ALBERT LEA - Agriculture law attorney Matt Benda has announced his candidacy for Minnesota’s vacant First District congressional seat.
Benda was born and raised on the family farm in Alpha, where he and his family kicked off their campaign this weekend.
"The First Congressional District is Minnesota's agricultural breadbasket filled with hard-working people farming our land, running main street businesses and saving lives with world class healthcare," Benda said in a statement. "Congressman Jim Hagedorn was a tireless advocate for these foundational pillars, and I would be honored to carry on his work in these critical areas."
Benda has been active in the Freeborn County Republican Party for a number of years. He previously ran for the House District 27A seat.
His father, George, served as president of the Minnesota Cattlemen’s Association and introduced Matt to the Republican Party. He has two sisters who still farm the family farm and are active in the pork industry.
Benda graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in agricultural business management, and with honors from Drake University Law School.
At Drake, he was founding editor of the Journal of Agricultural Law and did policy work for the Farm Bureau and U.S. Department of Agriculture. He was twice named “Attorney of the Year” for his work in the community, and previously served as chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Agricultural Law Section Council.
He and his wife Heather, a CPA in Albert Lea, have been married 22 years and have two children.
There are than a dozen candidates for the seat from the Republican, Democratic and a third-party candidate running under the Legal Marijuana Now banner.
Among those running is the former chair of Minnesota's Republican Party, Jennifer Carnahan. She announced Monday she is running in the seat held by her late husband, Jim Hagedorn.
Hagedorn died of kidney cancer last month.
Gov, Tim Walz has called a special primary for May 24, followed by a special election on Aug. 9 to fill out the remainder of Hagedorn's term. The filing period closes Tuesday.