MINNEAPOLIS — Former Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek is running for governor, joining a crowded field of Republican candidates seeking to challenge Gov. Tim Walz this fall.
Stanek announced his campaign with a video published on Tuesday, declaring himself a "lifelong conservative" and attributing his decision to Democrats in charge "letting lawlessness run rampant and using the actions of a few bad actors to wage all-out war on law enforcement," over images of prominent Minnesota and national Democrats.
"We need leaders who build bridges instead of burning them," Stanek said in the video. "Who call for understanding instead of unrest and protect our communities instead of bowing to the socialist left."
Stanek's announcement video emphasized scenes from the 2020 unrest that upended Minneapolis after George Floyd's killing. He joins a growing field of Republican challengers who have broadly declared public safety to be a top priority of their campaigns. But Stanek is banking on decades of experience in law enforcement to stand out as he seeks the party's endorsement.
Stanek served as Hennepin County sheriff from 2006 until he narrowly lost to current Sheriff Dave Hutchinson in 2018. Prior to that, he served as state Public Safety commissioner, resigning in 2004 for using a racial epithet and telling racist jokes in a deposition 12 years before that. Stanek also served in the Legislature for 10 years.
Other Republican candidates so far include state Sens. Michelle Benson and Paul Gazelka, Dr. Scott Jensen, Kendall Qualls, Lexington Mayor Mike Murphy and Dr. Neil Shah.
In his announcement video, Stanek highlighted election security, boosting the economy, privacy protection, gun rights and ending COVID-19 "lockdowns and mandates" as top priorities. There are no lockdowns in place in Minnesota. City governments such as Minneapolis and St. Paul have enforced mask and vaccine-or-test requirements, but the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a federal vaccine mandates for large employers last month.
The executive director of Alliance for a Better Minnesota blasted his entry into the race.
"Rich Stanek has a decadeslong track record of divisive, harmful, offensive behavior as an elected official in Minnesota," said Marissa Luna. "From using racial slurs during his time as a police officer to being named in numerous police brutality lawsuits, Rich Stanek has shown time and time again that he is not the leader that Minnesotans need."
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