MINNEAPOLIS — Republican U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad and Democrat Jake Johnson are both trying to put President Donald Trump at the center of the closely watched race to represent southern Minnesota in Congress.

Throughout two recent debates, Johnson forced Finstad to defend Trump’s policies, which the math teacher from Rochester has tied to the rising cost of living.

“[Finstad] spent some time on this campaign talking about ‘common sense versus crazy,’” Johnson said during Monday’s debate on Rochester’s KAAL-TV. ”Well, I think the tariff policy is crazy. I think pursuing a war in Iran is crazy. I think health care cuts for you is crazy.”

Finstad, a farmer from New Ulm, doubled down on his support for Trump’s agenda, saying that’s what southern Minnesota voters sent him to Congress to do.

“You told me to go to Washington and go to work for you to make sure that you had the opportunity to keep more of your hard-earned dollars in your pockets, not in a government that is riddled with fraud, waste and abuse,” Finstad said Monday. “You told me to secure the border, and you told me to fight for our way of life and the future of southern Minnesota.”

But he made a rare break from Trump and pushed back on the president’s vow to send $5,000 to each voter if Republicans are able to keep their grip on both chambers of Congress after the election. Finstad called Trump’s plan “ludicrous” and said he does not support it.

Here’s what they said across the debates about tariffs, the war in Iran, data centers, immigration enforcement and in-person town halls.

Johnson has been tying the Iran war to rising fuel prices, and during the debates he vowed to go to Washington to try to end the war.

”We’ve seen what this has done for working families, for farmers, for small business owners across southern Minnesota, and this was preventable,” Johnson said Monday.

Johnson attacked Finstad for supporting the war and voting against war powers resolutions that would rein in Trump’s conflict, which some Republicans have supported.

Finstad maintained his support for the conflict and said presidents from both parties were unable to reach lasting peace deals with Iran, which he said is “moving closer and closer” to equipping “nuclear-capable missiles.”

“We don’t pick a time and a place when we see an adversary increasing threats to the homeland and threats to allies,” Finstad said Monday.

Tariffs are another Trump policy Johnson has said he would go to Congress to try to undo.

“Tariffs are a tax; they’re costing people in southern Minnesota more,” Johnson said during the debate hosted Thursday by Rochester stations KEYC and KTTC. “I think it’s one of the biggest failures of this administration. This trade policy will be long-lasting, long-affecting, and really, really cause problems in our economy in the long term.”

But Finstad defended the tariffs as a “tool” that an administration can use to ensure fair trade.

“The tariff lever that the president used brought new partners to the table. We are seeing record exports in ethanol, in dairy, in soybean oil, and we are seeing it now in the market,” Finstad said during last week’s debate, adding he is now able to sell his soybeans this fall for $3 more per bushel than he did last year and corn for nearly $1 more.

“Tariffs again are a tool that can be used to make sure that we have a fair chance, a fighting chance to trade fairly and freely all over the globe,” Finstad said.

Both candidates said they do not support calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Johnson said he supports investigating and potentially prosecuting the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal agents this winter in Minneapolis, while Finstad avoided saying where he stands.

“Our law enforcement officers want to keep us safe. They know they are held to high standards, and they do an incredibly difficult job trying to keep us safe,” Johnson said Monday. “But if there are folks who work outside of the law, we need an investigation, and anybody who broke the law needs to be held accountable.”

Finstad focused his response on calls to abolish ICE, saying instead that ICE should be “reformed.”

“The killings ... that we have seen in Minnesota should hurt all of us. It’s unnecessary,” Finstad said Monday. “But we as a country, have to have a moment in time where we ask ourselves, who are we?

“Are we the land of law and order? Do we respect law and order? Do we create sanctuary cities that decide when and when not they want to cooperate with federal law?”

Finstad used Monday’s debate to highlight what he’s done in Congress to tackle Minnesota’s sprawling fraud crisis and criticized Minnesota Democrats for letting fraud go unchecked.

His National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026 legislation recently passed out of the U.S. House. The bill would make the newly created National Fraud Enforcement Division within the U.S Department of Justice permanent.

“We have to beef up this enforcement division at the Department of Justice. But we also need to hold states accountable,” Finstad said Monday.

Johnson has laid out a taxpayer protection plan and called on Congress to restore inspectors generals that were fired as part of federal government cuts by the Trump administration.

“They can help prevent the fraud. They can help look into when it happens and how it happens to save taxpayers’ money,” Johnson said last week.

Johnson, who supports a federal moratorium on data centers until the industry meets certain conditions, says there needs to be a “basic federal standard” for data centers.

Finstad, who opposes a moratorium, argued that local governments and communities need to set the standards for them.

“It is a slippery slope when the federal government comes in and starts saying: ‘I’m going to pick winners and losers for our local communities.’ Where does it stop?” Finstad said.

Johnson pushed back and argued the residents near Google’s Pine Island data center were left in the dark about what was being built there.

“The reality is the protections that are in place or not in place in Minnesota are not enough right now,” Johnson said.

Johnson has made in-person town halls a pillar of his campaign and has repeatedly criticized Finstad for not holding them in person over the past four years. He has vowed to hold regular town halls if he’s elected to Congress and has painted Finstad as not being accountable to southern Minnesota voters.

On Monday, Finstad was asked directly if he would commit to holding regular, publicly advertised in-person town halls, but he avoided making any firm commitments to do so.

Instead, Finstad pointed to the roundtables and listening sessions he’s held across the district. Finstad has also held telephone town halls.

“I am having conversations, productive conversations that leads to legislation, that leads to more knowledge and the ability for us to communicate for advancing programs and policies that support our way of life in southern Minnesota,” Finstad said.

Johnson slammed Finstad for fearing a “pitchfork-wielding mob,” referring to how Finstad characterized prospective town hall attendees during a recent KAAL interview.

“Ask yourself this question: If you are one of Congressman Finstad’s constituents right now, how do you get in contact with him? Can you meet with him in person? The answer is no.”

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