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My Point of View by Robert Hoffman

What a great time for America, especially for all of us in southern Minnesota. Together we reelected our U.S. Congressman Brad Finstad, we reelected state Reps. Peggy Bennett and Patty Mueller, and in one of the most amazing elections in modern politics, together we reelected President Donald Trump to another term.

Albert Lea and Freeborn County are in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, referred to as CD1. CD1 spans from South Dakota all the way along Iowa’s northern border with Minnesota to the clear other side of the state to Wisconsin. Every single one of Minnesota’s counties that touch the border with Iowa are red counties that voted for President Trump and Congressman Finstad.

CD1 is literally the foundation that our state rests on and why Minnesota may have just seen its last time being called a “blue state” and will vote red in 2026 during the upcoming state elections for governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor and a U.S. Senate seat (currently held by Tina Smith). CD1 flipped two counties from blue to red this last election, including Tim

Walz’s former home county of Blue Earth and Winona, a blue county for close to 30 years. CD1 is the red-line the state rests on and Albert Lea/Freeborn County are right in the middle of all the excitement.

Freeborn County just had its third straight election where every single Republican on the ballot won in Freeborn County. Amy Klobuchar was reelected to the U.S. Senate, but she lost to the Republican candidate in Freeborn County. Six years ago Amy won Freeborn County — not this time. It has been over 70 years since Freeborn County has been so consistently red, and it is Minnesota’s turn to follow suit now. Minnesota can learn a lot from CD1 and Freeborn County, and we are proud to be a very respected part of our state’s success. Every single county in CD1 voted red this last election except for Rochester’s Olmsted County.

I had the honor of being asked to do Congressman Finstad’s nominating speech at the CD1 Convention in Jackson and attend the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee as a delegate from Minnesota. Little old Albert Lea/Freeborn County really is right in the center of all the action and respected for our hard work and success. Even former Congressman Jim Hagedorn invited my wife and I out to DC once to speak during Small Business Week. We are no longer the last stop on the way out of Minnesota — we are the first stop on the way into Minnesota!

All this being said, and as much fun as this victory lap is, (and it is awesome), we have work to do again. Speaking of socialists and communists, Gov. Tim Walz will most likely not run for governor again, but Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will. Traditionally, Minnesota governors do not run for more than two terms. It is not in our state Constitution that they can’t, but it is very uncommon to do so (though Gov. Walz has proven to be a non-traditional and very uncommon governor.) Will this mean the end of Tim Walz? (Have you seen this guy?) Don’t rule out a Senate run by Walz. Minnesota still has the very few pesky blue dots in it to give maniacs like Tim Walz the “hope and joy” he needs to try to stick around.

What’s next? The election of President Trump and the leadership of his new cabinet is going to help the nation as a whole — every single one of us. We need to follow suit and focus on our local and state leadership. I want to invite anyone who is interested in participating to come join us. I have been the county chairman since 2020 and had three goals of building our bench locally, electing great local candidates and helping to flip counties in Minnesota’s CD1. I still have the same three goals for 2026 but have a fourth, flipping the state and making Minnesota red.

In January 2025 we will celebrate the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20. A week before President Trump’s inauguration is our next Freeborn County Republicans’ meeting at 5 p.m. Jan. 13 at Edgewater Bay Pavilion. This will be a great time to come join us just after a New Year’s celebration and just before President Trump takes office again. We can enjoy this victory lap for a little bit, but we have a lot of work ahead for the 2026 elections now.

Robert Hoffman is chairman of the Freeborn County GOP Party.