Big money flows into MN's 1st district U.S. House race

One of the most competitive congressional races in the country is in southern Minnesota, where residents are being subjected to a barrage of political ads. Democrats are hoping to ride a blue wave to flip a Republican district that the GOP is rallying to defend.

DFL candidate Jake Johnson, a high school math teacher in Rochester, is running to unseat two-term Republican Rep. Brad Finstad. Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District was initially projected to be a fairly safe one for the Republican, but that’s shifted amid voter discontent with rising inflation, high gas and diesel prices, the war with Iran and other Trump administration policies.

The Cook Political Report changed its rating of the district from “likely Republican” to “leaning Republican” a couple weeks ago. Political data expert and FiveThirtyEight founder Nate Silv...