Rich Stanek, former Henn. Co. Sheriff, announces run for governor
(FOX 9) - Former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek jumped into the race for Minnesota governor on Tuesday, joining a crowded Republican field vying to take on Gov. Tim Walz this fall.
"I’m running for governor because the Democrats in charge are letting lawlessness run rampant and letting the actions of a few bad actors to wage all-out war on law enforcement," Stanek says in his campaign launch video that features an image of the Minneapolis Third Precinct burning during the 2020 riots.
Rich Stanek, former Henn. Co. Sheriff, announces run for governor
Former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek jumped into the race for Minnesota governor on Tuesday, joining a crowded Republican field vying to take on Gov. Tim Walz this fall.
Crime will be a central theme of the fall midterms and, while rival GOP candidates are campaigning against the increasing violence, Stanek has said the race lacked a law-and-order candidate.
Stanek was Hennepin County sheriff for 12 years before losing his re-election bid to Dave Hutchinson in 2018. He was state public safety commissioner under Gov. Tim Pawlenty, but resigned from that position in 2004 after it surfaced that Stanek had used racial slurs as a police officer. He was previously a state lawmaker.
As sheriff, Stanek promoted himself to Republicans as a candidate who won in Hennepin County, a Democratic stronghold that recent Republican statewide officials have lost badly.
Stanek has a lot of ground to make up. He announced his campaign hours before Republican activists were set to gather for precinct caucuses Tuesday night, where the GOP will elect state convention delegates who will make the party endorsement in May.
Rivals have been making a full-court press to get their supporters to Tuesday's caucuses and elect friendly delegates to the state convention. State Sens. Michelle Benson and Paul Gazelka and former state Sen. Scott Jensen have been in the race for months. Former congressional candidate Kendall Qualls joined in January.
The party endorsement is high stakes: Republicans traditionally drop out of the race if they don't get the party's nod, instead of forcing a primary.
Minnesota GOP Vice Chairwoman Donna Bergstrom said Monday -- before Stanek got into the race -- that all candidates had given verbal pledges that they will abide by the endorsement. A Stanek spokesman did not say whether the former sheriff would make the same pledge.
"Are we asking our candidates to abide by the endorsement? The answer is absolutely," Bergstrom told reporters Monday. "There’s a lot of power that comes with that endorsement."
Walz, a first-term Democrat, reported having $3.6 million cash on hand at the end of 2021, far outpacing any of the Republicans. The top GOP candidate was Jensen, who reported $807,000 on hand. Gazelka had $460,000, and Benson had $120,000, according to campaign finance filings.
Walz won his 2018 election over Republican Jeff Johnson by 11 percentage points. The GOP has not won a statewide election since 2006.
Republicans will also conduct straw polls at their 4,000 in-person precinct caucuses Tuesday night.