MINNEAPOLIS — Late Tuesday night, Republican candidate for governor Scott Jensen picked up an endorsement from former president Donald Trump.
Announced on Trump's Truth Social platform, the former president wrote that Jensen "has my Complete and Total Endorsement."
This show of support came on the same day Trump endorsed Republican Kim Crockett in her run for secretary of state against incumbent Democrat Steve Simon.
Trump's endorsement on Truth Social claimed that election fraud in Minnesota is “rampant” and that Crockett would “get to the bottom of that.”
Trump has repeatedly pressed false claims that his 2020 election loss was due to fraud, even though the results have been confirmed by multiple reviews in battleground states, by judges who rejected dozens of legal challenges, and by Trump's own Department of Justice and top officials in his administration.
In a statement, Jensen said in part "While we have not actively sought the endorsement of political leaders, we are grateful for those who have recognized our ability to lead and Heal Minnesota."
Crockett has called the 2020 election “rigged” against Trump and harshly criticized Simon's support for making voting accessible, especially during the pandemic. On Tuesday, she said she was surprised by Trump's endorsement, and pledged that if elected her office would “be a nonpartisan operation that guards every eligible vote.”
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin, in a statement, connected Trump's false claims to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, and added: “It is more important than ever that we do not allow one of Donald Trump's lackeys into office” to continue attacking elections.
In a further statement on Wednesday morning, Martin said “Scott Jensen has embraced the Big Lie, even calling for throwing our secretary of state in jail. Now, Donald Trump has rewarded him with an endorsement. Fortunately, voters who don’t want their governor to jail their political enemies and spread dangerous lies about our elections can prevent that from happening in Minnesota by re-electing Tim Walz.”
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