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2026 Election

A Top GOP Gubernatorial Candidate in Minnesota Drops Out Over Trump’s Attacks on the State

Chris Madel, an attorney, said the federal immigration operation has “expanded far beyond its stated focus.”

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shoots pepper spray at a protester in Minneapolis

Federal agents have targeted protesters in Minneapolis. Jen Golbeck/AP

By Christa Dutton

January 26, 2026 11:34 AM

Chris Madel, a Republican running for governor in Minnesota, exited the race Monday over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in the state, which has resulted in two U.S. citizens being killed by federal agents.

Madel said in a video announcement that he cannot support the national GOP’s “stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”

His departure from the race is a sign of a growing fissure within the Republican Party over the Trump administration’s mass deportation tactics.

Madel originally supported the immigration enforcement operation, but he said he now thinks it has “expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats.”

Madel, a Minneapolis attorney, campaigned as a defender of law enforcement and even provided legal counsel to Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who shot and killed Renee Good earlier this month. But now the operation has gone too far, he said. He cited instances of racial profiling by federal agents in the state.

“Driving while Hispanic is not a crime,” he said. “Neither is driving while Asian.”

Madel had emerged as a top contender in a crowded Republican primary of about a dozen candidates — many of whom were eager to run against Gov. Tim Walz, whose bid was mired in a scandal around statewide fraud. Walz then dropped out, complicating Republicans’ strategy.

Madel acknowledged the challenges Republicans face in winning in Minnesota. He said another reason for leaving the race was that “national Republicans have made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota,” calling the aggressive immigration operation a “political liability.”

He said that Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s expected entrance into the race did not impact his decision.

Other Republican candidates in the field, including business executive Kendall Qualls and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, have stood behind the Trump administration.