Minnesota Republican state representative Kristin Robbins has suspended her gubernatorial campaign.
“It was not a tough decision to get into the race 10 months ago,” Robbins said. “We could not allow Tim Walz to have a third term in Minnesota. He’s destroyed our state, and we had to stop him, and so, I think I made a great case for that, and because of all my work on the fraud committee he got out nine months ahead of schedule, which is great.”
“Once Senator Klobuchar became sort of the anointed candidate to replace him, I just think the establishment kind of circled the wagons and, you know, it became a challenging endeavor, and I’m a realist, and I am a numbers person, and when I look at the math, I don’t see a path for me to win,” Robbins added.
Weeks after Walz dropped his re-election bid in January amid a massive fraud scandal that unfolded during his watch, Sen. Amy Klobuchar jumped into the race, bringing her deep political backing and name recognition as the presumptive nominee for the Democrats.
Robbins stated she determined it was better to “bow out” and find a “new way to contribute” due to love of her state and the realization that there are “many ways to serve.” In terms of what’s next, Robbins said she hasn’t had time to give that much thought but noted she is focused on closing out the current legislative session.
“I know where the bodies are buried,” Robbins said about the fraud situation, pointing out that there is much more work to be done to get answers on how billions in fraud went unchecked for so long. “Our state government and political system are broken, and after fighting for Minnesotans from the inside for eight years, I have determined that the best way to fight for our state’s future is from the outside.”
“I believe it’s going to take a grassroots coalition of common-sense Minnesotans to save our state. And that starts with families, faith and communities—not government,” Robbins said in her statement.
Robbins, who serves as assistant leader in the House and chairs the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention Committee, has a term ending in 2027. She joined a crowded field of Republican candidates for the gubernatorial race including House Speaker Lisa Demuth, businessman Kendall Qualls, and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell.