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.

Related Articles

How will Kaohly Her’s legislative career shape her leadership of St. Paul?

How fraud swamped Minnesota’s social services system on Tim Walz’s watch

A look at St. Paul’s legal tangles with the Trump administration

Attorney General Keith Ellison joins others in SNAP eligibility lawsuit

Gov. Tim Walz presents Gru, Minnesota’s Thanksgiving turkey

State lawmakers have secured $250,000 to commemorate photographer, filmmaker, author and activist Gordon Parks in St. Paul.

Rep. Samakab Hussein, DFL-St. Paul, and Sen. Foung Hawj, DFL-St. Paul announced the legislative appropriation on Sunday. It is intended to commemorate Parks, who began his photography career in St. Paul.

While plans for the memorial are still in development, Parks’ grandniece Robin Hickman-Winfield, Landmark Center executive director Amy Mino and others have discussed having a statue of Parks erected in Landmark Plaza. The project would be part of a “living memorial,” which Hickman-Winfield said goes beyond just a physical structure but has included other efforts to continue Parks’ legacy, such as the Gordon Parks High School in St. Paul or exhibits on Parks’ work.

Parks was born in Fort Scott, Kan., in 1912 but moved to St. Paul as a boy after his mother died. He would last return to St. Paul in 1998 to perform with a symphony orchestra at Landmark Center. He died in 2006 in New York at age 93.

“I am proud to have taken part in creating this living memorial to Parks, whose artistic journey began here in St. Paul,” Hawj said in a statement Monday. “While he traveled across the country in his lifetime, Minnesota is where he bought his first camera — his chosen ‘weapon’ against poverty and racism. Gordon Parks represents the best of Minnesota and the best of St. Paul. He made his dreams real and inspires people, young and old, to do the same today.”

Plans are also in development to create a permanent immersive exhibit featuring Parks’ works at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Hickman-Winfield said she expects there will be additional fundraising for that exhibit and it could be completed as early as March.

A permanent exhibit at the airport would cost around $75,000 a year, said Don Shelby, Hickman-Winfield’s longtime friend. Shelby suggested the exhibit in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.

“I just think this exhibit is a good look on the Twin Cities and it celebrates one of the most important artists of all time,” Shelby said.

Parks got his start with photography, taking pictures at Frank Murphy’s store in downtown St. Paul. He went on to shoot fashion for Vogue, capture scenes of poverty in America for Life magazine and images of segregation for the Farm Security Administration. He was also a composer and the first Black director — he was best known for 1971’s “Shaft” — at a major Hollywood studio.

To see Gordon Parks’ photography and learn more about his life and his career, go to gordonparksfoundation.org.

Related Articles

Plans in the works to honor Gordon Parks in downtown St. Paul

Celebrate Gordon Parks with two of his films, a documentary, remarks by actors who knew him

St. Paul exhibit pairs works by Gordon Parks and photographer he inspired

City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

A co-op building in Queens. The City Council will hold a hearing Tuesday on transparency at co-op housing across the city. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Welcome to City Limits’ NYC Housing Calendar, a weekly feature where we round up the latest housing and land use-related events and hearings, as well as affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Know of an event we should include in next week’s calendar? Email us.

Upcoming housing and land use-related events:

Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 9 a.m.: The Landmarks Preservation Commission will decide on whether to consider the following sites for landmarks designation: Public School 15 Annex/362 Schermerhorn St.; Church of Saint Mary/440 Grand St.; and the Lithuanian Alliance Building/ 307 West 30th St. More here.

Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 10 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings will hold an oversight hearing on transparency in New York City co-ops. The meeting will also include discussion of a bill that would require co-op boards to disclose their reasons for rejecting an applicant, and another that would legalize single-room occupancy apartments (shared housing). More here.

Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m.: The Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation, which monitors construction impacts and quality of life issues related to the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park project in downtown Brooklyn, will hold a public meeting. More here.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on General Welfare will hold an oversight hearing on the city’s housing voucher program, CityFHEPS. More here.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will review the following land use applications: MTA 125th and Lexington Rezoning, Herkimer-Williams and 18-15 Francis Lewis Boulevard Commercial Overlay. More here.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m.: The City Planning Commission will meet to vote on the following projects: 1417 Avenue U Rezoning and 150 Flagg Place. It will hold public hearings on the following: ACS – 1000 -1034 Dean Street, Seaside Park & Community Arts Ctr Special Permit, 1325 Ave of the Americas-Text Amendment/Cert and 33-01 11th Street Rezoning. More here.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m.: The NYC Public Housing Preservation Trust will hold its next board meeting. More here.

NYC Affordable Housing Lotteries: The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) are closing lotteries on the following subsidized buildings over the next week.

2250 Aqueduct Avenue Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $90,686 – $261,170 (last day to apply is 12/3)

Vleigh 77, Queens, for households earning between $69,155 – $189,540 (last day to apply is 12/4)

64-08 Wetherole Street Apartments, Queens, for households earning between $92,812 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 12/5)

897 New York Avenue Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between  $101,280 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 12/5)

Mosholu Concourse Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $58,698 – $120,540 (last day to apply is 12/5)

Concern Logan, Brooklyn, for households earning between $55,166 – $105,000 (last day to apply is 12/5)

One Sunset Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between $28,766 – $189,540 (last day to apply is 12/5)

The post NYC Housing Calendar, Dec. 1-8 appeared first on City Limits.

By RYAN J. FOLEY and EDDIE PELLS

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Two gymnasts who say they were sexually abused at an elite academy in Iowa filed lawsuits Monday against the sport’s oversight bodies, alleging they failed to stop Sean Gardner from preying on girls despite repeated complaints about the coach’s behavior.

The lawsuits allege USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport were told about “inappropriate and abusive behaviors” in December 2017, including that Gardner was hugging and kissing girls and engaging in other grooming behaviors while coaching at a Mississippi gym.

The organizations failed to properly investigate, revoke Gardner’s coaching credentials, report him to law enforcement or take other actions to protect athletes, the lawsuits allege. They claim the inaction enabled Gardner to get a job at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, in 2018, where the gymnasts say they and other preteen and teenage girls were abused despite additional complaints about Gardner.

The institute was founded by prominent coach Liang “Chow” Qiao, who is known for producing Olympic champions and was also named as a defendant in the lawsuits.

Lawsuits are first filed since Gardner’s arrest

The lawsuits, filed in Polk County, Iowa, are the first civil cases brought in an abuse scandal that came to light in a series of reports by The Associated Press after the FBI arrested Gardner in August. They allege USA Gymnastics and SafeSport, the watchdog created by Congress to investigate misconduct in Olympic sports in the aftermath of the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, missed repeated opportunities to stop Gardner.

The center said Monday it had not been served with the lawsuit and typically does not comment on litigation. It noted that its 2022 temporary suspension of Gardner came “upon receiving the first report of sexual misconduct” against him and was published on its online database of disciplinary action. That was “the only reason Gardner was barred from coaching young athletes in the years until his arrest,” it said.

Related Articles

Shooting of National Guard members prompts flurry of US immigration restrictions

US air travelers without REAL IDs will be charged a $45 fee

Here’s why everyone’s talking about a ‘K-shaped’ economy

White House says admiral ordered follow-on strike on alleged drug boat, insists attack was lawful

Federal review finds 44% of US trucking schools don’t comply with government rules

Gardner’s sanction escalated from “temporary suspension” to “ineligible” on Sept. 12 due to his arrest.

Responding to questions in August about the original AP reporting, the center said it had been notified by USA Gymnastics that a gym where Gardner worked had resolved a 2018 case involving the coach that didn’t pertain to sexual misconduct. The center said coaches at Chow’s were aware of subsequent allegations involving sexual misconduct but failed to report them.

USA Gymnastics spokesperson Jill Geer said Monday the organization appreciates “the seriousness of this case” but declined further comment.

Gardner faces federal child pornography charges for allegedly placing a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi, between December 2017 and April 2018 to record his students. Investigators say he created videos showing close-up images of at least 10 minors naked or undressing, which they recovered from his computers last year while investigating reports of sexual abuse.

Gardner has pleaded not guilty and has been jailed pending trial, which is scheduled for next month. His attorney didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

Plaintiffs in lawsuits are now college students

The lawsuits allege the plaintiffs were 11- and 12-year-old trainees at Chow’s who dreamed of one day competing in the Olympics when they began training under Gardner in 2018. They say they were subjected to “physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, harassment and molestation” until they quit the gym years later.

The plaintiffs include Iowa State gymnast Finley Weldon, who reported claims of abuse by Gardner to police and later went public in an AP interview. The other is 19-year-old University of Iowa student Hailey Gear, who also wants to go public with her allegations, according to her attorney, Elizabeth Pudenz. They seek unspecified damages for their injuries and treatment expenses. Several other former gymnasts have reported abuse, and more lawsuits are expected.

The AP generally does not identify victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly.

In addition to USA Gymnastics and SafeSport, the defendants named in the lawsuit are Qiao, the former Chinese gymnast who opened Chow’s in 1998 and coached Olympic gold medalists Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas; Qiao’s wife, Liwen Zhuan, a coach who helps run the gym; and their family corporations that own the business and the property on which it sits.

Lawsuits detail concerns over Gardner’s ‘grooming behavior’

The lawsuits allege all the defendants were negligent in how they responded to reports of Gardner’s misconduct.

The parents of a gymnast filed reports with USA Gymnastics and SafeSport in December 2017 alleging Gardner required girls to give him long hugs after every training in Mississippi and that he kicked one girl out who refused, the lawsuits claim. He allegedly had an improper closed-door meeting with a girl whom he verbally abused, kissed gymnasts on their foreheads, drank alcohol excessively in front of them, made sexual jokes to girls and inappropriate comments on social media, and stalked one girl who he was instructed to stop contacting, the lawsuits claim.

Gardner’s then-boss also reported to USA Gymnastics in January 2018 that Gardner had engaged in “grooming behaviors,” but he was allowed to continue coaching.

The lawsuits allege SafeSport received another report from a parent at Chow’s “concerning improper behaviors” by Gardner in September 2020 but failed to investigate.

The lawsuits allege Qiao and Zhuan failed to conduct an adequate background check before hiring Gardner and continued to employ him even after receiving complaints that he inappropriately touched girls while spotting them during exercises.

Qiao and Zhuan didn’t immediately return a message left at Chow’s. The gym has said that Gardner passed a standard background check, and it fired Gardner after he was suspended by SafeSport in July 2022, even though “there had been no finding of misconduct at that time.”

Pells reported from Denver.