Jake Johnson Wins KEYC Debate With a Clear Plan to Lower Costs in Southern Minnesota

NORTH MANKATO — Tonight, math teacher and first-time candidate Jake Johnson won the debate against Rep. Brad Finstad in a KEYC debate for Minnesota’s first congressional district. Jake was the only candidate to outline meaningful steps he would take to make life more affordable for families across southern Minnesota.

“In tonight’s debate, I laid out the case for how I’ll bring down costs, take on corruption, and invest in our small towns,” said Jake Johnson after the debate. “It was clear that I am the only candidate in the race that will stop the tariffs and endless wars, take on the ballooning national debt, and invest in our rural clinics and public schools. I look forward to our next debate on Tuesday where I will continue making my case to the people of Southern Minnesota.”

Highlights included:

Tariffs: Finstad defended tariffs. Jake said, “Tariffs are a tax. They’re costing people in southern Minnesota more,” and he committed to “fight with my voice and my vote to end the tariffs.” Jake pointed out how the tariffs have cost the average family here in southern Minnesota over $2,000, and also drew attention to how, due to tariff policy, China has prioritized investments in South America so they can buy soybeans from Brazil instead of our hardworking American farmers.
Rural health care: Finstad hesitated before touting a $50 billion rural fund in H.R. 1 and said Minnesota is receiving about $200 million. Jake rebutted that by saying: “They cut $137 billion from rural health care in the form of Medicaid. And so the math on that is an $87 billion cut to rural health care,” referencing the total harm that the provisions in H.R. 1 will have on rural healthcare funding in aggregate.
Tackling fraud: Jake said: “The fraud that we saw in the state of Minnesota is infuriating. There’s no other way to put it. Incompetence, laziness, and the reality is it has cost our taxpayers millions of dollars.” Jake pointed to his taxpayer protection pledge and how he has called for “tax cuts equal to the amount of money that was stolen by fraudsters here in Minnesota” so that “we can get our money back”. Furthermore, Jake backed “an open investigation: Who knew what when, who broke the law, and if anyone did break the law, they need to be held accountable.”
Immigration: Jake praised the Trump administration’s reduction in border crossings, criticized the Trump administration’s overreach on immigration enforcement in Minnesota, criticized the Biden administration’s lax approach to the border and enforcement, and pointed to the need to create more legal pathways to citizenship. Finstad started out his response by saying he agreed with Jake.
Data centers: Finstad called a federal pause a slippery slope and asked whether the next step would be a moratorium on golf courses. Jake called for a federal pause until the basic standards from his plan on data centers are guaranteed: protecting natural resources, not passing energy costs off to local taxpayers, ensuring economic gains stay in local communities, and banning secret deals and NDAs.
Town halls: Asked at the end of the debate about how he would stay accessible, Finstad said, “I’ll just continue to do what I’m doing.” He has not held an in-person town hall since his 2022 election. Jake has held 22 in-person town halls across the district, at least one in every county in southern Minnesota, with each being advertised ahead of time, with no pre-screening of attendees or questions. You can learn more at https://townhalls.jakejohnsonforcongress.com/.

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