Madel said the national Republican Party has made it nearly impossible for a GOP candidate to win in the state<\/b>
\nAttorney Chris Madel has dropped out of the race for Minnesota governor, saying he can\u2019t support the national Republican Party\u2019s \u201cstated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.\u201d
Madel, who recently represented Ryan Londregan, a state trooper who faced prosecution by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty for fatally shooting a man during a traffic stop, said he initially supported the \u201climited goals\u201d of Operation Metro Surge, which sent thousands of federal agents into Minnesota for immigration enforcement. More recently he provided legal counsel for Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7.
While he has supported federal agents getting dangerous criminals off the street, Madel said he can no longer support the enforcement action.
\u201cOperation Metro Surge has expanded far beyond its stated goals, far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats,\u201d Madel said in a video posted on social media. \u201cCitizens live in fear, they are carrying papers to prove citizenship \u2026 That\u2019s wrong.\u201d
Madel also said he\u2019s spoken to several law enforcement officers, \u201csome Hispanic and some Asian who have been pulled over by ICE on pretextual stops. Driving while Hispanic is not a crime. Neither is driving while Asian. At the end of the day I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them I did what was right and I am doing that today.\u201d
He said he\u2019s ending his campaign because national Republicans have made it \u201cnearly impossible\u201d for a Republican to win an election in Minnesota.
\u201cIt is simply a fact,\u201d he said.
He also said President Donald Trump doesn\u2019t get enough credit for accomplishments such as the ceasefire in Gaza and getting NATO to spend more on military.
And Madel blamed state Republicans for poor leadership, saying GOP lawmakers have done little to actually address fraud but rather sought \u201ca new bureaucrat\u201d from the federal government to do the work.
He also touched on federal probes into Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, as well as other local officials, on whether they obstructed or impeded federal law enforcement.
\u201cWeaponizing criminal investigations against political opponents is unconstitutional regardless of who\u2019s in power,\u201d Madel said. \u201cRepublicans and Democrats alike have engaged in this misconduct and both must be held to the same standard. They need to do better.\u201d
Madel launched his campaign last month saying he wanted to fight fraud, cut taxes, improve education outcomes and defend law enforcement officials.
The 58-year-old lawyer attended Macalester College in St. Paul before earning his law degree at the University of Michigan. Before starting his own legal practice, he worked for the Minneapolis law firm Robins Kaplan.
He\u2019s also represented Minnesota conservative news outlet Alpha News and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. In 2003, he defended Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett in a sexual assault case.
Madel said the possibility of squaring of against Sen. Amy Klobuchar wasn\u2019t a factor in his decision not to run. He said he\u2019d beaten her in the courtroom and was confident he would have prevailed in a general election. He also said he\u2019d be returning all campaign donations he\u2019s received so far.<\/p>\n