It took nine ballots and nearly six hours of voting, but the Minnesota Republican Party endorsed Scott Jensen at the Rochester Mayo Civic Center on Saturday.
Jensen received 65 percent of the vote on the final ballot, beating out Kendall Qualls for the nomination.
"Lets send a clear message to Tim Walz, we appreciated that you tried but we're going to give you early retirement." Jensen said.
"We heard you bought a lake place in South Dakota. It won't be a problem, they don't have any fish in it so you don't have to worry about the next fishing opener. Game over, Tim Walz!"
Candidates have until May 30 to file for the primary.
Jensen has built his campaign around opposition to pandemic restrictions and concern about COVID-19 vaccines.
The convention got contentious in the final ballots Saturday, with Qualls and fellow candidate Mike Murphy sparring over what was allegedly said in a private meeting.
After being eliminated from the endorsement race, Murphy endorsed Jensen and called Qualls a “sellout,” alleging Qualls offered him the lieutenant governor position on his ticket only to rescind it later.
Qualls denied the allegations, which he says played a part in Jensen’s eventual win.
After Murphy made the claim about Qualls and endorsed Jensen, who then jumped in voting from 38 percent to 59 percent.
Murphy told the delegation he has text messages to prove he’s telling the truth
"I am not a liar," he said from the podium in front of the jam-packed meeting hall. "I will not let my reputation be tarnished."
Republicans endorsed candidates for three other elections as well.
Ryan Wilson is their choice for State Auditor, Kim Crockett for Secretary of State and Jim Schulz for Attorney General.
