Republican legislators are crying foul after Gov. Tim Walz appointed two new members of the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents who appear to be past donors to his campaign committee.
Yesterday, Walz announced he had selected four people to fill vacancies on the university’s governing body. Charged with overseeing the school’s multiple campuses and $5.1 billion annual budget, the Board of Regents is comprised of twelve people from across Minnesota and the state’s various congressional districts.
The group of newly-appointed university regents includes retired attorney Samuel Heins and Ellen Luger, the wife of former U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger. Andrew served as U.S. Attorney under former presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
After the appointments were announced, State Rep. Marion Rarick, R-Maple Lake, issued a press release which said “at least two of Walz’s selections are major Democrat donors, raising serious pay-to-play concerns.”
Campaign finance records indicate Heins made several four-figure contributions to Walz’s gubernatorial campaign dating back to 2018. Additionally, Heins appears to have donated to the Harris Victory Fund last October—when Walz served as the vice-presidential running mate to Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
Rarick’s press release specifically identified Heins as one of the “major Democrat donors,” but did not mention Luger by name. However, campaign finance records indicate that Ellen and Andrew Luger have made contributions to Walz.
The other two appointees to the Board of Regents include Joel Bergstrom, an attorney and top official with Orion Search Group; and Kowsar Mohamed, a U of M doctoral student.
Republicans denounce Board of Regents appointments
“This is what happens when the Legislature cedes its constitutional duties to the [executive] branch,” said Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, who sat on a committee charged with selecting finalists for the board of regents.
“Democrats refused to call a joint convention, allowing Gov. Tim Walz to make Regent appointments to govern the U of M now beholden to the Gov, not the people, just like the Met Council,” Robbins added in a statement.
Sen. Zach Duckworth, R-Lakeville, a member of the Senate Higher Education Committee, posted a handful of screenshots showing the campaign donations Heins and the Lugers have made to Walz over the last several years.
Heins was previously nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Norway in 2016 by then-President Barack Obama.
Luger was a senior advisor to Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s 2020 presidential campaign and was appointed by the Biden administration to serve as “minister counselor for agriculture” for the United States Mission to the United Nations.
“Draw your own conclusions,” Duckworth said of the political donations. “I’m sure this will be scrutinized & reported on for the good of transparency & public awareness. Lots of talk about protecting & defending representative & democratic governing in the news lately – this seems to be the opposite.”
The governor appointed regents after state legislature failed to do so
Walz announced last month that his office was officially accepting applications for three at-large seats and one seat representing the Fifth Congressional District.
That responsibility fell into Walz’s lap after the legislature failed to hold a joint convention and elect new regents before adjourned for the year. More than two dozen Minnesotans applied to be appointed to a Board of Regents.
On Wednesday, Rarick slammed Walz’s appointments and said the normal Board of Regents selection process was stalled by Democrats. Rarick is the co-chair of the Higher Education Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
“I raised concerns long before last session’s end and confirmed with House staff that the election process was ready to move forward,” said Rarick. “Instead, Democrats stalled, giving the governor the opportunity to reward political allies rather than appoint candidates chosen through a fair, transparent process.”
Alpha News reached out to the governor’s office regarding these appointments, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
A previous version of this story incorrectly described a portion of Rep. Marion Rarick’s press release. This story has since been updated.
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.
