Attorney Chris Madel has dropped out of the race for governor saying he can’t support the national Republican Party’s “stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so.”
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 “limited goals” of Operation Metro Surge which sent thousands of federal agents into Minnesota to 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.
“Operation Metro Surge has expanded far beyond its stated goals far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats,” Madel said in a video posted on social media. “Citizens live in fear, they are carrying papers to prove citizenship … That’s wrong.”
He said communities of color have been particularly targeted in the federal operation.
Madel also said he’s ending his campaign because national Republicans have made it ‘nearly impossible” for a Republican to win an election in Minnesota.
“It is a simply fact,” he said.
He also said President Donald Trump doesn’t get enough credit for his successes such as the ceasefire in Gaza and getting NATO to spend more on military.
He also said state Republicans “have also screwed up,” saying GOP lawmakers have done little to actually address fraud but rather sought “a new bureaucrat” the federal government to do the work.
And he 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.
“Weaponizing criminal investigations against political opponents is unconstitutional regardless of who’s in power,” Madel said. “Republicans and Democrats alike have engaged in this misconduct and both must beheld to the same standard. They need to do better.”
Madel also said he’s spoken to several law enforcem4nt officers “some Hispanic and some Asian who have been pulled over by IUCE 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.
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 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.
He’s also represented Minnesota conservative news outlet Alpha News and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. In 2003, he
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Madel said the possibility of squaring of against U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar wasn’t a factor in his decision not to run. He said he’d beaten her in the courtroom and was confident he would have prevailed in a general election. He also said he’d be returning all campaign donations he’s received so far.
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