One of the leading Republican candidates for Minnesota governor abruptly quit the race on Monday, blaming his own party’s approach to immigration enforcement. Chris Madel,.<\/b>
\nOne of the leading Republican candidates for Minnesota governor abruptly quit the race on Monday, blaming his own party’s approach to immigration enforcement. Chris Madel, a Minneapolis attorney and first-time gubernatorial candidate, said Monday he is ending his campaign because he no longer supports how national Republicans are backing federal immigration operations in the state, NBC News reports. \u00ab\u00a0I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so\u00a0\u00bb, he said in an 11-minute video posted on X.<\/p>\n

Madel said he supported the \u00ab\u00a0originally stated goals\u00a0\u00bb of ICE’s \u00ab\u00a0Operation Metro Surge\u00a0\u00bb in Minnesota\u2014targeting serious public-safety threats\u2014but argued the effort has grown into something broader and more troubling. He cited reports of US citizens feeling compelled to carry proof of citizenship and of Hispanic and Asian law enforcement officers being stopped by ICE on what he called pretextual grounds. That, he said, has turned the operation into something he can’t defend. \u00ab\u00a0United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear\u00a0\u00bb, he said. \u00ab\u00a0United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n

Madel, a political outsider, quickly became a top contender for the GOP nomination after he launched his campaign on Dec. 1 and consistently polled among the top three in a crowded field, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. He recently provided legal counsel to Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed Renee Good in Minneapolis earlier this month. \u00ab\u00a0I do this because I believe the Constitutional right to counsel is sacrosanct\u00a0\u00bb, he said in his video. He said that while the ICE surge in Minneapolis has been an \u00ab\u00a0unmitigated disaster\u00a0\u00bb, he believes President Trump deserves credit for many things, including the Gaza ceasefire.<\/p>\n

National Republicans, Madel said, \u00ab\u00a0have made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota.\u00a0\u00bb He said he is dropping out because \u00ab\u00a0I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them, ‘I believe I did what was right.’ And I am doing that today.\u00a0\u00bb He added: \u00ab\u00a0Believe me, if I could reach into my pocket and pull out the necessary many millions of dollars to run as an independent, I would. But again, reality guides my decision.\u00a0\u00bb<\/p>\n