Two protective orders have been filed against a Hugo woman after she left multiple threatening voicemails for two Republican state representatives, including Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth, one of several Republican gubernatorial candidates in this year’s election.

Rep. Patti Anderson, R-Dellwood. (Courtesy of Patti Anderson)

The Minnesota State Patrol has filed petitions for protective orders in Stearns and Washington counties on behalf of Demuth, R-Cold Spring, and Rep. Patti Anderson, R-Dellwood.

Rachel Marie Welsch, 42, has called Demuth and Anderson “almost daily and (left) voicemails regarding several different current political issues” since the beginning of January, according to the petition filed in Washington County District Court. Law enforcement said that Welsch blamed the lawmakers for issues occurring in other states and made several vague threats, such as “I will find you” or “I will be there where ever you are.”

In a recent voicemail, Welsch said she has been attending 2A — or permit to carry — classes and “she would like to see Rep. Demuth ‘fall at the end of a barrel.’ ” On Feb. 24, she left another voicemail saying “she could not wait to see (Demuth) in person and wanted to show her just what she has been learning in the ‘2A’ classes, adding she was a good shot and pretty accurate. Welsch also discussed federal immigration enforcement and the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, according to the complaint.

The remarks caused Demuth, who is running for governor, “great fear,” according to the petition. In one of the voicemails, Welsch said she is looking forward to seeing the gubernatorial candidate on the campaign trail, according to the complaint.

“I have added additional security measures at my home and have changed my previous patterns of going to and from work and for being in the public,” Demuth wrote in her petition. “The harassment has also caused much distress for my family members and their concern for my safety.”

Washington County District Judge Douglas Meslow granted the protective orders on Feb. 25, the same day the petition was filed, according to online court records.

The threats came after state Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, her husband, Mark, and their dog were shot and killed in their home in June. State Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, and his wife, Yvette, were also shot in their home but survived the attack.

On Jan. 26, Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order requiring weapons and hazardous materials screening at the Minnesota Capitol ahead of the 2026 legislative session, which began Feb. 17. Walz cited the killings of the Hortmans and shootings of the Hoffmans as the reason for the safety measures.

Threats against Minnesota elected officials more than doubled between 2024 and 2025, increasing from 19 to 50 by September of 2025, according to the Minnesota State Patrol.

Welsch was charged Feb. 26 with felony threats of violence and was released on $20,000 bail with conditions that she undergo a mental health screening, have GPS monitoring, not possess dangerous weapons and not contact the representatives. She is scheduled to attend a virtual hearing on March 11, according to online court records. A conviction carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

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It wasn’t the “big move” that many Minnesota Wild fans are anticipating before Friday afternoon’s NHL trade deadline, but Michael McCarron is certainly a big addition, especially when standing near a tape measure.

The Wild announced on Tuesday night that they have acquired the 6-foot-6 forward from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2028 second-round draft pick.

McCarron, who turns 31 on Saturday, has more than 350 NHL games on his resume. Originally from suburban Detroit, he began his career with the Montreal Canadiens, and has been with the Predators since 2020. He played for Wild coach John Hynes during his term behind the bench in Nashville.

He has five goals and seven assists in 59 games for Nashville this season while playing a bottom six role.

Wild general manager Bill Guerin spoke to reporters on Sunday and said the team’s biggest need is in the faceoff circle. McCarron has won more than half of his draws over the past five NHL seasons, winning faceoffs at a 52.8% rate in 2025-26.

McCarron is expected to join the Wild for their upcoming road trip and could make his Minnesota debut on Friday night when they face the Vegas Golden Knights.

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By MICHAEL R. BLOOD

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fearful that an election quirk could result in heavily Democratic California installing a Republican as its next governor, a top Democrat on Tuesday sent his party’s lagging candidates a blunt message: Get out of the race.

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California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks warned in a statement that for all the state’s liberal bona fides it was possible that a large Democratic field could carve up the party’s primary vote into small fractions and allow only two Republican candidates to advance to the November election. The all-GOP general election is possible under California’s unusual top-two primary system, which puts all candidates on one ballot and only the top two vote-getters advance to November, regardless of party.

Though a longshot, such an outcome could have major fallout beyond losing the governorship for the first time in 16 years, Hicks said. A Democratic vacancy at the top of the ticket in November could depress turnout at a time when the party is trying to regain control of the U.S. House to blunt President Donald Trump’s agenda in Washington.

“I recognize my suggestions are hard for many to contemplate and may be even viewed as overly harsh,” Hicks wrote. The letter did not name names but it appeared to be targeting a handful of candidates who have hovered in the single digits in polling, including several non-white candidates.

The response from trailing candidates was swift. State schools superintendent Tony Thurmond, who is Black, said the party is “essentially telling every candidate of color … to drop out.” He vowed to stay in the race.

“Aren’t we supposed to be the party who embraces democracy?” he said in a video posted to the social platform X.

California gubernatorial candidate Betty Yee speaks at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Another candidate, former state controller Betty Yee, a daughter of Chinese immigrant parents, didn’t mention Hicks’ statement in an announcement that she would be filing paperwork Tuesday to officially set her candidacy in motion. The campaign of San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, another Democrat in the race, said “voters choose the next governor, not political gatekeepers.”

A wide-open field

Hicks’ unusual intervention in the contest comes after weeks of growing Democratic anxiety about the possibility of seeing two Republicans on the top of the ballot in November. The leading GOP candidates are Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and conservative commentator Steve Hilton, both supporters of Trump.

This election marks the first time since voters approved the state’s “ top two ” primary system more than a decade ago that there’s been a governor’s race with no clear frontrunner, luring a flood of Democrats into the contest.

That list includes current and former members of Congress, Katie Porter, Rep. Eric Swalwell and Xavier Becerra, who later served as the Biden administration’s top health official; billionaire Tom Steyer; former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; Ian Calderon, a former majority leader in the state Assembly, along with Thurmond, Yee and Mahan.

California gubernatorial candidate Matt Mahan speaks while being interviewed at the 2026 California Democratic Party State Convention in San Francisco, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Recent polling by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California found the field had split into two distinct groups, with Hilton, Porter, Bianco, Swalwell and Steyer breaking into double digits, and other candidates lagging in lower single digits.

Gov. Newsom, who has not made an endorsement in the race, echoed Hicks’ concern for a potential Democratic disaster. Newsom said of Hicks’ letter, “I’ll be candid with you. My first reaction is: I get why he sent it. There is some concern.”

It also prompted Democratic infighting. Villaraigosa’s campaign issued a statement calling on Becerra to drop out, saying it would reduce the chances of a GOP sweep. Both are Latinos and rivals for support in that community.

Some Democrats agree

Hicks won a nod of support from Democratic strategist Drexel Heard II, former executive director of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, who said in a text that “any party’s role and mission has always been to shepherd the best candidates and then win the race.”

A GOP upset in California would reverberate across the nation’s political landscape. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by nearly 2-to-1 statewide. Democrats also dominate the legislature, where Republicans have been reduced to powerless spectators.

Alarm for Democrats increased further after Silicon Valley entrepreneur and Republican Jon Slavet withdrew from the race. That will allow conservative support to further consolidate behind the two leading candidates, Bianco and Hilton.

Hicks argued that if Democratic candidates do not see a “viable path” to November, they should drop out.

Democratic strategist Paul Mitchell has been using available polling data to run simulations to assess the likelihood of a twin GOP breakthrough in the June 2 primary. With Slavet out of the race, the chance of an all-GOP ticket in November has reached 25%, he said.

In a primary, the Democrats are expected to divide roughly 60% of the vote, Republicans, 40%.

While the Democratic vote will be scattered in a large field, “Republicans are consolidating their vote behind two candidates,” Mitchell said. Slavet’s withdrawal “just helps clarify the concern Democrats have.”

By HANNAH FINGERHUT and REBECCA BOONE

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Four of the six U.S. soldiers killed in the Iran war were identified Tuesday by the Pentagon as members of the Army Reserve from different states who worked in logistics and kept troops supplied with food and equipment.

Clockwise from top left, Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, posthumously promoted from specialist. (Courtesy of the U.S. Army Reserve)

They died Sunday when a drone hit a command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, just a day after the U.S. and Israel launched its military campaign against Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against Israel and several Gulf Arab states that host U.S. armed forces.

Those killed were Capt. Cody Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Florida; Sgt. 1st Class Noah Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Nebraska; and Sgt. Declan Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, lowa, who was posthumously promoted from specialist. No other names were released.

“These men and women all bravely volunteered to defend our country, and their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll said.

All were assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, which provides food, fuel, water and ammunition, transport equipment and supplies.

“Sadly, there will likely be more, before it ends. That’s the way it is,” President Donald Trump said of deaths.

Minnesotan identified as one of four Army Reserve soldiers killed in Kuwait

Amor was just a few days away from returning home to her husband and two children when she was killed.

“You don’t go to Kuwait thinking something’s going to happen, and for her to be one of the first – it hurts,” Joey Amor, her husband, said Tuesday.

Amor was an avid gardener who enjoyed making salsa from the peppers and tomatoes in her garden with her son, a senior in high school. She also enjoyed rollerblading and bicycling with her fourth-grade daughter.

“If you needed anything she would just take care of it for you,” Joey Amor said. “She’s helped a lot of people through a lot of dark times, and brought a lot of light to this world.”

Coady’s LinkedIn page said he was a student at Drake University and an information technology specialist with the Army Reserve.

He said he had learned how to “interact with countless different kinds of people from all different backgrounds” through his service.

Coady became an Eagle Scout in 2020, according to a Facebook post from his West Des Moines troop. An Iowa organization that helps homeless children said he made 12 Adirondack chairs for the group.

Nebraska U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts said he and his wife are mourning Tietjens’ death and praying for his family.

“May we always remember and honor the sacrifices made by Noah Tietjens and the Tietjens family,” Ricketts said.

Tietjens was married with a son, according to a Facebook page. A photo online shows the couple with their son wearing a martial arts uniform.

There are several family photos on Facebook pages belonging to Amor and her husband, Joey Amor, including some images with a teen son.

Last November, Joey wrote a post expressing his love for Nicole.

“Even while you are on the other side of the world you found a way to make my birthday special,” he said. “I love you!”

Associated Press writer Rebecca Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho.

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