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Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day: Jim Hagedorn- 2022 Update [1]
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Date: 2022-12-12
The late GOP Congressman Jim Hagedorn's wife made a bold prediction that he'd be dead within two years, and was proven right.
On this date, in 2014, in 2015, and in 2016, “Fanatical Republican Extremist of the Day” published profiles of Jim Hagedorn, who twice failed to get elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in Minnesota’s 1st District in 2014 and 2016, before finally slipping in the door in 2018 and winning re-election in 2020. His credentials for office were being the former CEO for Miracle Gro and… well, the classic GOP nepotism of being the son of a former Congressman himself. The problem with Hagedorn was he had a habit of writing to the “Bluestern Prairie”, where he offered a variety of politically incorrect thoughts about gays, minorities, and Democrats. Things like calling Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell “undeserving bimbos in tennis shoes”, calling former Congressman Herb Kohl a “switch-hitter” and “packer”, echoing John Wayne’s sentiment that “the only good Indian is a dead Indian”, and discussing an election between Mike Taylor and Max Baucus by using imagery about fisting and lubrication. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But hey, when you’re married to the Chairwoman of the Republican Party in the state of Minnesota, they’ll keeping funding your efforts to get elected until you’re no longer able to run, or you’re divorced.
Hagedorn was too controversial to get elected to the House in 2014 against Democrat Tim Walz, and in 2016, Hagedorn actually wanted a rematch, hoping people would just forget about all his controversial remarks if he kept his nose clean for two more years. Hagedorn was wrong, and still lost, this time at least in a much closer affair by only about 2500 votes. This had a lot to do with Hagedorn accusing Walz of “letting terrorists in”, because he supports refugees being settled in the United States who might just be Muslim. That takes some balls, given that Walz has served in National Guard for 25 years. But hey, we’re talking about Jim Hagedorn here, who took time to deride Black Lives Matter in the debate between the two that year for virtually no reason other than race-baiting.
After Tim Walz left his seat in the House to run to become the next Governor of Minnesota in 2018 and 2020, Hagedorn’s opponent was Dan Feehan, a former member of the Department of Defense who he defeated by narrow margins so he could go to Congress and place votes against impeaching Donald Trump, signing the amicus sent to the Supreme Court to try and get them to overturn the results of the 2020 election, vote for the objection to it in Congress, and vote against almost every bill successfully passed by Democrats to aid the public during the Covid-19 pandemic. (More on Covid-19 in regards to Hagedorn in a moment.)
More importantly, Hagedorn’s entire time in office, he was plagued by ethics investigations for his wife purchasing stock related to his work in Congress, and for steering approval for federal contracts to companies owned by members of his Congressional staff. Y’know, grifting for his wife and friends being his top priority as a Congressman.
But maybe it’s more likely that the reason Hagedorn seemed to be so willing to abuse his power illegally was because he thought he’d never actually face the consequences for any crimes or ethical violations he might commit. Shortly after he took office, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 Kidney Cancer back in 2019. The timing of getting a cancer diagnosis and ending up with such a high-risk status when a year later, the Covid-19 pandemic would hit. And, as would be overheard at Republican fundraisers back in Minnesota, his wife Jennifer knew it, openly offering to pay for the hotel room of conservative activists against ethical rules, and telling them, “I don’t care… Jim’s gonna’ be dead in two years. So be it.”
Alas, he would only make it another six months, testing positive for Covid-19 in January of 2022, and dying a month later, on February 17th, 2022.
One Year Ago, December 12th, 2021: Christine Quinn (FL)
Two Years Ago, December 12th, 2020: Christine Scott (FL)
Three Years Ago, December 12th, 2019: Mark Harris (NC)
Four Years Ago, December 12th, 2018: Nick Sauer (IL)
Five Years Ago, December 12th, 2017: Dan Johnson (KY)
Six Years Ago, December 12th, 2016: Jim Hagedorn (MN)… 2016 Update
Seven Years Ago, December 12th, 2015: Jim Hagedorn (MN)… 2015 Update
Eight Years Ago, December 12th, 2014: Jim Hagedorn (MN)… Original Profile
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