Conservative populist and former NBA player Royce White defeated Navy veteran Joe Fraser in Minnesota’s primary election for the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November.
WCCO Radio political analyst Blois Olson says White's campaign appeals to a crowd that is not a majority of Minnesotans, which creates a problem headed into November.
"Between Tim Walz being the vice presidential nominee for Democrats, Royce White, being at the top of the ticket, Republicans are going to have a challenge creating the energy they thought they had just five weeks ago to flip the Minnesota House and things like that," explained Olson. "It's still possible, but they're slowly losing some energy here in Minnesota."
White — an ally of imprisoned former Trump aide Steve Bannon and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones — shocked many political observers when he defeated Fraser at the party convention for the GOP endorsement.
White’s social media comments have been denounced as misogynistic, homophobic, antisemitic and profane. His legal and financial problems include unpaid child support and questionable campaign spending, including $1,200 spent at a Florida strip club after he lost his primary challenge to Omar in 2022. He argues that, as a Black man, he can broaden the party’s base by appealing to voters of color in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and others disillusioned with establishment politics.
Following his win, White said in a post on the social platform X: “Bring it on commies… The People Are Coming.”
Democratic leaders denounced him as a far-right extremist.
“While Royce White’s language and policies seek to divide Minnesotans, Senator Amy Klobuchar is focused on bringing people together to get things done, and she is consistently ranked as one of the most bipartisan and effective legislators in the Senate,” Ken Martin, the state Democratic Party chair, said in a statement. “The choice this November could not be more clear.”
Fraser said earlier that White’s confrontational style and message won’t attract the moderates and independents needed for a competitive challenge against Klobuchar, who’s seeking a fourth term. He said he offered a more mainstream approach, stressing fiscal conservativism, a strong defense, world leadership and small government. Fraser has also highlighted his 26 years in the Navy, where he was an intelligence officer and served a combat tour in Iraq.
"While I am disappointed that tonight's results did not go our way, I am also saddened that our ability to compete in the general election and bring about real change to our state has been thwarted by our party's embrace of an unelectable candidate," Joe Fraser said in a statement. "I still believe Minnesota's best days are ahead of us. Unfortunately, with Royce White at the top of the statewide ticket this fall, those days will most likely be delayed for years as Minnesotans look elsewhere for real leadership."
Neither had anywhere near the resources that Klobuchar has. White last reported raising $133,000, while Fraser took in $68,000. Klobuchar, meanwhile, has collected about $19 million this cycle and has more than $6 million available to spend on the general election campaign. She faced only nominal primary opposition.
Other Races in Minnesota:
OMAR WINS
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar has once again defeated a primary challenge from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District.
Omar, one of the progressive House members known as the "Squad," captured 56.23% of Tuesday's vote according to the results posted by the Minnesota Secretary of State's office. Samuels, who challenged Omar in 2022, finished Tuesday's race with 42.91% of the vote.
Samuels said he was “very disappointed” with his loss.
“What I was hoping is that a strong ground game and an attention to the details of folks who felt left out would trump an overwhelming superiority in dollars,” he said in an interview. “Clearly money matters a little more in politics than I had hoped.”
CRAIG GETS HER CHALLENGER
Former federal prosecutor Joe Teirab, supported by former President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the National Republican Congressional Committee, won a contested GOP primary for Minnesota’s 2nd District seat held by Democratic Rep. Angie Craig.
His opponent, defense attorney Tayler Rahm, won the endorsement at the district convention with support from grassroots conservatives.
While Rahm announced in July that he was suspending his campaign and would instead serve as a senior adviser for Trump’s Minnesota campaign, he remained on the ballot.
Teirab will face Craig in what’s expected to be Minnesota’s most competitive House race in November.
Craig issued a statement calling him “a guy who recently moved to the district because he saw a political opportunity.”
“He’s a guy who has spent months doing anything to win the support of Washington Republicans,” Craig said. “And he’s a guy who has made it his life’s mission to take away reproductive freedoms from families and give those decisions to politicians.”
FISCHBACH WINS EASILY
Another clash between establishment and grassroots Republicans played out in western Minnesota’s 7th District. Trump-backed GOP Rep. Michelle Fischbach, considered one of the most conservative members of Congress, defeated small businessman Steve Boyd with 65% of the votes.
Boyd ran to her right on a religious platform and blocked her from getting endorsement at the district convention. Boyd reported spending $170,000, while Fischbach spent over $1 million.
STATE RACES
Among the legislative primaries on the ballot Tuesday, Democrats picked former state Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart to face Republican Kathleen Fowke in a high-stakes race that will determine not only which party controls the state Senate, but whether Democrats maintain their narrow “trifecta” control of both chambers and the governor’s office. Democrats used that power to pass an ambitious agenda over the last two years that helped put Gov. Tim Walz on the radar of Vice President Kamala Harris before she picked him to be her running mate.
It will be the only state Senate seat in the November ballot. The seat in the western Minneapolis suburbs had been held by Democrat Kelly Morrison, who will face Republican Tad Jude for Minnesota’s 3rd Congressional District seat which is currently Rep. Dean Phillips (D) seat. Phillips, who ran against President Joe Biden for the Democratic nomination for president, has decided not to see reelection.
Olson told WCCO's Vineeta Sawar on the Morning News that among several Republican House races, incumbent candidates held on to win by sizeable margins over more conservative, or MAGA candidates.
"One close one was, you know, 50 to 49, Ron Kresha up in the Little Falls area," says Olson. "So I think that just goes to show that incumbency has its advantages, but that the Republican House Caucus did a good job protecting their incumbents."
Kresha won 50.4% to 49/6% over Diane Webb-Skillings in the District 10A GOP Primary, a difference of only 35 votes. It would be Kresha's seventh straight term if he wins the general election.
See all results here on the Sec. of State's website.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.