Rep. Jim Hagedorn Says His Kidney Cancer Has Come Back After 14-Week Remission

Representative Jim Hagedorn of Minnesota announced on Wednesday his kidney cancer has returned after 14 weeks in remission.

The Republican Congressman released a statement about the health update on Twitter. In it, he said he was surprised to learn the cancer had returned. He added, "But, as ever cancer survivor knows, you fight the disease each and every day. Even the best of recoveries present unexpected challenges like I'm facing."

Hagedorn was first diagnosed with Stage IV kidney cancer in February 2019. In December 2020, his cancerous kidney was removed, and in March he announced doctors detected no cancer in his body.

From the moment he was diagnosed more than two years ago and all through his treatments, Hagedorn said he strove to maintain a full work schedule. He vowed to keep doing much the same in the wake of his recent news.

"Be assured, I will continue to fight for America and serve the people of Minnesota's First Congressional District with the highest level of energy and enthusiasm," he wrote.

He added he and his doctors are "very encouraged" of recent medicine available and treatments available to fight the disease. He said, "I remain upbeat and view the future as bright."

Hagedorn concluded his announcement by advocating for annual checkups and screenings for cancer, noting that early detection is crucial. He asked that anyone who missed their annual medical exams to "please make an appointment today. It could save your life."

Hagedorn, 58, first won his congressional seat in 2018 before getting reelected in 2020. Politically, he is seen as one of the most conservative members of Congress. When activist Shaun King stated in 2020 that statues depicting Jesus as white should be torn down, Hagedorn wrote on his Facebook page that the Democratic Party and the Black Lives Matter movement "are at war with our country, our beliefs and western culture."

On June 29, Hagedorn was among the 120 House Republicans who voted against removing Confederate statues from inside the U.S. Capitol building. The legislation to remove the monuments passed with a vote of 285 to 120, with 67 Republicans joining all Democrats voting in favor of the bill.

Hagedorn has aligned himself with former President Donald Trump and was one of 126 Republican members of the House who signed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, a case the court declined to hear. In January 2021, Hagedorn also objected to the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results in Congress based on unproven claims of voter fraud.

Update 07/07/21 3:40 p.m. EDT: This story has been updated to include more background information about Hagedorn.