Republican congressional candidate Jim Hagedorn. Image by YouTube

By Aiden Pink September 12, 2018

A Republican congressional candidate and former blogger once wrote that former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman supported the Iraq War because Lieberman is Jewish.

Jim Hagedorn, the Republican nominee in Minnesota’s mostly-rural 1st District, had a history of making incendiary comments on his blog, “Mr. Conservative.” The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee released a 100-page research book of Hagedorn’s most controversial statements.

““But Liberman’s [sic] passionate suppot [sic] for the war in Iraq and other Bush/Republican anti-terrorism policies pushed the independent Senator to adamantly buck his former party,” Hagedorn wrote in 2008. “Maybe the basic reason for Senator Lieberman’s change of heart is found in the simple slogan that he likely uses to warn of Saudi funded schools that teach Islamic hate. Justly Eradicate Wahhabism or America Risks Another Bombing.” The letters spelling out “Jew or Arab” were bolded in the original post.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Hagedorn also called the state of Washington’s U.S. senators “undeserving bimbos in tennis shoes,” said that a woman who accused a Republican congressman of sexual assault was “white trash,” pushed conspiracy theories about Barack Obama’s birthplace and once referred to a disabled veteran in a wheelchair who supported his opponent as a “half-soldier.”

Hagedorn had previously apologized for some of these comments when he unsuccessfully ran for the same congressional seat in 2014 and 2016. Despite Hagedorn’s known history, the National Republican Campaign Committee endorsed him. NRCC chairman Steve Stivers told the Christian Science Monitor that Hagedorn’s comments were “news to me.” An NRCC spokesperson later told the Daily Beast that Hagedorn’s remarks were “inappropriate.”

Political prognosticators predict a close race between Hagedorn and Democratic challenger Dan Feehan. Incumbent Democratic Rep. Tim Walz is running for governor.

Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount