Dan Feehan

Dan Feehan (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 3, 2020.

Feehan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Elections

2020

Minnesota's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Republican primary)

Minnesota's 1st Congressional District election, 2020 (August 11 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 1

Incumbent Jim Hagedorn defeated Dan Feehan and Bill Rood in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 1 on November 3, 2020.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jim Hagedorn (R)	48.6	179,234
	Dan Feehan (D)	45.5	167,890
	Bill Rood (Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota)	5.8	21,448
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	284

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 368,856
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Hans Tinsley (Unaffiliated)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Dan Feehan advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Jim Hagedorn advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1.

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election

The Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election was canceled. Bill Rood advanced from the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1.

2018

See also: Minnesota's 1st Congressional District election, 2018

See also: Minnesota's 1st Congressional District election (August 14, 2018 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 1

Jim Hagedorn defeated Dan Feehan in the general election for U.S. House Minnesota District 1 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jim Hagedorn (R)	50.1	146,200
	Dan Feehan (D)	49.7	144,885
	Other/Write-in votes	0.2	576

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 291,661 (100.00% precincts reporting)
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1

Dan Feehan defeated Colin Minehart in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1 on August 14, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Dan Feehan	83.1	39,252
	Colin Minehart	16.9	7,979

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 47,231
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1

Jim Hagedorn defeated Carla Nelson, Steve Williams, and Andrew Candler in the Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1 on August 14, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jim Hagedorn	60.1	25,431
	Carla Nelson	32.2	13,631
	Steve Williams	5.1	2,144
	Andrew Candler	2.6	1,107

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 42,313
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

Dan Feehan completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Feehan's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Born in Minnesota, Dan Feehan grew up north of Rochester and was inspired into service after witnessing the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001 while he was a college student.

He committed himself to military service in the coming months, signing up for Army ROTC . From 2005 through 2009, he served as an active duty soldier and completed two combat tours of duty as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. In Iraq, Dan searched for roadside bombs and his service earned him the Bronze Star for Service, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor, and the Ranger Tab.

Even as his military duty was ending, Dan felt a new calling to serve children at home as a middle school math teacher and later became an acting Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Pentagon.

His experiences as a soldier, teacher, and Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense taught him the enormous impact public policy has on the lives of everyday people, and Dan hopes to use that wisdom as a lawmaker.

Dan and his wife Amy, live in North Mankato with their two young boys, Conor and Declan, and their newborn daughter, Maeve.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I will fight for healthcare and prescription drugs that are affordable, accessible, and covers pre-existing conditions for every southern Minnesotan.
I will fight to end the culture of corruption in Washington where politicians put corporate special interests way ahead of southern Minnesota.
I will always stand up for the farmers of southern Minnesota, because they deserve a representative that is not beholden to out-of-state oil companies or Washington insiders.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

In too many communities across southern Minnesota, insurance premiums, co-pays, deductibles, and prescription drugs are too high and access is too limited. We need to ensure that no family risks bankruptcy from getting the medical treatment they need. In order to do this, we must create a public option so people can buy into a program like Medicare and that will ensure there is greater choice for patients and prevent insurance companies from having localized monopolies. Furthermore, I would work to lower the cost of prescription drugs by fighting to ensure that Medicare can negotiate directly with drug companies and allowing safe generic drugs to compete on a level-playing field against higher-cost 'brand-name' drugs. As the representative of Minnesota's first congressional district, I will push to ensure that healthcare is affordable, accessible, and high-quality for every single southern Minnesotan.

Additionally, I believe that Washington is broken because corporate special interests like multinational oil conglomerates and East Coast pharmaceutical companies have not only purchased a seat at the table, they have completely taken it over, leaving southern Minnesotans to fend for themselves. One campaign contribution after another, their outsized voice has crowded out the needs of southern Minnesotans. That is unacceptable and I will fight to end this corruption in Washington. Because I am refusing all money from these corporate special interests, I am able to fight for

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign website

Smith’s campaign website stated the following:

“

The Issues Matter
As a fifth generation Minnesotan, I have spent more than a decade working to defend and serve the people of this state and this country as a soldier, as a teacher, and as a national security professional at the Pentagon.

Now, I am eager to serve again, this time as a representing Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, where I will apply all that I’ve learned to the pressing issues we’re facing in southern Minnesota, in Washington, and around the world.

As a soldier in war, I learned the burden of being directly responsible for the lives of others. As a middle school teacher, I learned what it means to empower children through education. As an acting Assistant Secretary of Defense, I learned the awesome responsibility of making policy for millions of our nation’s service members. Each experience was humbling as well as enlightening, and each showed me how significantly federal policy impacts the lives of our citizens. I will carry these experiences with me to Congress.

Ending corruption in Washington
I will fight to end the culture of corruption in Washington where politicians put corporate special interests ahead of the people of southern Minnesota. Washington is broken because corporate special interests like multinational oil conglomerates and East Coast pharmaceutical companies have not only purchased a seat at the table, they have completely taken it over, leaving southern Minnesotans to fend for themselves. One campaign contribution after another, their outsized voice has crowded out the needs of southern Minnesotans. That is unacceptable, and I will fight to end this corruption in Washington.

Refusing all corporate PAC money
Jim Hagedorn continues to accept money from corporate PACs, including East Coast pharmaceutical companies and out-of-state oil companies. By contrast, I have taken a simple pledge, I will take $0 from corporate PACs — period. No exceptions. This campaign is powered by the people and communities of southern Minnesota, because that’s who I will represent in Congress. By refusing all corporate PAC money, I won’t owe any favors to corporations or dark-moneyed interest. I will only answer to the people of Minnesota’s First District.

Preventing politicians from becoming lobbyists
The revolving door between politics and lobbying hurts our country. Too many Members of Congress like Jim Hagedorn have already or will use titles such as ‘Government Relations’ to shamelessly avoid having to register as lobbyists. That is wrong and that is why I pledge never to be a lobbyist in any shape or form. I will work to strengthen disclosure requirements and extend the definition of federal lobbyists to prevent former Members of Congress from trading their access for cash.

Stopping Members of Congress from trading individual stocks
Representing the people should be a public service and not a way to become wealthy. Members of Congress should not be able to use the insider knowledge they have to trade stocks on any individual company while in Congress. I will fight for rules that require Members of Congress to put their stock into blind trusts. That way, we can ensure they actually represent their constituents and not their own bank accounts.

Enacting real campaign finance reform
Foreign companies and a handful of secret billionaires should not be able to drown out the voices of Minnesotans in our elections. I will advocate for a constitutional amendment to overturn the disastrous Citizens United decision that has led to foreign donors and a handful of billionaires dominating our politics. Until then, I will work to strengthen the DISCLOSE Act to require Super PACs to disclose all of their donors.

Ending gerrymandering
Simply put, we must stop the practice of politicians manipulating districts and picking their voters. I will fight to ensure that each state has a non-partisan commission to draw fair districts that ensure that voters get to select their representatives in fair elections where the outcome is not already predetermined.

Making healthcare and prescription drugs affordable
I will fight for health care and prescription drug coverage that is affordable and accessible for every southern Minnesotan. That also means ensuring that insurance companies are never again able to take away coverage from people with pre-existing conditions like asthma, diabetes, and cancer.

In order to do this, we must take on out-of-state pharmaceutical conglomerates and mega-insurance companies that hold outsized influence in Washington — influence that they use to keep their prescription drug prices and health care costs high in order to enjoy record profits.

The drug and insurance companies already have enough representation in Washington with politicians like Jim Hagedorn who gladly take their talking points and their campaign contributions. By contrast, I reject all money from prescription drug companies and health insurers because my service will be to the people of southern Minnesota.

Making health care affordable
In too many communities across southern Minnesota, insurance premiums, co-pays, and deductibles are too high. We need to ensure that no family risks bankruptcy from getting the medical treatment they need. In order to do this, we must ensure there is greater choice for patients and prevent insurance companies from having localized monopolies.

As your Congressman, I will push to ensure strong, trusted coverage for many more Minnesotans. For people who like their current private coverage — they must always be able to keep it. For those who don’t, I will work to expand Medicare by lowering the eligibility age to 55 and creating a public option so people can buy in to a program like Medicare. I will also join the bipartisan efforts to build on the successes of the Affordable Care Act and strengthen the individual market, which our farmers, entrepreneurs, and others rely on, making it more stable and more affordable.

Ensuring health care is accessible
We need to make sure that the realities of rural communities are part of health reform discussions and that they have a seat at the table, both to address the challenges they face and to learn from their successes. Our rural communities face unique challenges, but they also have unique strengths when it comes to providing health care. In traveling across our district, I’ve met with countless Minnesotans living in rural areas who don’t have access to local providers or have to drive hours for the care they need.

In Congress, I will work to address these growing health care workforce shortages and challenges by promoting early exposure to health careers and supporting programs that recruit and train providers in rural areas. I’ve also heard incredible stories of communities working to address obesity, mental health, or isolation among seniors. I will also push to expand the great innovation happening in our rural communities that provides health care (not sick care) and that is really making a difference in the overall health of individuals and communities.

Strengthening protections for people with pre-existing conditions
We cannot go backwards to a time where insurance companies discriminated against those with pre-existing conditions and denied them coverage they needed. That is why I will fight to protect the hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans with pre-existing conditions, so their coverage can never be taken away, so that they will always get the care they need without fear of being discriminated against or breaking the bank.

Making prescription drugs affordable
We need to bring down the skyrocketing price of prescription medications for families across our state. Minnesotans are spending too much of their paychecks on the rising cost of their prescriptions, forcing many families to make the difficult choice between paying for needed medications or putting food on the table. Our neighbors, loved ones, and others, shouldn’t have to make this choice.

I won’t take a single dime or any talking points from pharmaceutical companies. Because I am not beholden to these or any corporate special interests, I will be able to advocate for legislation that will actually lower prescription drug prices. That is why in Congress, I will fight for price transparency, empower Medicare to negotiate directly with the drug companies, enable safe generic drugs to compete on a level-playing field‬, and strengthen Medicare Part D benefits for our seniors‬.

Protecting Social Security and Medicare
I will fight to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare benefits for our seniors in southern Minnesota. People have earned their Social Security and Medicare benefits by paying into it their entire careers. Making cuts to these critical programs would be unfair, but it would also be disastrous for the economic stability and health of our seniors. Too many politicians in Washington, like Jim Hagedorn, would rather give out tax breaks to billionaires and foreign companies than stand-up for our seniors. I won’t sell out our seniors to make billionaires richer.

Defending Social Security
Social Security benefits are a critical source of income for southern Minnesotans to retire with dignity. I would fight to keep the retirement age as-is and ensure that cost-of-living-adjustments are pegged to inflation, including inflation for out-of-pocket medical costs. Finally, I would oppose any and all efforts, by either Democrats or Republicans, that would reduce benefits for our seniors.

Strengthening Medicare
Medicare provides critical access for our seniors but it needs to be more comprehensive. For example, dental, vision, and hearing must be included as a part of Medicare. Furthermore, Medicare Part D benefits need to be strengthened so seniors don’t have to pay exorbitant out-of-pocket costs to get the medications they need. We can do this by fully closing the coverage gap and allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with drug companies. This way, drug companies can no longer name their own price and overcharge our seniors for the medications they need.

Strengthening our ag economy
From the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi and the valleys of the Driftless Area in the east, to the wide open plains in the west, Minnesota’s First Congressional District is a rich landscape that has created and supported a prosperous tradition of family farming. The well-being of our farms and land is directly connected to the prosperity of every town and city in southern Minnesota. That is why our representatives in Congress must stand up for our farmers in southern Minnesota, rather than tow the line of interest groups or political parties.

Ending Washington’s disastrous trade policy
Our farmers worked for generations and put their own money on the line to open up new markets around the world. Yet today, farmers in southern Minnesota are losing access to those international markets and paying the price for Washington’s reckless trade policies. We must hold bad actors like China accountable. That said, we can and should do that in a smart way that does not needlessly slash farm incomes, jeopardizing the economy in regions like southern Minnesota. Unlike Jim Hagedorn, who refuses to stand up for farmers, I will always oppose tariffs that unfairly hurt our farmers. Furthermore, I will support trade deals that open markets for our farmers, ensure our workers are on a level-playing field, and protect the environment like the USMCA. Regardless of whether the President is a Republican or Democrat, I will put the farm families in southern Minnesota first.

Prevent further undermining of the market for corn ethanol
When the EPA undermines the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by handing out exemptions that allow massive oil companies to avoid blending corn ethanol, it has an immediate impact on the economy of southern Minnesota. And it is another example of Washington siding with foreign oil companies rather than communities and families here in our district. While politicians like Jim Hagedorn stay silent on this issue because they take money from out-of-state oil interests, I refuse to take any money from oil companies. Instead, I will work to fully restore the RFS, advocate for a federal biodiesel tax incentive, support trade deals to ensure other countries don’t cheat on their definitions of biofuels, and fully fund the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program in the Farm Bill.

Fighting for our farmers
The farm economy is the foundation of southern Minnesota. When you travel from county to county, you see a wide range of agricultural production and the spirit of community and hard work is embodied in our way of life. However, there is no doubt that the First District is feeling the pressure of an ever-changing economy, an aging workforce, and increased consolidation. The strength of our family farms is directly tied to the health of our small towns and cities.

That is why in Congress, I won’t accept the status quo that forces out our family farmers. I will fight against anyone, from either party, who seeks to perpetuate the notion that farms need to ‘get big or get out’. I will promote policies that encourage diversity in the crops we grow, the markets we sell to, and in the people who farm.

Promoting resilience in agriculture
I believe the farmers in southern Minnesota are leaders in protecting and improving the land and water they work with and rely on every day. As your representative, I will listen to and work with farmers who are constantly innovating and becoming better stewards. As part of this, I’ll support practices like cover cropping, diversifying crop rotations, and precision agriculture. In doing so, we will protect our prized landscapes all across southern Minnesota and ensure the quality of our land and water for generations to come. Our farmers must also be resilient to the impacts of climate change and become a key part of the fight against it.

Helping the next generation of farmers
I understand that farming is the economic backbone of southern Minnesota, which is why I am committed to making sure that the next generation of farmers can get on the land. To do this, we need to first make sure farmers can get a fair price for their products, allowing them to build a life and support their family with agriculture. From there, we can inspire young people to pursue careers in agriculture by removing barriers of entry and introducing our children to the opportunities in farming through the many agricultural leadership programs in southern Minnesota. Furthermore, I will be a champion for beginning farmers by supporting the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. There are people of all backgrounds who want to farm, and it is critical that our federal programs help them get on the land.

Rebuilding our infrastructure
Transporting our goods and services to market in a global economy requires an efficient and cost effective transportation system. Inefficiency leads to higher prices for producers. Farmers and agriculture producers rely on roads, bridges, reliable freight rails, and access to barges to ensure that we are able to move commodities to reach major global markets. Investments in our transportation infrastructure, including a WRTA bill that upgrades our locks and dams, are critical to the future of the industry. I will work with anyone at any level of government, whether local, state, or federal, to improve our roads, bridges, and waterways. Furthermore, I will fight to ensure critical projects in southern Minnesota, like the expansion of Highway 14, get prioritized by the federal Department of Transportation.

Honoring our veterans and defending our country
I’ve spent much of my career defending our nation – first, in an Army uniform during two Iraq deployments, and then for three and a half years in the Pentagon as an acting Assistant Secretary of Defense.

Our soldiers, diplomats, and intelligence agencies work tirelessly and courageously every single day to defend our country.

But while our soldiers, veterans, diplomats, and intelligence agencies have sacrificed and given so much, our Congress has continuously failed them. Instead of ensuring that our veterans have high-quality health care, jobs, and educational opportunities upon leaving the service, Congress has prioritized tax cuts for billionaires. And instead of being a co-equal branch of government, Congress has abdicated its responsibilities and allowed for us to be at war for over 18 years. Our soldiers, veterans, diplomats, and intelligence agencies deserve a Congress that will fight for them, and in Congress, I will work with Republicans and Democrats alike to make this happen.

Defending checks and balances
As a co-equal branch of government, Congress must not cede the responsibility of ultimately putting our military in harm’s way to the President alone. Congress must shape our national security strategy and determine how we use our military, an all-volunteer force, throughout the world. Congress must also check the executive branch from entering into unnecessary conflicts. I will lead the effort to hold the Executive Branch accountable to ensure that we only place our service members into harm’s way when it is absolutely necessary.

Ensuring Military Spending and Readiness
When it comes to military spending, I believe that the surest way to maintain a strong and sustainable military force without unending costs is to use it more wisely. The cost of the Global War on Terror, beyond the human toll of those who have given their lives in service, will exceed $6 trillion dollars. We can have a strong military when we choose to use it more judiciously, instead of measuring it by its size or its cost. Congress has an enormous role in checking these costs, as well as the costs of a Defense Department that is still not auditable. I will lead an effort to fund a military that is strong and ready to confront our most dangerous threats, but also a military whose costs do not continually escalate and strain domestic spending. There are more than 48,000 military veterans in Minnesota’s 1st District, many of whom personally and intimately know the consequences of war. They also know that at the end of the day, each service member is measured by ability and service. I will fight for legislation that allows and encourages anyone who can meet the military’s standards to serve, including immigrants and members of the LGBTQ community. Our military is strongest when it reflects our broader society, and in the age of an 18-year war, we must have the widest net possible to recruit patriotic young people into service.

Protecting Our Homeland and Working with our Allies
No matter who the President is in 2021, I will work with them to prioritize our safety at home, defend our allies abroad, and be constantly looking for new partners with whom we can tackle the greatest hurdles in front of us. The challenges that we face today, both domestic and abroad, are constantly evolving and require a thoughtful and rounded approach to policy-making. Our nation will be most secure when we holistically approach the dangerous threats that exist in the world; this means using diplomacy and international cooperation abroad, while maintaining a careful balance to address our challenges at home.

Providing the highest-quality health care for our soldiers and veterans
We need to ensure that our veterans and servicemembers have access to the highest-quality health care. That starts with taking better care of the needs of our active duty service members on the front end and ensuring that we provide VA health care benefits to veterans on the back end.

To do this, I will fight to ensure that both TriCare and the VA are fully funded and fully staffed so that our servicemembers and veterans receive the best care. Furthermore, I will work to ensure that veterans have access to their VA health care benefits so that they do not face long wait times when receiving care. Finally, I will continue to build upon the programs that provide critical mental health and chemical dependency services for our veterans, active duty servicemembers, and military families.

Creating opportunities for our veterans
At the Pentagon, I helped create programs to ensure our soldiers and veterans received the educational and job training opportunities they needed to succeed after their service. In Congress, I will do the same to ensure that we honor soldiers’ and veterans’ commitment to public service by protecting the GI Bill and expanding other public service loan forgiveness programs. Furthermore, I will work with labor unions, trade schools, and technical colleges, to ensure that our veterans have access to high-paying jobs in the building and construction trades. Finally, I will fight to ensure that our veterans do not face discrimination when utilizing their VA home loans and other benefits.

Fighting for working families
I will stand up for all working families in southern Minnesota to ensure that they have more money in their pockets. It is critical for the prosperity of southern Minnesota, that we restore the dignity of work and fight to ensure that every family has access to strong middle-class jobs that pay well, provide good benefits, and ensure stability. There is no single silver bullet, and it will take all of us, including labor unions, businesses, and institutions of higher learning, to ensure that our economy in southern Minnesota is strong, not just for a few, but for every single person.

Creating good middle-class jobs We must create jobs that pay well, provide good benefits, and are stable. No matter who the President is in January of 2021, I will work with that person, along with labor unions, businesses and colleges in southern Minnesota, to find opportunities to make smart investments that will create jobs in our communities. In Congress, I will push for greater investments in infrastructure to rebuild roads, bridges and waterways, and create more wind turbines and solar farms to create new jobs for southern Minnesotans. I will work with small businesses and community leaders to identify unnecessary regulations that burden small business owners and potential small business owners. Finally, I will work with students and universities to promote entrepreneurship and create incentives to keep young people living in southern Minnesota.

Protecting the rights of workers Labor unions have fought to make workplaces equitable and are a critical part of ensuring we have an economy that works for everyone. That is why, in Congress, I will fight against any and every “right-to-work” law; I would fight to establish a consistent preference in federal government contracting for unionized employers that provide workers with fair pay and benefits; and I would fight to protect the sanctity of union elections. Furthermore, I would fight for paid sick leave and parental leave benefits for our workers and I would fight to ensure that all workers have safe and fair workplaces where no one is subject to harassment or discrimination. Finally, I would be a strong champion of equal pay for equal work for women and advocate for protections from pregnancy discrimination in the workplace.

Passing tax reform that prioritizes families rather than mega corporations
The 2017 tax bill prioritized multinational corporations and billionaires rather than working families in southern Minnesota. I would fight for tax reform that makes tax season simpler and less time consuming for working families. Furthermore, instead of sending more money into the pockets of billionaires and multinational corporations, I believe we must expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and provide much needed tax relief to working families and small businesses.

Making health care, childcare, and education affordable and accessible
For too many working families, the costs of health care, childcare, and education have far outpaced wage growth. That is why I have plans on how to make health care, childcare, and education more affordable and accessible to ensure that working families keep more of their paycheck on a monthly basis.

Preparing our young people for the future
As a former public school teacher, the spouse of a public school educator, and a father to three children we are raising here in southern Minnesota, I will fight to defend public education and ensure every family has a high-quality and fully funded education from pre-K to post-secondary.

I know that there is no more important job than preparing our youth for the future. We need to equip our children with the skills to succeed in a 21st century economy and treat others with kindness and respect. That is why in Congress, I will fight to maintain and strengthen our strong public education system that helps both our economy and our communities in southern Minnesota thrive.

Making early childhood education accessible and affordable
I support Early Childhood Education as a pathway that gives our children every advantage to develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually. I will work to ensure that there are multiple affordable options for preschool for families within their home communities. Furthermore, I will pursue policies in Congress to ensure that our early childhood educators, especially our child care providers, can still provide critical services at a low cost. I will also work to control the costs of childcare for our working parents, who shouldn’t have to break their bank before their children even start school.

Strengthening our K-12 Education
Preparing skilled workers and lifelong learners: Our K-12 education system must prepare our children to be adaptive learners throughout their lives in a rapidly-evolving economy and society. Our children must have access to STEM, to the arts, to coding, and to the power that internet connectivity and technology brings to the classroom.

Furthermore, we must help our children develop a love of learning. That is why our kids should have every learning opportunity to learn to think on their feet and problem solve, to work in teams and as part of a larger group, to use modern technology, and give them the opportunity to try working with their hands.

Building partnerships: As Congressman, I will encourage partnerships between local labor, businesses, technical schooling, and apprenticeships, as well as 2 and 4-year degree programs so that each child can know of, from an early age, the many opportunities that already exist right here in our communities. This isn’t just true in manufacturing, but also in healthcare, IT, agriculture, logistics and transportation, aviation, and more. We can be doing a lot more in our education system to help students and their families identify multi-directional educational pathways that can lead to any number of high-wage, high-growth job opportunities available in southern Minnesota.

There are great models for this youth engagement in our community today, and we know them very well – we know them as FFA and 4-H. Let’s use FFA and 4-H as models for what engaging with our youth can look like to strengthen both our local communities and the broader economy.

Supporting teachers: Great teachers are the lifeblood of our educational system. As the husband of a public school teacher, I know this well. It’s crucial that we recruit, develop, and retain a strong and diverse teacher workforce. I believe that every classroom must be led and empowered by teachers who are set up for success and compensated for the public service they provide. I will work on creative solutions to recruiting teachers in shortage areas such as STEM, special education, and in our rural communities. I will also support efforts in Congress to make sure teachers can sharpen their skills through ongoing professional development and get the support they need to prevent burnout. Lastly, I will ensure that federal research is directed towards the frontline challenges that teachers experience across southern Minnesota and the country.

Higher Education and Workforce Development
It is unacceptable that so many of our young people are saddled with tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars in student debt at high interest rates. When our young people pursue a post-secondary education, whether a four-year degree, a two-year degree, or apprenticeship, it must fulfill the promise of career enhancement without the crippling debt that hurts so many of our students and our entire community.

In Congress, I will support legislation that caps student loan rates and expands the job pathways to loan forgiveness. Furthermore, I will work with institutions of higher education to demand transparency when their prices rise. Finally, I will work with labor unions, trade schools, and technical colleges to ensure that our young people have access to high-paying jobs in the trades or technical jobs that don’t require attending a four-year university.

Combating climate change
As the father of three children and a national security professional, I believe it is imperative that we combat climate change to leave a safer and more prosperous Earth for all of our children.

By refusing to address climate change, we will exacerbate extreme weather events, food shortages, armed conflicts, and migration patterns, both around the world and right here in southern Minnesota. The science is clear that if we do not take immediate and dramatic steps to curb this impact, our farmers, our children, and our communities will suffer tremendously. I believe that we need to move towards clean and renewable energy and the rest of the country should take southern Minnesota’s lead with more wind farms, solar panels, and biofuels to ensure that we can address the challenges of climate change together. Addressing climate change is the right thing to do so we leave a cleaner world for our children and our grandchildren, but it will also help our economy here in southern Minnesota and keep our country safer in a time of global instability. In fact, NASA, the Department of Defense and 97% of scientists agree that climate change is a real threat and worsens extreme weather, over the past 40 years, has been calling climate change one of the greatest threats to our country’s national security. It is unconscionable that Jim Hagedorn proudly denies the existence of climate change and refuses to act on it.

Leading with our farmers
I have seen first-hand the devastation caused by climate change, particularly for our farmers and producers in southern Minnesota. Our farmers and producers are on the frontlines of climate change and they are experiencing the worst effects of it. In Congress, I will advocate for programs like the Rural Green Partnership that expand and improve conservation programs already used and respected by farmers, invest in rural infrastructure like broadband to enable better precision agriculture, and increase funding for applied research on how to provide our farmers with even better tools and technology. By doing this we ensure our farmers and the broader agricultural community are at the front of any solution to address climate change.

Addressing national security
In Congress I want to be a leader on environmental issues, leveraging my background in national security. For decades, the Department of Defense has published report after report detailing the consequences to national security if we do not address climate change. We have seen the effects of international crises being exacerbated by a changing climate. I believe that I can lead a group of Republicans and Democrats to address environmental issues from a national security lens to complement the already robust moral and economic case.

Investing in the future
With the input of our farmers and producers in mind, I will advocate for increasing investment in American solar, wind, and biofuels, curtailing our reliance on oil from Saudi Arabia and other foreign nations. Furthermore, I will fight to increase funding for research and development and create partnerships between the public and private sector so that the next generation of technologies can be developed to most effectively combat climate change. Finally, I will bolster workforce development to ensure that the green energy sector creates good-paying union jobs in southern Minnesota.

^[1]

”

—Dan Feehan’s campaign website (2020)^[2]

2018

Campaign website

Feehan's campaign website stated the following:

“

Immigration

As an Iraq War Veteran who served two tours of duty searching for roadside bombs and capturing dangerous insurgents, I have put my life on the line to protect this country and my commitment to national security is as strong today as it has ever been. I know what it takes, have done what it takes, and will do what it takes to keep this country safe. When it comes to public safety, let me be perfectly clear, no matter who you are, if you commit a violent crime, you must be punished.

Our immigration system is broken and it is directly a result of the dysfunction in Washington. We must work together towards comprehensive immigration reform that strengthens our borders and our economy.

As I speak with farmers, business owners, and community leaders, they are demanding reform to make sure that our economy and communities are vibrant. This means providing a pathway to citizenship for those who pay their taxes and don’t have a criminal record, holding employers who hire undocumented immigrants accountable, and developing a robust guest worker program.

We must implement a clear directive through the Department of Homeland Security for ICE, so that our local and state law enforcement agencies are no longer having to supplement the federal government’s role in immigration and customs enforcement.

Lastly, I believe that a critical, and often overlooked, component is the need to make a concerted effort to work with other countries to stem the tide of migration under dire circumstances, which has put families and children at significant risk.

In Congress, I will work with both parties to achieve the comprehensive immigration reform that is so desperately needed.

Healthcare

Growing up in Red Wing, I knew and could feel that I was part of a community that cared for its neighbors. When someone had a serious illness, the community came together to offer support and prayer. When neighbors faced going bankrupt because of medical bills, the community held potlucks or fundraisers. My community lived by a simple, undeniable creed: “give kindness and take care of each other.”

My community has grown over the years, but my responsibilities to it remain the same. That’s why our district must ensure we care for our own and each other, especially when it comes to healthcare. Although we’ve made progress to improve access to coverage, too many Americans are still unable to access the care they need or afford their premiums and out-of-pocket costs. For the health of our neighbors and communities, we must and can do better.

Universal Healthcare Coverage We need to ensure that all Minnesotans can access comprehensive, affordable healthcare. The Affordable Care Act was an important step toward reaching that goal, but our current healthcare system is still leaving too many Minnesotans to fall through the cracks.

We need to do better. Accessible and affordable universal healthcare coverage is right for Minnesota. People in our community who are sick should be able to seek care when they need it, and no one in our community should have to choose between paying the medical bills or feeding their family. As your Congressman, I will push to ensure strong, trusted coverage for many more Minnesotans and will work to expand Medicare eligibility age to 55. Additionally, I will join bipartisan efforts to build on the successes of the Affordable Care Act and work to make the individual market, which our farmers, entrepreneurs, and others rely on, more stable and more affordable.

Rural Health We need to make sure that the realities of rural communities are part of health reform discussions and that they have a seat at the table, both to address the challenges they face and learn from their successes. Our rural communities face unique challenges, but also have unique strengths when it comes to providing healthcare.

In traveling across our district, I’ve met with countless Minnesotans living in rural areas that don’t have access to local providers or have to drive hours for the care they need. In Congress, I will work to address these growing healthcare workforce shortages and challenges by promoting early exposure to health careers and support programs that recruit and train providers in rural areas. I’ve also heard incredible stories of communities working to address obesity, mental health, or isolation among seniors. I will also push to expand the great innovation happening in our rural communities that provides healthcare, not sick care and that is really making a difference in the patient’s overall health, and the health of the community.

Caring for our Veterans We need to fight for better access to quality healthcare for our veterans and service members. That starts with taking better care of the needs of our active duty service members on the front end and ensuring that we provide VA healthcare benefits to veterans on the back end to recognize the sacrifice and service they have made.

Although the VA and TriCare system has shown some improvements over the past decade, particularly in Minnesota, I will work to ensure veterans have access to VA healthcare benefits, and will continue to build on the progress made in providing mental health and chemical dependency services, including for our active duty members and their families.

Pharmaceuticals We need to bring down the skyrocketing price of prescription medications for families across our state. Minnesotans are spending too much of their paychecks on the rising cost of their prescriptions forcing many families to make the difficult choice between paying for needed medications or putting food on the table.

Our neighbors, loved ones, and others shouldn’t have to make this choice. There is no single solution to lowering prescription drug prices, a and as a Congressman, I will work to bring down prescription drug prices on many fronts making them affordable and accessible through common-sense reforms focusing on how they are developed, negotiated, and sold. I plan to join colleagues, like Senator Amy Klobuchar, to protect consumers by addressing current anticompetitive practices that prevent the cheaper generic alternative from coming to market. I also will work to increase affordability by allowing Medicare to use its purchasing power and negotiate directly with prescription drug companies.

Opioid Crisis We need to ensure that our approach and support to address addiction and the opioid epidemic reflects the experience of families and our communities.

Across our state, we have seen an increase in opioid addiction and opioid related death, which doesn’t begin to tell the story of how loved ones or our community are affected. As Congressman, I will first fight to end the stigma around addiction, ensuring that it is recognized as the disease that it is to help ensure families and individuals are able to access the healthcare services and treatment they need to get well. Secondly, I will focus our efforts across the continuum seeking ways to both prevent, respond, treat, and support long-term recovery of opioid addiction to ensure that across our communities we are developing sustainable solutions that not only address the current crisis, but prevent it from growing or happening in the future.

National Security

I’ve spent much of my career defending our nation – first, in an Army uniform during two Iraq deployments, and then for three and a half years in the Pentagon as an acting Assistant Secretary of Defense. America enjoys safety and security that is unparalleled in the world thanks to our military, intelligence agencies, and other public servants that work tirelessly to keep it that way. Yet, we’ve been a country at war for over 16 years in an unsustainable manner, and face threats around the world.

Congressional Action As a co-equal branch of government, Congress must not cede the responsibility of ultimately putting our military in harm’s way to the President alone. Congress must shape our national security strategy and determine how we use our military, an all-volunteer force, throughout the world. Congress must also check the executive branch from entering into unnecessary conflicts. I will lead the effort to hold the President accountable as Commander-in-Chief to ensure that we only place our service members into harm’s way when it is absolutely necessary.

Military Spending and Readiness When it comes to military spending, I believe that the only way to maintain a strong and sustainable military force without unending costs is to use it more wisely. The cost of the Global War on Terror, beyond the human toll of those that have given their lives in service, will exceed $3 trillion dollars. We can have a strong military when we more judiciously choose when to use it instead of measuring it by its size or its cost. Congress has an enormous role in checking these costs, as well as the costs of a Defense Department, which is still not auditable. I will lead an effort to fund a military that is strong and ready to confront our most dangerous threats, but also a military whose costs do not continually escalate and strain domestic spending. There are more than 48,000 military veterans in Minnesota’s 1st District, many of whom personally and intimately know the consequences of war. They also know that at the end of the day, each service member is measured by their ability to do their job. I will fight for legislation that allows and encourages anyone that can meet the military’s standards to serve, including immigrants and the LGBTQ community. Our military is strongest when it reflects our broader society, and in the age of a 16-year war, we must have the widest net possible to recruit patriotic young people into service.

Diplomacy and Cooperation First The challenges that we face today, both domestic and abroad, are constantly evolving and require a thoughtful and rounded approach to policy-making. I will urge Congress to prioritize our safety at home, defend our allies abroad, and be constantly looking for new partners with whom we can tackle the greatest hurdles in front of us. Our nation will be secure when we holistically approach the dangerous threats that exist in the world through diplomacy, international cooperation, while maintaining a careful balance to address our challenges at home.

Agriculture

From the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi and the valleys of the Driftless Area in the east, to the wide open plains in the west, Minnesota’s First Congressional District is a rich landscape that has created and supported a prosperous tradition of family farming and agriculture. The well-being of our farms and land is directly connected to the prosperity of every town and city in southern Minnesota. That is why it is incumbent upon whoever represents us in Congress to support and expand opportunities for our farmers, and assist in stewardship of the land.

Agriculture, Farming, and Our Community

The farm economy is the foundation of southern Minnesota. When you travel from county to county, you are exposed to wide range of agricultural production. From small, family farms to regional co-ops, the spirit of community and hard work is embodied in our way of life. However, there is no doubt that the First District is feeling the pressure of an ever-changing economy, an aging workforce, and increased consolidation of farms. The health of our family farms is directly tied to the health of our small towns and cities, and to our soil and water. When elected, you can count on me to be a strong voice for our community in Congress.

A Strong Farm Bill

If our agricultural way of life is going to thrive for future generations, we must set a course that drives toward success in an uncertain future. This means pursuing a strong Farm Bill that supports family farmers, promotes innovation and stewardship of the land, and provides opportunities for the next generation of farmers. It means investing in technology that allows farmers to be more efficient in their crop production, saving time and costs. It means giving our farmers access to capital and loan forgiveness programs. And it means understanding, grappling with, and adjusting to the environmental impact our farms have on the soil, our communities, and future yields.

Healthy Soil and Clean Water

I believe farmers and agriculture can be leaders in protecting and improving our natural surroundings. However, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) has labeled western and southern Minnesota’s streams and rivers as “most impaired,” stating that only 16 percent meet the standards for aquatic life. Because of rising nitrates, cities like Mankato can no longer draw water from local rivers and farmers have to buy expensive water purifying systems to drink from their wells.

I will be a leader in helping farmers steward their land by building healthy soil, using practices like cover crops and diversifying their crop rotations; and I will work with our community to protect our prized landscape and address the emerging water crisis.

New Farmers

We must inspire the next generation of farmers to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors. We know that the average age of farmers is on the rise. We can encourage growth in this field and incentivize our youth to pursue careers in agriculture by removing barriers of entry and exposing our children to the opportunities in farming through leadership programs like Future Farmers of America and Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings initiative.

Like Congressman Walz, I will be a champion for beginning farmers by supporting the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. There are people of all backgrounds who want to farm, and it is critical for our public policy to support those facing particular barriers, including farmers of color and immigrant and refugee farmers.

Transportation

Transporting our goods and services to market in a global economy requires an efficient and cost effective transportation system. Inefficiency leads to higher prices for producers. Farmers and agriculture producers rely on roads, bridges, reliable freight rails, and access to barges to ensure that we are able to move commodities to reach major global markets. Investments in our transportation infrastructure, including a WRTA bill that upgrades our locks and dams, are critical to the future of the industry.

Education and Workforce Development

Minnesota’s economic strength is tied directly to the strength of our education systems. As a former teacher and the spouse of a public school educator, I know that there is no more important job than preparing our youth for the future. As a father, I want all southern Minnesotan children to have access to the many pathways to success their life can take from birth to post-secondary education. In Congress, I will fight to maintain strong public education and create better alignment with opportunities in our workforce to help Southern Minnesota economically thrive.

In Southern Minnesota in particular, our agriculture, healthcare, and manufacturing industries reach markets around the world. This connection to the global economy affords us the opportunity to drive economic output and world markets, but it also makes us vulnerable to the ever-changing advances in technology and workforce capacity. My vision is for us to not only remain competitive, but to lead. In order to do this, we must be focused on what tomorrow’s landscape looks like and develop an education and workforce system that prepares us for success.

80% of the jobs in 2025 don’t even exist yet. We must be forward looking in how we build our education and workforce development apparatus to meet future demand. If we are going to compete in a rapidly evolving, global marketplace we must take action now to ensure our youth today will be successful in this emerging economy. In Congress, I will lead in the following areas:

Early Childhood Education

Accessibility: I support Early Childhood Education as a pathway that gives our children every advantage to develop socially, emotionally, and intellectually. I will work to ensure that there are multiple affordable options for preschool for families within their home communities.
Low cost: I will pursue policies in Congress to ensure that our early childhood educators, especially our child care providers, can still provide critical services at a low cost. I will also work to control the costs of childcare for our working parents, who shouldn’t have to break their bank before their children even start school.

K-12 Education

Alignment with our economy: I believe that our K-12 education system must prepare our children to be adaptive learners throughout their life in a rapidly evolving economy. Our children must have access to STEM, to the arts, to coding, and to the power that internet connectivity and technology brings to the classroom.
Building partnerships: As a Congressman, I will encourage partnerships between local labor, businesses, technical schooling, apprenticeships, as well as 2 and 4-year degree programs so that each child can be exposed, from an early age, to the many opportunities that already exist right here in our communities. This isn’t just true in manufacturing, but also in healthcare, IT, agriculture, logistics and transportation, aviation, and more. We can be doing a lot more in our education system to help students and their families identify multi-directional educational pathways that can lead to any number of high-wage, high-growth job opportunities available in our communities. There are great models for this youth engagement in our community today, and we know them very well – we know them as FFA and 4-H. Let’s take what we know to be great youth engagement strategies for careers in agriculture, and replicate these models across other industries.
Hands-on training: Let’s teach our kids how to think on their feet and problem solve, how to work in teams and as part of a larger group, expose them to the wonders of modern technology and give them the opportunity to try working with their hands. In Germany, at the age of 10, every student is required to participate in an internship. This shapes their futures well beyond the classroom where they spend the majority of their lives, in the workplace. For this reason, Germany prides itself on one of the lowest youth unemployment rates, where in the U.S. it stands at double that of the national average. We must do better.
Supporting teachers: Great teachers are the lifeblood of our educational system. As the husband of a public school union teacher, I know this well. It’s crucial that we recruit, develop, and retain a strong and diverse teacher workforce. I believe that every classroom must be led and empowered by teachers that are set up for success and compensated for the public service they provide. I will work on creative solutions to recruiting teachers in shortage areas such as STEM, special education, and in our rural communities. I will also support efforts in Congress to make sure teachers can sharpen their skills through ongoing professional development.

Higher Education and Workforce Development

Post-secondary affordability: When our children pursue a post-secondary education, whether a four-year degree or otherwise, it must fulfill the promise of career enhancement without saddling them with debt. In Congress, I will support legislation that caps student loan rates, that expands the job pathways to loan forgiveness, and will work with all higher education to demand transparency when their prices rise. Our future economy requires our children to be lifetime learners, and we must make sure that every experience they have in education encourages this.^[1]

”

—Feehan for Congress^[3]

Campaign advertisements

The following is an example of an ad from Feehan's 2018 election campaign.

"Together" - Feehan campaign ad, released October 23, 2018

External links

Suggest a link

Footnotes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
↑ Dan Feehan’s campaign website, “The Issues,” accessed September 3, 2020
↑ Feehan for Congress, "Issues," accessed September 19, 2018

[show]

Minnesota's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Amy Klobuchar (D)

Tina Smith (D)

Representatives

District 1

Brad Finstad (R)

District 2

Angie Craig (D)

District 3

Dean Phillips (D)

District 4

Betty McCollum (D)

District 5

Ilhan Omar (D)

District 6

Tom Emmer (R)

District 7

Michelle Fischbach (R)

District 8

Pete Stauber (R)

Democratic Party (6)

Republican Party (4)

[quotedisclaimer-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.

[2] Dan Feehan’s campaign website, “The Issues,” accessed September 3, 2020

[3] Feehan for Congress, "Issues," accessed September 19, 2018

[1]

[2]

[3]

	v • e State of Minnesota St. Paul (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? \| Elections in 2024 \| How to vote \| How to run for office \| Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? \| U.S. President \| U.S. Congress \| Federal courts \| State executives \| State legislature \| State and local courts \| Counties \| Cities \| School districts \| Public policy

Dan Feehan

Contents

Elections

2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party of Minnesota primary election

2018

General election

General election for U.S. House Minnesota District 1

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Minnesota District 1

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

Campaign website

2018

Campaign website

Campaign advertisements

See also

External links

Footnotes

Information about voting

2024 Elections

2025 Elections

Analysis

Public Policy

Information for candidates

Get Engaged

Services

Trending

SITE NAVIGATION