Republican Minnesota House candidate has history of tax delinquency, filed for bankruptcy

A campaign sign for House candidate Jimmy Gordon in Cambridge, Minnesota, seen on July 22, 2024. Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer.

Isanti Mayor Jimmy Gordon — who is also a Republican-endorsed candidate for Minnesota House — has a long history of tax delinquency, including a $38,994 federal tax lien filed by the Internal Revenue Service that has not been released, according to county records.

The IRS filed a tax lien against Gordon in 2019, and Isanti County has no record from the IRS that it has been “released” — which typically means Gordon is still liable for the tax debt.

Gordon wrote in an email to the Reformer that “the remaining balance on the lien…was paid off when we sold our home last year before we built our new home. I will be contacting the IRS to see why they have not notified the county of this.” He included a photo of an IRS account page with a zero balance.

The IRS told the Reformer it cannot legally disclose the specifics surrounding the release of a person’s tax debt.

A federal tax lien affects a person’s ability to sell or refinance real estate, as it “secures the government’s interest in your property when you don’t pay your tax debt,” according to the IRS. The feds may seize and sell property if the tax lien isn’t resolved.

Gordon is running for House District 28A, which also includes Cambridge and part of North Branch, against Rep. Brian Johnson, R-Cambridge.

Gordon, elected mayor of Isanti in 2022, is part of a group of GOP insurgents backed by the far-right group Action 4 Liberty. After beating Johnson at the GOP endorsing convention, Gordon now faces the sixth-term incumbent in an Aug. 13 primary election.

His tax troubles aren’t the first time Gordon has found himself in financial difficulties.

He declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2010. In a statement to the Reformer last week, Gordon said the “back taxes I owed from the time of my bankruptcy with the IRS have been resolved.”

Gordon said his parents started the restaurant chain Jimmy’s Pizza in 1986. He filed for bankruptcy in 2010 after taking over two struggling Jimmy’s Pizza locations. “Things didn’t go how I had planned,” he said.

“Not to compare myself to them but eight U.S. presidents have filed for some form of bankruptcy, Abraham Lincoln and Donald Trump included, so it is hardly disqualifying,” Gordon said in a statement.

The state of Minnesota also filed three tax liens against Gordon, all of which have been released, meaning the debt was paid off, according to public documents from the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. Two state liens totaling over $15,000 were from debt accrued in the years leading up to and following his 2010 bankruptcy.

The third state lien — a debt of $2,325 — occurred in December 2021. It’s listed as “individual income tax,” according to public records. It was released in February 2023.

Gordon in his statement said the bankruptcy experience gives him additional perspective to be a good lawmaker.

“I wouldn’t be who I am today without that experience. I know what it’s like to have nothing. I’ve been there,” Gordon said. “Having to make hard decisions in tough situations will make me a better legislator. That experience is a strong reminder to be careful with how our tax dollars are spent.”

On his campaign website, Gordon advocates for limited government.

“We need to cut red tape and wasteful spending to encourage business growth and lower taxes. We shouldn’t be subsidizing businesses with your hard-earned money, and we need to let the free market work,” Gordon’s website says.

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