Republican candidate Jim Hagedorn won the GOP endorsement for Congress during the First District Republican Convention which took place Saturday at Mankato’s Verizon Wireless Center. Hagedorn was unopposed.

According to a press release, Republican delegates unified behind Hagedorn, who pushed DFL Rep. Tim Walz to a 54-46 percent result in the 2014 election, despite being outspent 6 to 1. Hagedorn stands to be the first back-to-back general election candidate to challenge the 10-year incumbent.

In his speech to delegates, Hagedorn said the United States faced monumental problems and the federal government is in dire need of reform.

“I stand for big, bold solutions to take power from the Washington, D.C. politicians, bureaucrats and interest groups and return authority to the states and the American people,” Hagedorn said.

Hagedorn outlined several of his legislative priorities, including regulatory reform to require Congress to approve major rules, tax simplification, replacing Obamacare, U.S. energy independence, implementing a refugee program timeout and empowering all veterans to choose their own doctors and receive timely, quality medical care.