Minnesota Rep. Kristin Robbins announces run for governor
The big picture: Robbins, who announced her bid Wednesday morning, joins a GOP primary field that already includes 2022 gubernatorial candidates Scott Jensen and Kendall Qualls.
DFL Gov. Tim Walz is expected to announce whether he'll seek an unprecedented third consecutive term after Labor Day.
State of play: Republicans haven't won a statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, and top election forecasters rate the 2026 race as "likely Democratic."
But recent polls have found voters split on whether Walz should run again, raising the prospect that the state's highest elected office could be in play.
Bio in brief: Robbins, a four-term legislator from the north metro, has made headlines this year as chair of the House's new Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee.
She won a district that was essentially evenly split between President Trump and Kamala Harris by 14 points in 2024.
Zoom in: Robbins' role as the new fraud committee chair has given her a platform to interrogate and criticize the Walz administration on one of his most vulnerable issues.
The issue featured prominently in her campaign launch video, with Robbins saying, "mismanagement of our state has created an epidemic of fraud" in government-run programs.
The intrigue: Robbins' support for Nikki Haley over President Trump in the 2024 GOP primary could complicate any effort to win the Minnesota Republican Party endorsement — and subsequent GOP primary.
Her announcement release didn't say whether she'll agree to abide by the endorsement and end her campaign if GOP delegates pick someone else next spring.
What we're watching: Whether Walz runs again— and how that influences who else jumps in the race.
Walz, who won by over 7 percentage points in 2022, told reporters Tuesday that he is "still assessing" his decision.
Other Democrats seen as likely to run if he doesn't seek another term include Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
3 minutes ago
- The Hill
Newsom edges out Harris among California Democrats in hypothetical presidential primary: Poll
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) topped former Vice President Harris in a hypothetical 2028 Democratic presidential primary in the Golden State, a new poll found. The survey, released Wednesday from Politico and other partners, shows Newsom in the lead in a wide field of possible contenders with 25 percent among California Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. Harris came in second with 19 percent, followed by former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's 13 percent and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) 10 percent. The other possible candidates included all received less than 5 percent, according to the results. The latest poll comes years before any votes will be cast in the next presidential election but is a marker of where opinion in the state may stand at this early stage. Newsom has taken on an increasingly public profile and risen as a top leader within the Democratic Party, most recently leading opposition to Republican efforts to enact mid-decade redistricting and try to pick up several more GOP seats in next year's midterm elections. He has been a rumored possible presidential candidate since before last year's election. Harris, coming off of her defeat to President Trump in November, ended speculation that she would run for California governor to try to succeed Newsom last month when she ruled out a bid. She said she wanted to spend some time outside the political system after years of public service. Her decision added more fuel to speculation that she may take another shot at running for president in 2028. The Politico poll also found that respondents were slightly more excited at the prospect of Newsom running for president than Harris. Almost half said they were 'very' or 'somewhat' excited about the California leader possibly running, while 42 percent said the same about the former vice president. With Newsom as a two-term governor and Harris as a former U.S. senator from California, both would be seen as clear favorites in the Golden State primary, which awards more votes in the nominating process than any other state. The poll was conducted from July 28 to Aug. 12 among 1,445 registered voters, including 807 registered Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents. The margin of error for the entire sample was 2.6 percentage points.
The Hill
3 minutes ago
- The Hill
House Democrat heckled over Israel-Hamas war at town hall
Freshman Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) faced backlash over his support for Israel during a rowdy town hall event Tuesday night in downtown St. Louis. Videos from the event show Bell repeatedly interjecting 'Can we talk?' and 'Let's talk about it' as attendees shouted at him about the ongoing Middle East conflict and war in Gaza. 'When it comes to the word 'genocide,' I kind of disagree with it, because the bottom line is … Israel was attacked by an openly genocidal terrorist group,' he said at one point, referencing the deadly Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. 'How do you get around that?' 'We need to end the war, we need to return every single hostage and Hamas has to go,' he continued. Bell joined the House in January, unseating former Rep. Cori Bush (D), who has blamed pro-Israel groups for her defeat. Bell, whose office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment on Wednesday, thanked attendees with a post on the social platform X acknowledging the rancor. 'Yes the conversations were passionate at times, but Democracy is messy & we have to passionately defend it,' he wrote. 'At the end of the day we're going to continue to fight for the ST LOUIS region & for our country!' The former St. Louis County prosecutor told local media after the event that he wasn't surprised by the disruptions. 'I thought it would be a little even more contentious to be perfectly honest, because there's a lot of people that are passionate about the issues, and we're seeing this around the country,' Bell said. He noted that lawmakers from both parties have faced similar disruptions across the country this year. 'People are scared; they're concerned,' Bell said. 'There's issues that they're passionate about, so let's have those conversations. It's important.' Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) was jeered during a nonpartisan event in her district earlier this week.
UPI
5 minutes ago
- UPI
Texas state House ready to pass redistricting bill despite Dems
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will sign the redistricting bill that the state legislature is ready to pass. File Photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Texas state House Republicans are about to pass their redistricting bill Wednesday as the session reconvenes at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday. Texas Republicans will pass the bill, encouraged by President Donald Trump, which will likely give the state an extra five Republican seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, after weeks of protests from Democrats in the state House. Because of their minority in the House, Democrats have no way to block passage of the redistricting bills. They have vowed to fight in the courts to prevent the new maps from being used. In the first special session called by Gov. Greg Abbott, Democrats fled the state for two weeks so that the House wouldn't have a quorum. Once the session timed out and Abbott called a new special session, Democrats returned to the state and a new battle ensued. Once Democrats came back to the capitol in Austin, they were not allowed to leave the chamber without a "permission slip," a police escort and 24-hour surveillance to ensure they don't leave the state again. One lawmaker, Rep. Nicole Collier, D-Fort Worth, spent Monday night in the capitol building, refusing to sign the paper. She said she plans to stay until Wednesday's session. Since then, several other Democrats tore up their waivers and joined her. "This is a civil discussion and disagreement, and in order to win, the other side is willing to use force -- to use the arms of a state to get what they want. Good guys don't do that," Texas House Democratic Caucus leader Rep. Gene Wu, told CNN. Wu and Rep. Vince Perez, D-El Paso, who signed the waivers, stayed with Collier through Monday night. Wednesday's session is expected to last all day and possibly into the evening, as there must be time to consider the map, consider amendments and have several votes. "It's going to be a long day," Rep Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, told the New York Times. The new state map introduced last month has been revised. It would still add the five seats but also strengthen already-Republican districts by adding Republican voters to those districts. The state's current districts, passed four years ago, are already being challenged in court, and a ruling is expected this fall. "Please pass this map ASAP," Trump posted on social media Monday. "Thank you, Texas!" Republicans have 25 of the state's 38 seats. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already begun the process of redistricting the state to counteract Texas' efforts. Other Republican- and Democrat-led states have vowed to get in on the process.
