Chris Madel, Republican gubernatorial candidate for Minnesota and an attorney based in Minneapolis unexpectedly ended his campaign via a video announcement on Monday. He provided free legal counsel to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, Jonathon Ross, who shot and killed US citizen Renee Good in Minnesota, as per the Associated Press.
This decision follows increasing demands from Republican members to scrutinize federal immigration strategies in Minnesota, particularly after a US Border Patrol agent fatally shot Alex Pretti in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Chris Madel blasts Trump's ICE crackdown as ‘unmitigated disaster’
Madel took a more progressive stance than many Republicans in his video, expressing that while he endorses the objective of deporting “the worst of the worst” from Minnesota, he believes that the immigration enforcement actions undertaken by President Donald Trump’s administration in the Twin Cities have exceeded acceptable limits and constitute an “unmitigated disaster.”
“I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state,” Madel asserted. “Nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”
{{/usCountry}}“I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state,” Madel asserted. “Nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”
{{/usCountry}}Madel went on to say that Americans and “particularly those of color, live in fear.”
“United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong,” he continued.
Madel further mentioned that he has personally heard from local Asian and Hispanic law enforcement officials who have been stopped by ICE.
He further asserted that it is both unconstitutional and inappropriate for federal agents to “raid homes” using a civil warrant instead of one issued by a judge.
Who is Chris Madel?
Madel was part of a significant group of candidates aiming to succeed Democratic Governor Tim Walz, who withdrew his reelection campaign earlier this month. Other Republican contenders include Mike Lindell, the founder and CEO of MyPillow, known for his election denial and close ties to Trump; Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth; Dr. Scott Jensen, a former state senator and the party’s gubernatorial candidate in 2022; and state Representative Kristin Robbins.
Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar has submitted the necessary paperwork to run, although she has not yet officially launched her campaign to replace Walz.
In a video shared on the social platform X on Monday, Madel called himself a “pragmatist” and remarked that national Republicans “have made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota.