U.S. Rep. Tim Walz is leaving Congress to run for governor. Jim Hagedorn and Dan Feehan are now seeking to fill his seat representing Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, which covers most of southern Minnesota.
Feehan declined to return MCCL's candidate questionnaire. But he has received endorsements from NARAL Pro-Choice America and Planned Parenthood, the nation's leading practitioner of abortion.
In response to the latter endorsement, he tweeted, "Reproductive health is a personal matter that shouldn't be dictated by Washington politicians. I look forward to being [Planned Parenthood's] ally in Congress to protect reproductive freedom."
Planned Parenthood, which performs hundreds of thousands of abortions each year, opposes any legal limits on abortion. It supports late abortions and taxpayer funding of abortion. Through the support of its allies in Congress, Planned Parenthood receives hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars each year.
Hagedorn, by contrast, provided a 100 percent pro-life response to MCCL's candidate questionnaire. He supports legal protection for unborn children and their mothers. He opposes taxpayer funding of abortion.
In a statement, Hagedorn says, "The protection of life, including the unborn, elderly, sick and disabled, from conception to natural death, is a strongly held core belief of mine, one that I am proud to make an important part of our campaign, as it reflects the views and values of residents of the First Congressional District."
"I will always stand up for the right to life," Hagedorn adds. "There is a clear difference between me and my opponent on this issue."