not endorse in that race.

"During the special election, basically every single mailer and literature piece that went out ... Finstad was trying to connect himself to Trump," said Sara Bertschinger, a First District delegate to the state GOP convention. That's why Bertschinger and other Republicans in the district she spoke with were surprised Finstad was not at the Trump dinner.

"Numerous people have mentioned, wondering what's going on with Finstad, in this case, with Trump," Bertschinger said. "It's getting noticed."

When Finstad won the crowded primary for Hagedorn's seat, his closest rival was former GOP state Rep. Jeremy Munson, who was backed by members of the far right House Freedom Caucus. and lost to Finstad by less than a point. Finstad went on to beat Democrat Jeff Ettinger by more than 11 points in their rematch race for a full term in 2022, the widest margin of victory for a candidate in the district since 2012.

This year, Finstad has two-lesser known Republican candidates running against him and is likely to cruise to victory in the primary. He would then face lawyer and former Hennepin County elections chief Rachel Bohman in November.

Finstad's conservative voting record has impressed some First District Republicans like Bertschinger. He's voted against the U.S. sending $60 billion in aid to Ukraine, funding that Trump has opposed. He has voted with the Biden administration just 16.7% of the time, according to data from polling and data news site FiveThirtyEight. He also often praises Trump in fundraising emails, including after the former president's visit in May.

"All these reasons are pointing to Finstad trying to find the right balance between holding the Republican Party based on a conservative voting record and bowing and scraping in front of Donald Trump, which might alienate some of his supporters, might give cause to a Democratic opponent that want to paint him in the next election as a clone of Donald Trump," Jacobs said.

Though the First District voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, Rochester, the largest city in Finstad's district and the third biggest city in the state, voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Mankato and Austin have also leaned Democratic.

Republicans who know Finstad say the congressman is a work horse and a mainstream Republican who fits the district today.

"For the people who want show horses like Matt Gaetz, who's parading around on Fox News everyday, Brad Finstad's not going be your guy," said Marty Seifert, former Minnesota House Republican minority leader. "If you want a work horse, who's a mainstream conservative, who's going to do a good job for the district, then you've found the right guy, and frankly, the First District doesn't want a clown show. We're a big tent party, but they don't want it to be a circus tent."

Newsroom developer Tom Nehil contributed to this report.