As politicos in and around the Minnesota Capitol continue to speculate on whether Tim Walz will run for a third term as governor, a new Republican candidate has entered the race. And Kristin Robbins isn’t waiting for Walz to make up his mind.
The four-term state representative from Maple Grove officially announced her campaign for governor on Wednesday morning.
Robbins, who chairs a new fraud oversight committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives, had been rumored this summer to be one of a handful of GOP politicians mulling a run for statewide office next year.
She joins Kendall Qualls and Scott Jensen as the most prominent Republican candidates in the race. Republican Phillip Parrish is also running.
In a campaign ad, the Crookston native balanced her initial pitch to Minnesotans with the hope and promise of putting “your family first,” while criticizing Walz on a number of topics that she described as “mismanagement and leadership failures” during his two terms as governor.
Today, I’m officially launching my campaign for Governor of Minnesota. Families are working harder than ever while Tim Walz makes life more difficult.
I’m running to fight fraud, cut taxes, support our police, strengthen schools, and bring back common sense leadership. pic.twitter.com/OQfbRkQlcI
— Kristin Robbins (@KRobbinsMN) August 20, 2025
She blasted the Democratic governor and former Kamala Harris running mate for presiding over a nearly 40 percent increase in state spending during the 2023 legislative session, which included spending down an $18 billion budget surplus and raising taxes by $10 billion. She also pointed to the widespread fraud that has been uncovered during Walz’s tenure.
“Tim Walz’s mismanagement of our state has created an epidemic of fraud with criminals stealing hundreds of millions from Minnesota taxpayers and hurting our most vulnerable citizens,” Robbins said.
Robbins emphasized that she’s led the fight at the legislature to repeal “the Walz tax hikes,” and to sponsor legislation to cut taxes on “families, seniors and social security.” She served as state chair of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign in early 2024.
Walz has said he will make a decision on a third term sometime after the Minnesota State Fair, which begins on Thursday and runs through Labor Day.
Robbins will have to compete with Qualls, Jensen and potentially others for the endorsement of the Republican Party of Minnesota in May. Jensen, who lost to Walz in the 2022 general election, has said he will seek the GOP endorsement, but is prepared to go to a primary, with or without that endorsement.
A spokesperson for Robbins’ campaign said she intends to “seek and earn the endorsement of the Republican Party of Minnesota,” but will “plan to keep going as long as she’s the best candidate to beat Tim Walz.”
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.
