Another candidate is running against Finstad in the 1st Congressional District
Jun. 16—ROCHESTER — Oliver Morlan, a Zumbro Falls native and member of a family-owned business, announced that he is running for Congress in the First Congressional District as an independent candidate. The seat is currently held by Rep. Brad Finstad, a Republican.
"I'm running to increase independent representation," Morlan said. "I'm trying to inspire that not just here in the district, but across Minnesota. I just feel that the country is in need of desperate change."
A 2018 graduate of Century High School and self-described lifelong musician, Morlan, 25, said there is public impatience with how Congress is conducting its business and an appetite for holding the body "fiscally and ethically responsible." He said both parties are guilty of passing misleading spending and budget bills that "run up the deficit, cause massive inflation and are too big to fully scrutinize."
Jake Johnson, a longtime teacher with Rochester Public Schools, is running for the DFL endorsement to challenge Finstad for his congressional seat. Finstad was elected to Congress in a 2022 special election and has since been re-elected to two two-year terms in the GOP-leaning district.
Given the dominance of the two-party system, independent and minor-party candidates have a poor track record, historically speaking, of winning elections. Often lacking the fundraising prowess and infrastructure of the major parties, they struggle to get the name recognition necessary for victory. There are currently no independent members serving in the House of Representatives.
With little political experience, Morlan acknowledged that he was "running against all odds" and that he would be relying on his "own resources" and a "lot of community support" to compete. Still, he argues that the environment was favorable to an outsider and pointed to the criticism directed at Finstad for failing to hold in-person town hall meetings.
"I think that kind of non-representation might be the key factor here," Morlan said.
Morlan said he plays a leading role as a trainer for D&M Industrial Cleaners, a commercial cleaning business that serves clients across southeastern Minnesota. As a musician, Morlan worked a short stint as a teacher at Pure Rock Studios in Rochester.
Morlan said he supported term limits and was a tax-cut advocate, but would vote against President Donald Trump's "big, beautiful" bill that would extend the tax cuts passed in 2017 because "it is just too big."
"The way this country was set up was so that regular people from any background could throw their hat in the race and see if they could make change in this country," Morlan said. "And I feel that we've kind of gotten away from that in more recent times."
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"Suspect Showed Few Signs of Political Extremism before Lawmaker Shootings." 16 June 2025, Accessed 16 June 2025.. "Governor's Workforce Development Board - Minutes." 26 Oct. 2022, Accessed 16 June 2025. and "Friends Say Minnesota Shooting Suspect Was Deeply Religious and Conservative." AP News, 15 June 2025, Accessed 16 June 2025. "Members / Governor's Workforce Development Board." Governor's Workforce Development Board, 2025, Accessed 16 June 2025. "On June 14, Champlin Police Responded to an Early Morning Shooting Involving a State Legislator." Champlin, MN, 2025, Accessed 16 June 2025. Orenstein, Walker, and Walker Orenstein. "Fact Check: Was Suspected Assassin Boelter Close with MN Gov. Walz? No." 15 June 2025, Accessed 16 June 2025. "Walz, Flanagan Announce Appointments." Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, 22 Mar. 2023, Accessed 16 June 2025. "Walz, Flanagan Announce Appointments to the Governor's Workforce Development Board." Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, 9 Dec. 2019, Accessed 16 June 2025.
