Elliott Engen — a 27-year-old, two-term state legislator from White Bear Township — launched his campaign for state auditor on Thursday morning.
Engen says he’s running for the statewide elected seat “with one mission in mind: Stop the fraud. End the corruption.”
“I will expand the office, and raise the bar by exposing the fraud, ending the corruption, and making sure Minnesota families and the working class are protected,” Engen said in a video announcing his campaign, a reference to a series of fraud scandals that have plagued Minnesota over the last five years, costing taxpayers more than a billion dollars.
Engen is in his second term representing a handful of northeast suburban communities in the Minnesota House of Representatives. He was elected to the legislature just a few years after graduating from Hamline University in St. Paul, where he helped found a Turning Point USA chapter. Prior to that, Engen worked as a staff member for a Minnesota-based wildlife conservation nonprofit.
Engen joins a growing field of candidates competing for the seat that became open last month when State Auditor Julie Blaha, a Democrat, announced she won’t seek a third term. In 2022, Blaha won reelection by just more than 8,000 votes — or 0.34 percent — over Republican challenger Ryan Wilson.
Democrats who have declared their candidacy for the seat include Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, and Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer.
Wolgamott is a fourth-term legislator who was reelected last November by fewer than 200 votes. In 2023, Wolgamott was charged with drunk driving. Security camera video captured him exiting a liquor store and taking a swig from a bottle before driving away. He later pleaded guilty to one DWI count and a second was dismissed.
Schierer is a longtime Democrat and has already been endorsed by Attorney General Keith Ellison.
Braham Mayor Nate George was the first candidate to enter the race who said he will seek the Republican endorsement. Tonka Bay Mayor Mayor Adam Jennings is also running as a Democrat.
Often overlooked, state auditor has been a stepping stone for some
The state auditor is the least known of four statewide constitutional offices up for election in 2026. The office is responsible for oversight of about $60 billion in local government spending.
The auditor also sits on the Minnesota Board of Investment, which oversees pension funds for state employees. The position has been a noted steppingstone for politicians who ascend to higher office, including Arne Carlson and Mark Dayton, who both had served as state auditor before eventually becoming two-term governors.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
