Republican attorney Chris Madel on Monday announced his 2026 campaign for Minnesota governor, pledging to fight fraud, cut taxes, improve education outcomes and defend law enforcement officials.
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 entered the race because he felt the need to address fraud, public safety and declining education outcomes.
“We’ve become a national embarrassment, and that is getting increasingly difficult for all of us just to stand and to watch this happen without standing up and just doing something about it,” he told reporters at a news conference at his law firm in downtown Minneapolis.
Madel is a first-time candidate joining an increasingly crowded field of candidates seeking the Republican endorsement to challenge Democratic-Farmer-Labor Gov. Tim Walz next year.
Walz is seeking a third term as governor, and Madel is the latest GOP candidate to make the significant levels of government fraud under the DFL leader’s watch a central theme in his campaign.
Legal career
The 58-year-old attorney originally hails from Waseca in southern Minnesota and 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, where he led the business litigation department.
Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan’s attorney Chris Madel is drowned out by protesters after a hearing for his client at the Hennepin County Government Center on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)
Most of Madel’s work has been in the civil realm, but he has taken criminal defense cases in recent years, including for Londregan. In that case, Madel was able to get Mary Moriarty to drop murder charges against Londregan for the shooting of Ricky Cobb II in a 2023 Minneapolis traffic stop.
Walz said his office would have legally intervened if Hennepin County had not dropped the case, though Moriarty insisted pressure from the governor had nothing to do with her decision.
“We’re going to back the blue, not with empty words, but actually with the courage to back it up,” Madel said at the Monday news conference. “The days of law enforcement not being able to do their job are over. It is high time that we let cops do their jobs without some jackass politician second-guessing their every move.”
Madel said he was uniquely qualified to tackle fraud in Minnesota — pointing to his past work investigating an alleged campaign contribution fraud scheme in college football’s Fiesta Bowl, vendor fraud at Best Buy and fraud at Crown Bank. There were eventually convictions in all three cases.
He’s 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.
Response from DFL, GOP
After announcing his bid for governor, Madel faced criticism from the DFL party for his criminal defense work.
“Madel desperately wants to be seen as a pragmatist, yet he jumps to defend criminals charged with hate crimes against our communities,” DFL Chair Richard Carlbom said. “With such a checkered history of clients, he lacks a moral compass to be Governor.”
Madel defended his past work, saying legal representation in a criminal case is a basic right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
“If that’s the best you’ve got, it looks like I’m going to be your next governor,” he said, noting that 90% of his work is civil litigation.
Republicans took aim at Madel for his past political contributions to Democrats, including Walz and former President Joe Biden. Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, said those contributions cast doubt on Madel’s conservative credentials.
“The contrast could not be more clear. I am the only candidate in this race who has a consistent conservative record and the ability to defeat Tim Walz and win next November,” she said in statement. “As far back as 2006, Chris has supported Tim Walz, whose policies have hurt Minnesota families and businesses through higher taxes, rampant fraud, and extreme social policies that hurt our kids.”
‘Zero apologies’
Madel said he supported Walz decades ago when he was a southern Minnesota Congressman with a reputation for moderate views and strong support from the National Rifle Association. When asked at his campaign launch news conference, he defended his approach to the Democratic governor, saying he had “zero apologies.”
Madel said he plans to seek support not only from Republicans but also from moderate Democrats.
Other Republicans running for governor in 2026 include state House Speaker Lisa Demuth; 2022 gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen, a doctor who rose to prominence for his criticism of state COVID policy; state Rep. Robbins; 2022 Republican endorsement contender Kendall Qualls, a former congressional candidate; and businessman Patrick Knight.
Walz is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term as governor. So far, Walz is the only DFLer running for governor in 2026.
No Republican has won a statewide election since 2006, when then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty won a second term. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton was elected in 2010 and served from 2011 to 2019. Walz followed.
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