A former professional basketball player has won Republican primaries to employ three mandates since. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in the fall.
Royce White, who played with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA in 2014, beat out a crowded field of candidates in the North Star State, armed with important recommendations from former President Trump’s circle.
It includes support from rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake; and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. He was also backed by the state GOP.
White has previously described himself as a “MAGA extremist”, according to the Star Tribune, and has closely aligned himself with the ex-president’s right-wing populist stances.
His victory appears to be a rebuke of the Minnesota GOP. White beat out retired U.S. Navy officer Joe Fraser, his top rival, despite the latter having the support of two former GOP senators and a former governor.
Royce has raised just over $125,000 in individual contributions this election cycle and is heading into the general election with nearly $53,000 in cash on hand.
That’s compounded by Klobuchar’s $12 million in individual contributions. Her war chest is also bigger than Royce’s. She entered the race with $6.5 million cash on hand.
However, Royce is still a long shot to win the general election.
The state has trended blue in recent years, and Minnesotans haven’t elected a Republican to the White House since Richard Nixon in 1972.
Klobuchar, the state’s senior senator, has won re-election twice after her first campaign in 2006. She is the first woman to represent Minnesota in the Senate.
A moderate Democrat, she voted with former President Trump about a third of the time
She won in 2006 with around 58% of the vote, followed by 65% in 2012 and 60% in 2018.