Tariffs, healthcare cuts shape 1st District race
Jake Johnson, a math teacher at Mayo High School in Rochester who has taught for nearly two decades, traces his political views to his upbringing in Stewartville, Minnesota. His father worked as a garbage collector and his mother read meters for the local gas company. The family relied on food stamps for groceries and Medicaid for healthcare, and Johnson used Pell grants and Stafford loans to attend college.
“We were broke,” Johnson told the Guardian in an interview. “I got to grow up living what I thought was an American dream, where you work hard and a lot of people invest in you.”
Johnson, a former member of his union’s bargaining team and a government relations coordinator with Education Minnesota, said his experience in public education and organized labor informed his decision to run. He argued that unions are responsible for smaller class sizes, reasonable wages, and higher teacher quality.
The 1st District, which Johnson describes as the ninth most agriculturally productive in the U.S., has felt the impact of Trump administration tariffs and the war with Iran, he said. “A huge piece of affordability is ending the tariffs and rebuilding our export markets and lowering input costs for our farmers, small businesses and families,” Johnson said. He said rising fertilizer costs have left farmers uncertain about preordering for the fall.
Healthcare cuts have also been acutely felt, Johnson said, noting that the district is home to the Mayo Clinic. “We’ve had to close four clinics in our district alone,” he said, attributing the closures to Trump administration cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and medical research.
Johnson criticized his opponent, incumbent Republican Brad Finstad, for holding only virtual town halls. National Republicans have urged lawmakers to avoid in-person events amid protests at GOP gatherings. “Finstad seems to have chosen his powerful political backers, his corporate donors over the people of this district,” Johnson said. He emphasized that he takes no corporate PAC money and is willing to meet with all constituents.
Finstad’s office did not respond to multiple requests for comment, according to the Guardian.
A February 2026 poll conducted by a Democratic firm found Finstad had a 35% approval rating in the district, with 38% disapproving. In a head-to-head matchup, Finstad led Johnson 44% to 41%, with 15% of voters undecided. The district’s Cook Partisan Index rating of R+6 suggests a Republican-leaning electorate, but Johnson argued that Trump’s policies are deeply unpopular and provide an opening for Democrats.
“Finstad continues to hitch his wagon to policies that are very, very unpopular in this district, I think gives us an opening, gives us an opportunity to speak exactly to where folks are at,” Johnson said. “They want the war to end, they want the tariffs to end, they want their schools fully funded, they want opportunity again so that they can live their American dream.”