MINNESOTA – One of the people running for governor of Minnesota believes he has a better chance of winning the Republican nomination in 2026 after a failed effort four years ago.
Kendall Qualls is among a handful of candidates so far who have officially announced their runs for governor.
But in 2022, Qualls lost the GOP primary to Scott Jensen.
“I got in the race late last time,” Qualls told The Flag. “A lot of people didn’t know who I was [but] I was getting a lot of energy. This time, I’m making my name and people are responding.”
Listen to a portion of The Flag’s interview with Kendall Qualls:
Qualls claims that he now has “twice as much” support as he did last time and that his “message is resonating.”
If elected, Qualls says he’ll tackle business taxes and regulations, crime and improving public education.
“We want to restore Minnesota back to normal,” said Qualls.
Calling Minnesota a “centrist, pragmatic state” at its core, Qualls sounded confident that he could even help win back control of the state legislature.
Democrats have a one vote majority in the state senate, while the House is currently tied.
“I believe I can get enough excitement at the top of the ticket to have a down ballot windfall for us to get our own trifecta.”
Scott Jensen, along with state lawmaker Kirstin Robbins, are among some of the others declaring their candidacies to vye for the GOP nomination.
