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Try, try again… and again

Jim Hagedorn, who won the First District congressional seat by a margin as thin as the one he lost by in 2016, is proof of the adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” — and in his case, … and again, and again.

Hagedorn, the erstwhile Republican candidate, won the seat on his fourth try. His accomplishment this time around is not nearly as impressive as his near miss in 2016, when he came within 2,548 votes of upsetting Rep. Tim Walz, in a race that gained little support from the Republican leadership and the big money PACs.

On Tuesday, he defeated first-time Democratic candidate Dan Feehan by 1,311 votes, in a race awash with campaign donations from Republicans and PACs that wanted to flip the district to the Republican side.

Hagedorn has tied himself firmly to Donald Trump’s coattails, enjoying a bump from a campaign visit by the president to the district. Hagedorn, who has espoused Trumpian ideals long before Trump decided to run, campaigned by saying he wanted to go to Washington and help the president achieve his goals.

But now he will be working from the minority side of the aisle after Democrats gained control of the House. How much he will be able to help the president from that position remains to be seen.

But congratulations to Hagedorn, who finally has the chance to show what he can do. It’s been a long time coming for him.

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