Former foreign minister turned mining adviser and fashion icon Julie Bishop has made another bold statement in her life post-politics.
Ms Bishop joined Australian department store David Jones for their first runway show in four years to premiere the latest Spring/ Summer 22 collection.
She turned heads on Wednesday night’s red carpet in a $3750 metallic jacquard long sleeve mini dress designed by French luxury fashion house Balmain.
Julie Bishop attends the David Jones SS22 Wonderworld Season Launch at David Jones. Credit: James Gourley/Getty Images for David Jones
The former politician slipped on a pair of black stockings, simple black pumps and completed the head-to-toe black look with a clutch adorned with silver chain detail.
Ms Bishop received a string of adoring comments when she posted photos of her look to her Instagram account.
Pip Edwards of Aussie activewear brand PE Nation wrote, “You stunner.”
“Va va va Voom!!,” Sunrise entertainment reporter Nelson Aspen commented.
One spot-on Instagram user compared Ms Bishop’s look to that of the late Princess Diana’s infamous ‘revenge’ dress which she wore at her first public event following her headline-making split from Prince Charles.
She was wearing a short black cocktail dress designed by Christina Stambolian. Tim Graham/Getty Images Credit: News Corp Australia
“Is that like Diana’s revenge dress?,” they said.
The skin tight mini black number certainly looked similar to the Christina Stambolian cocktail dress worn by the British princess.
It’s even more fitting given Ms Bishops very public split from long-time boyfriend David Panton who reportedly dumped her over dinner in July ending their eight-year relationship.
“I’m very busy,” Bishop told Confidential of her newly single life.
Julie Bishop introduced her former beau of eight years, David Panton to Prince Charles. Image: Instagram Credit: Supplied
“I spend a lot of time at the ANU as chancellor, I’m doing a lot of speaking engagements and attending fabulous events like the David Jones launch”.
Just this month, Bishop hosted a Q&A with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy attended by university students from across Australia.
Ms Bishop also showed off a return to her iconic close-cropped blonde look after many months of growing out her hair post-politics.
“Ooo has she gone short hair again! I love her with short hair,” One fan, @amysuart commented below the photo.
Julie Bishop hosts a Q&A with President Zelenskyy as part of her role as ANU Chancellor. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia
“Looking gorgeous, what an inspiration, love the new do,” a friend said.
Bishop told Confidential she rushed to the salon just hours before the event.
“It’s a post-Covid recovery haircut,” Bishop said.
“After we went into lockdown I let my hair grow and then it became so easy but I managed to get an appointment with Scott Sloan, whom I have a great deal of respect for, and he cut my hair so I’m feeling great. ”
Ms Bishop was joined on the guest list by indie artist Vera Blue, model Natalie Roser, TV-host Erin Holland, activewear entrepreneur Pip Edwards, and fashion designer Bianca Spender at the flagship store.
A Hawaii man has been arrested for a 1982 slaying of a teenager abducted from a bus stop in California, authorities announced Tuesday.
Police in Sunnyvale nabbed 75-year-old Gary Ramirez in Maui after they concluded his DNA matched the blood from the scene of 15-year-old Karen Stitt’s murder, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office.
DNA technology was used to link Gary Ramirez to the blood from Karen Stitt’s leather jacket.Maui Police Department
Stitt was waiting for a bus in Sunnyvale when she disappeared in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 1982. A delivery truck driver found her unclothed dead body in bushes a football field away from the station, according to a Mercury News story published Tuesday.
Police said DNA technology was used to link Ramirez to the blood from Karen’s leather jacket and the 4-foot cinder block wall where the killer left her after stabbing her 59 times.
Sunnyvale police Detective Matt Hutchison revealed that while he arrested Ramirez — a retired bug exterminator and Air Force veteran with an injured hip — appeared so shocked he could only utter, “Oh my gosh.”
Ramirez, a Fresno native, had no criminal record, police said. His older brother, Rudy Ramirez, who also lives in Maui, said it was hard to conceive that his younger brother would carry out a grisly murder.
“I’ve never seen him violent or get angry ever,” Rudy Ramirez told the newspaper. “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
In 2019, Hutchison partnered with a genealogist, who narrowed the DNA down to four brothers.
Hutchison then searched for one of Gary Ramirez’s children, and collected a DNA sample, which revealed there was a high likelihood that the suspect was their father, he said. Authorities then employed a search warrant to swab Gary Ramirez’s mouth for a DNA sample, which a crime lab confirmed matched the DNA found at the decades-old crime scene.
When he opened the email with the DNA match, “I wanted to scream, but I can’t because I didn’t want to wake up the hotel,” Hutchison said. “So I just took a moment to reflect.”
He opened up his laptop and clicked on the photo of Karen.
Karen Stitt was waiting for a bus in Sunnyvale when she disappeared in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, 1982.County of Santa ClaraKaren Stitt’s unclothed and bloody body was found in some bushes not far from the bus station.County of Santa ClaraGary Ramirez allegedly stabbed Karen Stitt 59 times.County of Santa Clara“I’ve never seen him violent or get angry ever,” Gary Ramirez’s brother reacted.County of Santa Clara
“I took a quick glance at her photo,” he said, “and I just told her, ‘We did it.’”
Ramirez is locked up in a Maui jail while waiting for a Wednesday extradition hearing in order to transport him to California.
Radio 6PR host Liam Bartlett is opposed to group homes opposite his house having clear glass on their balconies because he doesn’t want to look at their washing.
Owners of five terrace homes being built in Nedlands want a condition to have frosted glass on their balcony balustrades — to stop people looking into their houses — removed. The side of Bartlett’s house is opposite the houses, which are being built.
Mr Bartlett — who lives opposite the homes — has objected to the move saying he didn’t want to see the residents’ “bikes” or “washing” on the balconies.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.
Mr Bartlett told the council when the development was approved last year, they had negotiated the preservation of an “important tree” and the frosted glass.
6pr presenter Liam Bartlett has objected to removing a condition for frosted glass. Credit: 6pr.com.au/6pr.com.au
“We were more than happy to see height to see density. To have four separate apartments opposite our house. To lose parking. To see more bins and less amenities,” he said.
Mr Bartlett said his house was elevated behind his wall and had four windows that looked out onto the property.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m not fond of looking out onto people’s balconies and their bikes and their washing or whatever else they want to stick up on their balcony or what they’re doing behind their balconies,” he said.
“That’s the reason we had this compromised position.”
Bartlett said the staff recommendation to allow clear glass was “beyond the pale”.
“I can’t understand why we paid rates for 29 years at that property. The first I hear about this is an email saying administration has recommended it,” he said.
Grouped homes under construction in Nedlands Credit: Jake Dietsch/Perth Now
The City of Nedlands approved the construction of five grouped homes, with one on the corner of a Nedlands street and the other four on the adjoining avenue, in May 2021.
Each was sold for $690,000 last year and are all currently under construction.
City staff have recommended the condition to use “either opaque material or frosted glass” be removed.
They said the “cone of vision” for the home on the corner block was confined to the street and it did not overlook any other residential property behind the street setback area.
“Passive surveillance from the balcony on to (the streetscape) is a positive outcome, as it is generally a good planning principle to promote safety through providing opportunities for ‘eyes on the street’,” staff said.
Grouped homes under construction in Nedlands Credit: Jake Dietsch/Perth Now
Staff said the application for the other four homes “satisfies all the relevant deemed-to-comply provisions” for visual privacy and reiterated “street surveillance is seen as a positive outcome.”
One of the homeowners, Geoffrey Nathan, spoke on behalf of himself and the owners of three other homes being built.
Mr Nathan said the condition for frosted glass was placed after they had bought their homes individually and all the sales material showed clear glass.
“The builders weren’t aware that this motion (to impose frosted glass) was coming through,” he said.
Mr Nathan said it was a “matter of aesthetics” but frosted glass would cut off their natural light and view of the street.
Staff estimated it would cost the city between $30,000 to $50,000 if the council refused to remove the condition and an owner took the matter to the State Administrative Tribunal.
The council is scheduled to vote on whether or not to remove the condition at its August 23 meeting.
A luxury car stolen from a home in Woodvale — which is linked to the investigation into whether two teenagers were being followed in a vigilante chase before they came off a stolen motorcycle in Hillarys — has crashed in Balga after it failed to stop for police.
The white BMW hatchback crashed into a civilian van after a short police pursuit about 4pm on Wednesday on the corner of Princess Road and Princess Way.
Three people in the BMW have been taken into custody and nobody was injured.
The white BMW hatchback crashed into a civilian van after a short police pursuit about 4pm on Wednesday. Credit: simon santi/The West Australian
A Princess Road resident, who did not want to be named, said it was lucky her five-year-old son and eight-year-old daughter were not playing outside at the time.
The crash happened within meters of the family’s backyard where there is a children’s swing set.
The crash happened within meters of the family’s backyard where there is a children’s swing set. Credit: simon santi/The West Australian
“I got home from work and made (the kids) go in the house straight away, the biggest frustration is just how close it was to going through my fence,” she said.
“It would be a whole different ball game had it gone further in, we might not be standing here today.”
Another resident said he was watching TV about 3pm when he heard what sounds like “bombs had gone off”.
A man is arrested by detectives. Credit: simon santi/The West Australian
Police allege the BMW was stolen during a home burglary in Woodvale in the early hours of Monday.
A Woodvale couple and their two children were asleep inside their home when the BMW was allegedly stolen.
Two men in Washington DC were attacked in a potential hate crime by assailants who allegedly used an anti-gay slur and referenced “monkeypox,” authorities said.
Metropolitan Police Department said the pair of hateful suspects approached the victims and made derogatory comments “based on their sexual orientation” around 7 pm Sunday.
The suspects called the couple “monkeypox f—–s” and punched them several times, according to an ABC story, which cited an incident report.
The victims were rushed to nearby hospitals, police said.
Police on Tuesday announced it was “investigating this offense as potentially being motivated by hate or bias.”
One of the victims told NBC Washington that he didn’t immediately realize the extent of what happened.
“One of them comes up to me and punches me in the jaw, giving me a gash right here that needed about three stitches,” Antonio, who requested anonymity, told the outlet.
“I started noticing that I’m covered in blood. I didn’t realize how bad my lip was until other people saw it. I thought it was just, you know, a cut on my face,” the victim added to the outlet.
Two suspects are accused of assaulting and hurling homophobic slurs at two men in Washington, DC.MPDWashington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced police is investigating the alleged hate crime.WUSAOne of the victim’s shirts was full of blood after being punched multiple times.WUSA
“The first moment, I was just angry and I was just like, ‘What kind of ignorance is this?’” Antonio recalled. But he told the outlet he was “not shocked” by the apparent motivation for the assault.
“I think it’s been a buildup over the last couple of months and years of conversations we’ve had about LGBTQ people,” I explained. “It can happen here.”
DC Major Muriel Bowser, in a statement posted on Twittersaid she was “extremely disturbed” by the possible hate crime.
Washington DC authorities have declared the assaults a hate crime.WUSAA victim named Antonio was punched in the jaw.WUSA
“I want to send my support to the victims,” Bowser said Tuesday. “Whenever a hate crime happens in our city, it is our collective responsibility to understand the role we each play in building a safer community for every person who lives in and visits DC”
The city’s police department’s LGBT Liaison Unit is “part of” the probe, according to the mayor.
United States federal scrutiny of Google’s digital advertising operations can be traced back to the Trump administration.
By Leah Nylen and Gerry SmithBloomberg
Published On 9 Aug 2022Aug 9, 2022
The US Justice Department is preparing to sue Google as soon as next month, according to people familiar with the matter, capping years of work to build a case that the Alphabet Inc. unit illegally dominates the digital advertising market.
Lawyers with the DOJ’s antitrust division are questioning publishers in another round of interviews to refresh facts and glean additional details for the complaint, said three people familiar with the conversations who asked not to be named discussing an ongoing investigation.
Some of the interviews have already taken place and others are scheduled in the coming weeks, two of the people said. They build on previous interrogations conducted during an earlier stage of the long-running investigation, the people said.
An ad tech complaint, which Bloomberg had reported was in the works last year, would mark the DOJ’s second case against Google following the government’s 2020 lawsuit alleging the tech titan dominates the online search market in violation of antitrust laws.
Still undecided is whether prosecutors will file the case in federal court in Washington, where the search case is pending, or in New York, where state attorneys general have their own antitrust case related to Google’s ad tech business, the people said.
The Justice Department declined to comment.
“Our advertising technologies help websites and apps fund their content, and enable small businesses to reach customers around the world,” said Google spokesperson Peter Schottenfels. “The enormous competition in online advertising has made online ads more relevant, reduced ad tech fees, and expanded options for publishers and advertisers.”
The DOJ’s ad tech probe is an example of the federal government’s push to rein in the largest US technology platforms after nearly a decade during which regulators took little to no action. The Federal Trade Commission has sold Meta Platforms Inc. seeking to force it to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp and is investigating Amazon.com Inc. over its control of online retail.
Apple Inc. is also under investigation by the Justice Department related to its tight control over the App Store. These types of probes are difficult, taking years to prepare and resolve as they wend their way from investigation to litigation and appeals.
Federal scrutiny of Google’s digital advertising operations goes back to the Trump administration. Then-Attorney General William Barr sued the Mountain View, California-based company over its search business instead, alleging the company used exclusive distribution deals with wireless carriers and phone makers to lock out competition.
In December 2020, attorneys general for 16 states and Puerto Rico also sued Google for allegedly monopolizing the online digital advertising market. The suit alleges Google reached an illegal deal with Meta to manipulate the online auctions where advertisers and website publishers buy and sell ad space. Meta isn’t accused of wrongdoing in the states’ lawsuit, though regulators in the UK and Europe have opened a probe into both companies over the agreement, nicknamed Jedi Blue.
Google denies the allegations and has asked a federal judge to dismiss the states’ complaint. A hearing on that request is scheduled for later this month.
The search giant is the biggest player in the market for online display ads, which help fund news, sports and entertainment websites. The company owns tools that help websites sell ads, others that help advertisers buy space and the most widely used platform where online ad auctions take place.
Google controlled about 28.6% of the $211.2 billion in US digital ad spending last year, according to eMarketer, while Facebook made up 23.8% and Amazon 11.6%.
After famously filming the horrific Eastern Freeway collision which killed four police officers, infamous Porsche driver Richard Pusey tried to use the photos to make an insurance claim for $2.2 million, a court has heard.
Police allege Pusey, 44, distributed graphic pictures of the April 2020 crash – some of which showed the severely injured officers – online in a Google review of a car dealership and for a complaint to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority.
The former mortgage broker, who identifies as non-binary, will be self-represented throughout the hearing to fight the charges.
Pusey faced Sunshine Magistrate’s Court in prison greens on Tuesday after pleading not guilty to two charges of using a carriage service in an offensive manner and two charges of breaching their bail by allegedly reoffending.
Pusey was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment on April 28, 2021 after they were found guilty of outraging public decency by filming the deaths of four police officers. Pusey had been pulled over by police for speeding when a truck veered into the emergency lane and fatally hit the four officers.
The court heard Pusey allegedly published graphic images of the officers online during two separate complaints in relation to the damage to their Porsche sustained during the tragic Eastern Freeway collision.
In the submission to the AFCA, Pusey said they have been unable to secure an insurance payout for the damage done to their car because “no one wants to own the claim”.
“A truck mowed down four hero road safety officers … It broke a black Porsche and now these c***s won’t pay up,” they complained to the authority.
The court heard they asked for $2.2 million in damages for the trauma of seeing the police officers violently killed in the crash.
However, the senior AFCA manager in charge of the claim, Harry Ganavas, told the court the images attached to the claim were irrelevant and Pusey’s description of events left him “full of revulsion”.
“I felt repulsed and physically ill, actually, when I viewed the photographs,” he said.
Police prosecutor Anthony Albore told the court one of the images submitted didn’t even show the damage done to the Porsche.
The “inappropriate and disrespectful” claim was denied.
The court heard Pusey also uploaded a one-star Google review about Porsche Center Melbourne, in which they criticized the company’s insurance policy and level of customer service.
An investigating police officer told the court the 44-year-old used a graphic photo of one of the bleeding police officers on the roof of the Porsche for their Google profile picture.
The officer said she felt “angry and outraged” when she saw the horrific image from the fatal tragedy.
A member of the public police alerted to the Google review, in which they allegedly used a horrific profile picture. Credit: Supplied
Mr Albore claimed an Instagram account called “The Richard Pusey Show” contained a non-confronting photo showing the damage to the Porsche, which they could have used for their complaints.
The prosecutor alleged there were a number of personal details on the Instagram account which proved it was run by Pusey.
The Porsche driver told the court the prosecution were “telling a story.”
The hearing continues before Magistrate Michelle Mykytowycz on Wednesday.
President Biden tried to claim Wednesday that the US had “zero inflation” in July hours after federal Consumer Price Index data showed annual inflation dipping only slightly to 8.5%, which outraged Republicans and other critics who pointed out it’s still near a four-decade high .
The latest figures reflected a demand-driven decline in fuel prices — including gasoline, which hit a record national average of $5 per gallon in mid-June before sliding to a still-high $4 average today — that offset increases in the cost of food, rent and other goods and services.
“I just want to say a number: zero,” Biden said in the White House East Room before signing legislation granting greater medical and disability benefits to veterans suffering illnesses linked to inhaling toxic smoke.
“Today, we received news that our economy had 0% inflation in the month of July — 0%,” Biden said. “Here’s what that means: while the price of some things went up — went up last month, the price of other things went down by the same amount. The result? Zero inflation last month.
President Joe Biden insists the US is undergoing “zero inflation” in spite of federal data showing its more than eight percent.REUTERS/Kevin Lamarques
“But people are still hurting,” the president went on, before repeating: “But 0% inflation last month.”
Biden then proceeded to accidentally step on his own message by urging Congress to pass the Senate-approved Inflation Reduction Act, which he said would keep inflation “from getting better,” a view advanced by Republicans, before correcting himself to say “from getting worse.” .”
Biden’s rosy spin on the latest inflation report was quickly called out as misleading by critics, especially after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tweeted: “We just received news that our economy had 0% inflation in July. While the price of some things went up, the price of others, like gas, clothing, and more, dropped.”
“The Biden Administration has a tortured relationship with math,” joked Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) on Twitter.
The Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index shows inflation remains at a four-decade high at 8.5 percent.New York Post Illustration
“Ridiculous BS from the White House,” tweeted Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas). “There’s 8.5% inflation and basically everything anyone ever buys went up in price. This is just cruel gaslighting from the Biden admin.”
“Either the White House doesn’t understand what inflation is or they just don’t care,” said Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.). “That doesn’t change the pain and hardship that Americans are enduring because of their failed policies.”
“It’s a bogus math trick. This is the overall one-month index change. Overall that means that the big drop in fuel oil and gas (following previous massive monthly increases) swamped the huge increases everywhere else,” tweeted Jeffrey Tucker, president of the Brownstone Institute think tank.
“Using the same tactic, you could also observe a one-month 19.2% increase in electricity! But of course we would not do that because that’s dumb,” Tucker added. “The actual increase is 15.2% which we get from calculating year over year.”
John Cooper, director of media and public relations at the conservative Heritage Foundation, tweeted, “Joe Biden claims, multiple times, that there was ‘zero inflation’ in July. Absolutely false. Year-over-year inflation was 8.5% in July.”
The Bureau of Labor statistics laid the data out in black and white — reporting the highest annual jump in food prices since the 1970s, with a 1.3% bump in at-home food costs from June to July and a 10.9% food-cost jump in the past year.
“The all items less food and energy index rose 5.9 percent over the last 12 months,” the official report said, referring to so-called “core inflation.” “The energy index increased 32.9 percent for the 12 months ending July, a smaller increase than the 41.6-percent increase for the period ending June. The food index increased 10.9 percent over the last year, the largest 12-month increase since the period ending May 1979.”
National gas prices still remain at $4 a gallon or more.AP Photo/Marta Lavandier, File
Overall annual inflation was 9.1% in June, the highest rate since 1981. Critics blame Biden’s policies, including large spending bills, while the White House has blamed an array of other factors — including COVID-19, supply chain bottlenecks and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Federal Reserve has a target of about 2% annual inflation and has been increasing interest rates this year in an attempt to tamp down price increases.
The pending Inflation Reduction Act, which the House is expected to pass as early as Friday, provides nearly $400 billion for environmental programs, including tax credits of up to $7,000 to buy electric vehicles, and roughly $64 billion to extend more generous COVID-19- it was Obamacare subsidies.
Sen. Ted Cruz accused the White House of “cruel gaslighting” on Americans.Lev Radin/Pacific Press/Shutterstock
The new spending is offset by new taxes on corporations, including a new 15% corporate minimum tax, increased IRS enforcement and by allowing Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices.
Republicans argue new taxes may result in higher consumer costs and point to independent analysis that says the bill won’t reduce inflation.
“The Orwellian named ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ will do no such thing, as a number of prominent experts and economic policy groups have indicated,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said after the bill passed the Senate. “The Penn Wharton Budget Model, the Tax Foundation, and the Congressional Budget Office all found the bill won’t lower inflation and may make it worse. The IRS would more than double in size, unleashing 87,000 new enforcement agents on American families… [and the] nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation says that 78% to 90% of the revenue raised from misreported income would likely come from those making under $200,000.”
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Despite published reports that indicate he is leaving the PGA Tour for the rival LIV Golf circuit, Australia’s Cameron Smith said Tuesday he’s preparing to win the FedEx Cup playoffs and is a “man of my word.”
Smith, the No. 2-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking after winning last month’s Open Championship at St. Andrews, has been linked to the Saudi Arabian-backed LIV Golf circuit for several weeks.
The Telegraph of London reported Tuesday that LIV Golf had reached a deal of more than $100 million to secure Smith. That report came after PGA Tour player Cameron Percy told an Australian radio station that Smith and Marc Leishman were joining LIV Golf.
During a tense news conference at TPC Southwind on Tuesday, Smith declined to address the reports that he would soon become the highest-ranked player to join the LIV Golf circuit, which is being fronted by Australian Greg Norman.
“My goal here is to win the FedEx Cup playoffs,” Smith said. “That’s all I’m here for. If there’s something I need to say regarding the PGA Tour or LIV, it will come from Cameron Smith, not Cameron Percy. I’m a man of my word and whenever you guys [reporters] need to know anything, it’ll be said by me.”
Smith, 28, is a six-time winner on the PGA Tour. He also claimed the Players Championship in March, winning $3.6 million, the largest winner’s purse in PGA Tour history. He has earned more than $9.8 million in 16 starts this season.
The Telegraph reported that Smith is expected to make his LIV Golf debut in Boston on Sept. 2-4. But Smith said Tuesday that he planned to play in the Presidents Cup, scheduled for Sept. 19-25 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, NC.
“Absolutely, yeah,” Smith said of playing in the Presidents Cup. “That’s something that we’ve been looking forward to for the last three years. We missed a year because of COVID and that’s something that I look forward to being apart of.” of.”
The PGA Tour organizes the Presidents Cup, and Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has suspended Tour members who appear in LIV events without conflicting-event releases.
House Republicans added one new member to their number Tuesday as former Agriculture Department official Brad Finstad won a special election to serve out the term of the late GOP Rep. Jim Hagedorn, who died of cancer this past February.
Finstad, who emerged from a primary field of eight for the special election in Minnesota’s First Congressional district, led Democrat Jeff Ettinger by 4,920 votes with all precincts reporting.
In a victory statement released by his campaign, Finstad said the election was about the “direction of the country,” and he promised to fight the “extreme” agenda of President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Congress.
“I will work to slash inflation, get control of the border, restore American energy independence, and put our families first. You have my commitment that I will bring our Southern Minnesota values to Washington, DC and work hard for you every single day,” he said.
Agriculture Department official Brad Finstad said he would focus on issues like inflation and supply chain shortages.Mark Zdechlik/Minnesota Public Radio via AP, File
While Finstad won the special election, the results of a separate primary election ensured he’ll face Ettinger again in November to decide who will represent the redrawn First District for a full two-year term.
Ettinger, the former CEO of Hormel Foods and a first-time candidate, expressed optimism that he would pull off a surprise win next time.
“We both knew going into this that there was going to be a rematch in November,” he said, according to the Star Tribune. “A November race typically gets four times the turnout of an August race in Minnesota.”
Former Hormel CEO Jeff Ettinger accused his opponents of focusing on President Biden and not the race.Mark Zdechlik/Minnesota Public Radio via AP
In the Republican primary, Finstad defeated state Rep. Jeremy Munson, while Ettinger beat financial CEO George Kalberer and attorney James Rainwater on the Democratic side. In the days before the special election, Finstad told Minnesota Public Radio that he will concentrate on issues close to regular Americans whom he says have been ignored by the Biden administration.
“Everywhere I go in southern Minnesota, I’m hearing the exact same thing,” said Finstad, who spent six years in the Minnesota legislature before working in the Trump USDA.
“It’s family pocketbook issues. It’s gas prices. It’s food prices. It’s grocery store shelves being half full. It’s disruption in supply chain things like baby formula and other necessities that we’re just not normal to have shortages with. And people are just frustrated with it,” he said to MPR.
Rep. Jim Hagedorn passed away from cancer in February. Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call
Ettinger defended the Biden White House as it struggles with high prices caused by the global supply chain backlog, and wondered why Finstad is focusing on the national political environment instead of him.
“I feel like he’s apparently running against Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi, and not me,” Ettinger told MPR.
He said voters he talked with are worried about the logjam in Congress.
“I’m receiving great feedback from Democrats, independents and moderate Republicans who are sick of the gridlock and hostility in Washington and recognize that I have a long track record of getting things done,” Ettinger said. “And that’s what they’re looking for.”
Finstad’s win means the House now has 220 Democrats and 211 Republicans, with four vacancies. Three of the vacancies will be filled by special elections later this month.
Voters in Indiana’s Second District will choose the replacement for Rep. Jackie Walorski, who died in a car crash last week, on Election Day.
