When Kristin Robbins released her gubernatorial campaign video last month, the Republican legislator from Maple Grove made it clear she knew who she’d be running against should she receive the GOP nomination next year.
“The American people looked at Tim Walz and said, ‘no thanks,’ Robbins said in her Aug. 19 announcement, referencing Donald Trump’s 2024 election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate. “Minnesota should do the same.”
At that time, rumors around the Minnesota Capitol were swirling as to whether Walz would actually run for an unprecedented third consecutive term. But Robbins’ campaign launch video proved to be prescient.
On Tuesday morning — moments after Walz made it official — Robbins and the handful of other declared Republican candidates for governor wasted no time criticizing their mutual general election opponent.
“A third Walz term would be an unprecedented disaster,” Robbins said in a statement. “Under Tim Walz, Minnesota has seen higher taxes, higher crime, and rampant fraud. That’s why I’m running for governor, to make sure he doesn’t have four more years of ruining our state with his radical left policies.”
Kendall Qualls, who announced his gubernatorial bid in May, responded to Walz’s re-election announcement without mincing words.
“Walz is a closet socialist who prioritized illegal immigrants over Minnesota families, hiked taxes, let Minneapolis burn in 2020 and destroyed Minnesota’s budget,” Qualls said. “As businesses and families flee our state, Walz is treating Minnesota as a stepping stone to the White House. I’m running for governor to save our state from Tim Walz’s failed leadership and turn our state around.”
Dr. Scott Jensen, the Republican challenger to Walz in 2022, launched his second campaign for governor in July.
On Tuesday, the former state senator posted a video statement to social media saying he believes “Minnesota can be better than it has been the last six years,” referencing Walz’s tenure as governor. “That’s why I’m running for governor of Minnesota,” Jensen added.
Republican candidate Phillip Parrish said the “progress” touted in Walz’s announcement “feels like a scripted illusion — a continuation of the lies and exploitation that have drained our wallets, eroded our safety, and divided our communities for decades.”
Other Republicans across Minnesota echoed these sentiments.
Other Minnesota Republican leaders react to Walz announcement
Republican Congressman Tom Emmer said in a statement, “Minnesotans cannot take another four years of Tim Walz,” calling him “a proven failure.””
“Instead of boasting about a strong economy, great schools, or safe streets, the only thing Minnesotans can tout is the fact that Walz allowed the nation’s largest taxpayer-funded COVID program fraud to occur under his watch,” said Emmer, who represents Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District and is the third-ranking Republican in the U.S. House. “To protect our children’s future, our safety, and our way of life, we need to vote Walz out next November.”
While the Minnesota DFL Party, now run by former Walz staffer Richard Carlbom, said “we’ve seen what’s possible with Tim Walz leading the way,” its political counterpart didn’t share in that excitement.
The DFL governor’s “rhetoric of ‘historic progress’ could not be further from reality,” said Alex Plechash, chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota.
In a statement on Tuesday, Plechash noted that the Walz-led 2023 DFL trifecta raised more than $10 billion in new taxes on Minnesotans, amid a string of fraud schemes in government programs.
“Walz presided over the largest welfare fraud scandal in state history,” Plechash said. “More than $1 billion was stolen through Feeding Our Future and related schemes. Yet no one was fired. No bureaucrats were held accountable. Minnesotans were left footing the bill.
“Governor Walz’s record is one of misplaced priorities and broken promises. His claim that ‘we’re just getting started’ is not a promise — it’s a threat,” Plechash added. “Minnesotans cannot afford four more years of higher taxes, failing schools, unsafe streets, fraud, and policies that undermine fairness for women and girls.”
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.
