Some Republican strategists are concerned that President Donald Trump's involvement in the Minnesota gubernatorial race could hurt the party's chances, Politico reported.
Trump last weekend voiced support for Minnesota GOP candidate Mike Lindell, founder and CEO of MyPillow, to unseat Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in 2026.
The president has frequently called Walz "grossly incompetent" in various public statements, tying the accusations to issues ranging from fraud investigations to immigration and political violence.
He's also linked a fraud investigation within Minnesota's social services program to Somali immigrants and has made disparaging remarks about them, claiming they are "taking over" the state.
Michael Brodkorb, a former deputy chair of the Minnesota GOP who backed the Democratic ticket in 2024, told Politico that Trump's behavior won't help Lindell or any other Republican running for the seat.
"When the president comes in with a flamethrower and just throws that type of rhetoric, there's no oxygen, and there's no space for the Republican to offer suggestions and to be thoughtful in that space, because the rhetoric of the president just paints them into a corner," he said.
Dustin Grage, a Minnesota Republican strategist, told the news outlet, "We'd be cooked" should Lindell get the nomination.
"I'd be moving to Florida very shortly. We would lose pretty badly if Mike Lindell were to get the nomination," he added.
Minnesota was blue in 2020, and by a comfortable margin compared with some battleground states, not a splashy showing for Trump, even in a year he was incumbent.
Trump didn't win Minnesota in 2024, continuing a long state streak for Democrats, but he made the race closer. That trend was part of a broader national shift where many areas moved toward Republicans compared with 2020.
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Richard Carlbom told Politico that Walz "heads into reelection with a record focused squarely on working people and kitchen-table issues."
"While the GOP clown-car primary remains consumed by infighting and loyalty tests for Donald Trump, Minnesota families are falling behind as Republicans unleash higher grocery prices, skyrocketing healthcare bills and giant tax breaks for billionaires," Carlbom said.
"Minnesotans see the difference — a governor delivering for working families, or Republicans delivering loyalty to Donald Trump and a Washington agenda that puts billionaires first."
About a dozen candidates are running to replace Walz, including Speaker of the Minnesota House Lisa Demuth and businessman Kendall Qualls, an Army veteran who ran for governor in 2022.
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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