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Chris Madel announces run for Minnesota governor
Minneapolis attorney Chris Madel announced his bid on Monday for Minnesota governor.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis attorney Chris Madel announced his run for Minnesota governor during a news conference on Monday where he called out fraud cases in the state.
Chris Madel announces run for governor
What we know:
Madel announced his bid for governor during an hour-long speech that included a PowerPoint presentation. During the presentation, Madel explained his decision to run for office, with a heavy focus on fraud cases in the state that may have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, like the massive Feeding Our Future scheme and recent investigations into the housing stabilization and autism programs.
Madel called out state leaders who he says have failed to stop the crime.
"Who's to blame for this? Obviously, in my view, No. 1 is the fraudsters," Madel said. "They're the ones that should belong in prison. But when you go a step beyond that, this is our money. And I truly believe that when a government holds your money, they hold it in a sacred trust… So second, the payor, the Minnesota government, is to blame. Why do I put Republicans and Democrats here? Because this has been going on for years, and it's still going on, and they have done nothing about it."
Madel also promised a tough-on-crime approach as governor if he were to be elected, touting an endorsement from the Minneapolis Police Federation, the union that represents Minneapolis officers.
The backstory:
Madel made headlines in 2023 and 2024 when he successfully represented Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan, who was charged with murder in the shooting of Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop on I-94.
Charges against Londregan were ultimately dropped by prosecutors and Londregan was cleared by an internal investigation.
Big picture view:
Madel joins a loaded field of candidates looking to take on Governor Walz in the 2026 election.
The biggest name in the Republican primary is House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who announced her bid for governor last month. Rep. Kristin Robbins, former state Sen. Scott Jensen, former MMA fighter Brad Kohler, retired U.S. Army veteran Kendall Qualls, Jeff Johnson, and Phillip Parrish are also in the race. MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell has also reportedly been mulling a bid for governor.
Response to Madel's announcement
What they're saying:
In a statement. Rep. Robbins called out Madel for making contributions to DFL candidates, including to Gov. Walz during his last run for office in 2021 and to the Harris-Walz ticket in 2024.
"I welcome all candidates into the race," Rep. Robbins wrote. "Minnesotans deserve a robust debate about the future of our state. They also deserve to know the record of those seeking their support. Chris has a long history of donating to Democrats, including supporting Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Tim Walz as recently as 2024."
Campaign records do confirm Madel made donations to multiple DFL candidates over the years, including Governor Walz dating back to his time in Congress. Madel addressed this during his news conference, saying: "I have given money to Democrats. This is true. President Trump also gave the Democrats and if you are looking for an apology from me, you have come to the wrong person. My brother will tell you I essentially have not changed very much since high school. I had a Reagan-Bush poster in my room as a high school student. I was a nerd. And I have done everything I can with respect to protecting my clients and my business. I'm in a bipartisan business, and I have been extremely successful doing what I have done. Ryan Londregan is a free man due in part to my contributions to Democrats."
The Minnesota DFL criticized Madel for clients he has represented in the past, including an Illinois man convicted of bombing a Minneapolis mosque and a man facing child pornography charges, and clients who threatened public officials.
The Minnesota DFL statement reads: "Chris Madel built his career defending violent and exploitative criminals. He represented fraudsters, rapists, and pedophiles, getting many of their charges and cases thrown out along the way. Madel desperately wants to be seen as a pragmatist, yet he jumps to defend criminals charged with hate crimes against our communities. With such a checkered history of clients, he lacks a moral compass to be Governor. He would take Minnesota in the wrong direction. The contradictions continue. Despite claiming to be ‘tough-on-crime,’ Madel fights to let criminals get out with little consequence. The platform of law-and-order that Chris Madel campaigns on is a farce built on years of defending Minnesota’s worst."