Reacting to a Republican candidate from Minnesota who dropped out of the race and has indicated he will leave the party on Monday due to Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant siege of his state, a key Trump-aligned campaign consultant expressed dismay at the damage the president is doing to the party.
According to the Wall Street Journal, lawyer Chris Madel abandoned his bid for the GOP nomination to replace outgoing Governor Tim Walz (D-MN), stating he could not reconcile his candidacy with the administration's enforcement tactics.
Madel, who is also a lawyer representing the ICE agent who shot Renee Good, explained his decision: "I can't look my daughters in the eye and say I'm running as a Republican, when they're pulling over Hispanics and Asians because of the color of their skin and what they look like — I did not sign up for that."
Preya Samsundar of Republican strategy group K2 & Co., which assisted Trump's re-election through the Republican National Committee, warned that the continued enforcement chaos has ruined Republican viability in Minnesota.
According to the Journal, many Minnesota Republicans privately agree that Trump's policies endanger their political futures. Recent tensions intensified following Saturday's fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by ICE agents.
Samsundar expressed concern both personally and professionally. Her mother, who immigrated legally, has begun carrying her passport to work. Professionally, Samsundar's social media contacts include conservative activists lamenting the Minneapolis situation.
Republicans acknowledge that statewide electoral success in Minnesota requires support from non-Republican voters. Samsundar cautioned, "As the days and weeks go by, you can't brush this off anymore. How much longer can you go on before you do enough damage that you can't come back?"
You can read more here.
