Math teacher Jake Johnson is the Congressman-elect for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District defeating incumbent Rep. Brad Finstad in an upset win for Democrats. Earlier this year, 314 Action Fund named MN-01, an R+6 district, as one of the top under-the-radar races to watch. Shaughnessy Naughton, President and Founder of 314 Action, released the following statement on his victory:
“Jake Johnson is the next Congressman for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, delivering an upset victory in the North Star state’s most competitive House race. Johnson put MN-01 on the map for Democrats and shifted the district by double-digits with his hard-fought victory in the Southern Minnesota district. He won because he ran an honest campaign focused on tackling Trump’s tariffs, rising costs and rural healthcare. As an educator and math teacher, Jake is trained to solve problems every day in his classroom and now, his constituents will finally have a representative they can count on in Congress.”
Jake Johnson has been a high school math teacher for the past 20 years, teaching AP calculus through remedial math at Rochester Public Schools. His dedication to his students has made him a two-time recipient of the highest recognition in the state for math education. His campaign championed bringing down costs, taking on corruption, and investing in small towns, so that Minnesota students will have a shot at the American Dream. Johnson’s victory and his strong grassroots fundraising prove that Minnesotans are ready for change.
“Johnson ran a strong campaign by listening to voters,” continued Naughton. “Hosting 21 public town halls––in every county in the district––he proved he will stand for Southern Minnesota in Washington, not Donald Trump. Johnson has committed to hosting these in-person town halls every term he serves in Congress. We look forward to his leadership on healthcare, affordability, and corruption in Washington.”