Minnesota Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn, 59, died Thursday after a battle with kidney cancer.
Former Minnesota Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan made Hagedorn's death public in a Facebook post Friday morning.
"It is with a broken heart, shattered spirit and overwhelming sadness I share my husband Congressman Jim Hagedorn passed away peacefully last night," Carnahan wrote. "Jim loved our country and loved representing the people of southern Minnesota. Every moment of every day he lived his dream by serving others. There was no stronger conservative in our state than my husband; and it showed in how he voted, led and fought for our country."
In a statement, Hagedorn's campaign said that he was surrounded by his wife, extended family, and friends.
"For more than three years, he battled kidney cancer while working vigorously day in and day out for the people of Minnesota’s First District," Friends of Hagedorn said in a statement. “During his service, Jim’s focus was always on the priorities of the region: agriculture, small business, transportation, and our world class health care system. Moreover, he’ll forever be known as a commonsense conservative who championed fair tax policy, American energy independence, Peace Through Strength foreign policy, and southern Minnesota’s way of life and values.”
Hagedorn was diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer shortly after he took office in 2019 and was treated at the Mayo Clinic. In July 2021, he announced a recurrence of the cancer.
Hagedorn was elected to Minnesota's 1st Congressional District in 2018. He was the Republican nominee for the then-Democratic-controlled district in the two cycles before he flipped it to Republican control.
Born and raised in Minnesota, Hagedorn was exposed to politics at a young age after his father, Tom Hagedorn, was elected to represent Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District in 1974, an office he held until 1983. Before running for Congress himself, Hagedorn worked in Congress as a legislative assistant for Minnesota Rep. Arlan Stangeland and as a congressional affairs officer for two U.S. Treasury agencies, according to his office biography.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The congressman’s death leaves the House of Representatives with 211 Republicans, 222 Democrats, and two vacancies. California Rep. Devin Nunes resigned on Jan. 3.