Minnesota GOP Endorses Former NBA Player To Challenge Klobuchar
Delegates at the Minnesota Republican convention have officially endorsed former NBA player and BLM activist Royce White to contest the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Senator Amy Klobuchar in the upcoming fall election.
Minnesota GOP Endorses Royce White To Takedown Amy Klobuchar In Senate Race, Royce White Discusses @Highway_30 pic.twitter.com/zC2mNmwkAl
— Grace Chong 🇺🇸 (@gc22gc) May 20, 2024
In his appeal for endorsement, White, a former professional basketball player turned podcaster, criticized the political establishment and its reliance on large sums of money from candidates.
“We need people now more than ever that can’t be bought. They don’t have a price and I can’t stress that to you enough,” White asserted during his address at the convention.
While addressing the convention, White acknowledged his personal debt issues but did not directly address his past legal troubles. The Republicans endorsed White with reservations, a decision that he disagreed with.
“I appreciate the committee and its process,” White stated. “I hope we can change it in the future because the same reservations they had about me would surely fall on Donald Trump as well if he was running in this race.”
White secured the endorsement on the first ballot with more than two-thirds of the vote. He emphasized his commitment to bringing more people of color into the GOP, stating, “Black people in this state and all across the country believe in a very, very common idea that the government is too big, and it’s usually corrupt.”
I’m the most dangerous candidate Amy Klobuchar has faced. Because I’m not a politician and I don’t dance around the issues. I tell it straight and like it is. If you don’t like it, if anybody doesn’t like it, I could careless. The only way to win now is tell the truth. #Godspeed pic.twitter.com/hl9eWlw1QZ
— Royce White 🇺🇸 (@Highway_30) May 14, 2024
Despite other Republican Senate hopefuls being in the running, White emerged as the endorsed candidate, surpassing competitors like Joe Fraser, who had raised more campaign funds.
Much of the messaging at the convention focused on laying blame for the nation’s challenges on the Democrats, from inflation and illegal immigration to conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Delegates expressed confidence in the Republican party’s position heading into the November election.
Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) praised the party’s financial stability, attributing it to former President Donald Trump’s partnership and a successful fundraising event. Emmer announced a $100,000 donation from his campaign to aid the state party in preparation for the fall election.
While disputes over rules and delegate seating arose, delegates unified in their belief that Donald Trump is poised to defeat President Joe Biden in November, with Republicans poised to benefit from voter dissatisfaction.