The widow of the late Republican Jim Hagedorn is running in the upcoming Minnesota special election to take his seat in the state’s 1st congressional district, she announced Monday.
Former Minnesota Republican Party Chair Jennifer Carnahan said the late congresswoman urged her to “carry on his legacy” to “win this seat” before dying. Hagedorn passed away on February 17 after a years-long battle with cancer and a positive diagnosis of COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.
However, Carnahan’s ties to an alleged sex trafficker and allegations that she ran a toxic workplace and ignored sexual harassment within the party threaten to hurt the GOP’s chances of keeping the seat red.
“I am proud to announce my candidacy for Minnesota’s First Congressional District. While my heart is still heavy after Jim’s passing, the support I have received from all over southern Minnesota has inspired me to carry on his legacy by running until the end of his term,” she said.
She stepped down from the leadership of the Minnesota Republican Party last August after growing calls to do so due to her close ties to GOP donor Anton Lazzaro.
Lazzaro and Carnahan have known each other since 2016 and even hosted a podcast together.
Jennifer Carnahan (speaking to Trump supporters after Fox News named Minnesota in support of Joe Biden in the 2020 election) led the Gopher State Republican Party from 2017 until her controversial resignation in August 2021.
Carnahan distanced herself from Lazzaro when he faced 10 federal child sex trafficking charges, saying they only had a “political friendship” despite being seen socially together.
“I found out when you guys found out. And, like everyone else, I was very shocked. To be honest, I was disgusted,” she told local reporters at the time.
In her campaign statement on Monday, Carnahan mentioned both her late husband and former President Donald Trump.
“In the last weeks before his passing, Jim told me to keep moving forward, keep reaching my dreams and win this place. Jim has been my best friend and the love of my life and this blessing from him strengthens me for the challenges ahead,” she said in a statement.
“I am determined to continue my husband’s work of fighting for border security, defending conservative values, defending the integrity of our elections, and serving the people of Minnesota’s First Congressional District.”
In her campaign statement on Monday morning, Carnahan mentioned both her late husband and former President Donald Trump.
Carnahan compared herself to the former president and touted her scandal-ridden leadership of the Minnesota Republican Party.
“Like President Trump, I am a businesswoman and a fighter. Here in Minnesota, I broke the status quo and brought back the relevance of the Republican Party,” she said.
Widows inheriting their deceased husbands’ places is a common political practice that has happened dozens of times throughout US history. It was one of the first ways women were able to enter politics at a time when their personal freedoms were severely restricted.
But there are early signs that Carnahan is up for an uphill battle.
“I guarantee that Jim’s friends will end up supporting someone else,” an anonymous House Republican told Politico when rumors about her campaign first surfaced on Friday.
Former Minnesota GOP vice chairman Michael Broadkorb told the publication, “I think she has a lot of unresolved political baggage that will put the constituency in the Democrat’s game.”
The former party leader worked in the private sector at General Mills, Ecolab and McDonald’s before entering politics. During her tenure as chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party from 2017 to mid-2021, three seats in the house changed from Democrats to Republicans.
However, even her own party attacked her after her resignation due to Lazzaro’s revelations.
She faced bipartisan criticism over references to GOP donor Anton Lazzaro after he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges (pictured: 2017 post from Hagedorn’s Facebook showing the late Congressman Carnahan and Lazzaro on the right during a Minnesota Vikings football game)
“Ten years ago, Chairman Tony Sutton resigned because the Minnesota Republican Party went bankrupt under his leadership. Today, the party is morally bankrupt due to the leadership of chairman Jennifer Carnahan, ”Gopher State GOP said at the time.
As Carnahan fought off calls to resign following the arrest of alleged child trafficker Lazzaro, she was hit by a string of accusations of running a “toxic work environment” and turning a blind eye to sexual harassment.
Former top Minnesota GOP officials said Carnahan “ruled with resentment, retaliation and intimidation” and even withheld data from some candidates to give those she preferred “support,” reports the Star Tribune.
Former employees said in a joint statement, “Carnahan has created an extremely toxic work environment, often yelling, humiliating and questioning loyalty.”
In August, Lazzaro was charged with 10 counts of child sex trafficking.
“We would have been reprimanded if we hadn’t brilliantly pumped up and stroked Carnahan’s vanity in our rare public appearances,” they said.
Carnahan had previously denied the allegations.
A woman who interned with the Minnesota Republican Party when she was 17 said she “doesn’t think young women in politics are safe.” She said that male GOP officials made inappropriate and uncomfortable comments to her and were even specifically warned not to be there alone with one person.
State Senator Karin Housley, a Republican, said the allegations of her party’s leaders, such as Carnahan, “might have been aware of the sexual harassment allegations involving one of her employees and done nothing beyond pale and reprehensible.”
In a statement to the Tribune, the State party denied that the allegations were ever made publicly.
Public instances of a marital squabble between Carnahan and Hagedorn could also pose a problem for her campaign, as GOP officials are reportedly concerned that she is trying to capitalize on her dead husband’s legacy.
According to the independent journalist who posted the clip, the August 2021 audio recording shows Carnahan drunk and seemingly not taking her husband’s illness seriously.
“Jim” will die in two years. So be it,” Carnahan can be heard saying.
4/19
In this footage, a drunken Carnahan, along with another state party chairman at an RNC event, offers to pay for the activist’s hotel. Carnahan says of her husband, Congressman Jim Hagedorn, “I don’t care…Jim will be dead in two years. So be it.” pic.twitter.com/0jb90UeASX
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) August 15, 2021
When seemingly asked about his exposure to COVID-19 in Congress — Hagedorn’s cancer would lead to a compromised immune system — Carnahan replied, “Jim won’t be alive in two years.”
That same month, Carnahan attacked her husband on social media for not celebrating his birthday on August 4, as a Politico post suggests.
“Glad you wrote that you spent your birthday with your wife who drove 3 hours to show you love and kindness, I think it’s clear how much this means to you,” reads a comment on a Facebook post dedicated to the day the birth of Hagedorn. The account lists Carnahan’s name.
Another comment read: “I bought you dinner and wine at Chunkaska. There is not a single post about this, but the post about your birthday belongs to your employees? It’s humiliating, condescending and upsets me on many levels.”
A search on on Monday turned up no messages from Hagedorn on his birthday.
Carnahan faces a packed GOP primary field in a special election. The main race will take place on May 24th and the main race on August 9th.