Republicans managed to flip two Democratic House seats in Minnesota, even as a blue wave swept Democrats into a controlling majority of the lower congressional chamber.
The contest in Minnesota’s southern 1st Congressional District dragged on overnight, but Republican Jim Hagedorn was officially declared as the victor Wednesday afternoon, pulling ahead of Dan Feehan by fewer than 2,000 votes.
Republican Pete Stauber solidly won northeastern Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District race, as expected.
Polls leading up to the race likely overestimated his advantage over former state Rep. Joe Radinovich, but Mr. Stauber ended up with a 5 percent lead — breaking a tradition of razor-thin margins in the swing district.
Each district was a sorely needed win for Republicans, who lost more than 20 seats in Tuesday’s election.
