SouthernWorldwide.com – A military veteran running for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota believes there’s a significant opportunity for the Republican party to win statewide this election. He argues that voters are widely embarrassed by Democratic Governor Tim Walz’s handling of a massive fraud scandal in the state, which he describes as “stolen valor.”
The veteran, who has not yet secured the GOP nomination, drew a contrast between himself and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. Flanagan is the current frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for the Senate seat. He suggested that Flanagan has been negatively impacted by her association with Walz and the ongoing fraud crisis that has significantly affected Minnesota.
“Everyone outside of Minneapolis is angry and embarrassed that Minnesota is internationally known for fraud. You can’t even go outside the country and say your state anymore because people are like, ‘What is wrong with your crazy state?’” he stated. He predicted that this sentiment will have a substantial effect on the voting outcome in November.
Despite not yet having the Republican nomination, the candidate, who served 10 years as an infantry Marine and 11 years as a Navy SEAL officer, expressed confidence in his ability to win a general election against Flanagan. He highlighted his military background as a key advantage.
“Navy SEALs are seven for seven in general elections,” he remarked. “We don’t miss the target.”
He also accused Flanagan of “openly running as a socialist.” Flanagan, who is campaigning on a progressive, anti-Trump platform, has received endorsements from prominent figures like Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. She recently appeared with Sanders at a campaign event in Rochester, Minnesota.
During the rally, Flanagan characterized the current political climate as a struggle “for who this country belongs to, billionaires and corporations or the rest of us.” She used a significant portion of her speech to criticize President Donald Trump-backed initiatives such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the conflict in Iran, and the proposed White House ballroom.
Flanagan asserted that the Trump administration “don’t give a damn about you,” labeling their actions as “straight up corruption, period, full stop.”
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The veteran suggested that Flanagan’s rhetoric accurately reflects the current direction of the Democratic Party. “What’s the Democrat agenda nationally right now? It’s anti-Trump, pro-socialism,” he said. “Now, they’re going to run an open socialist candidate for the U.S. Senate. And I don’t think it’s going to work in Minnesota.”
He further posited that “nobody outside Minneapolis is going to vote for socialism.”
However, the candidate believes that while Minnesotans’ aversion to socialism will deter them from voting Democratic this year, the fraud issue itself will motivate voters to seek change through their ballots. “Fraud is everything. That’s going to be the thing that takes back our state for people like me who are just patriotic people,” he explained.
On the campaign trail, the veteran reported observing a significantly higher number of individuals registering support for Republicans at local caucuses across Minnesota, with numbers sometimes doubling the usual turnout. He also noted seeing increased support in areas that typically lean Democratic.
“Minnesotans are a really proud people. We’re farmers. We’re laborers. We have businesses,” he stated. “What is throughout and known is just the anger and the embarrassment of being a Minnesotan in this time.”
He also criticized the Walz administration, claiming they are still attempting to conceal the extent of the fraud or promote a different narrative, while seeking to take credit for any positive developments. “They’re still trying to cover it up, or try to press for a different narrative on the story, take credit, which is what Walz does, right? Stolen Valor Walz, he loves to take credit, but not actually do the work.”
The candidate also holds Flanagan responsible for the situation. “We don’t know how many billions it truly is. But there’s still been zero people fired from the Walz administration,” he said. “And at the same time that Walz is now finally getting pushed aside by the establishment Democrats, they’re also trying to elevate Peggy Flanagan to the United States Senate.”
He accused Flanagan of being directly involved with the $9 to $19 billion in fraud, adding, “Being a military guy my whole life, you don’t fail a mission and then get promoted.”
