Republican Chris Madel exits Minnesota governor's race, calls federal "retribution" on state unconstitutional

Republican Chris Madel says he is ending his campaign for governor of Minnesota, saying that he cannot support the national members of his party and their "retribution on the citizens of our state." 

Madel said he supported the original stated purpose of Operation Metro Surge — to detain the "worst of the worst" migrants who are in the country illegally — but said the operation has "expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats."

The operation, Madel said, has been an "unmitigated disaster."

In his video announcement on X, Madel said it is "wrong" that U.S. citizens of color are living in fear and carrying passports to prove their citizenship status. 

"I cannot support the national Republicans stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so," Madel said. 

The second reason for ending his campaign, Madel said, is that national Republicans have "made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota."

Madel also said local Republican leaders have done nothing to investigate fraud in the state, which is the purported reason for Operation Metro Surge and the 3,000 federal agents who have since descended on Minnesota.

Madel originally made headlines in 2024 when he represented a state trooper who was charged with murder after he shot and killed a man during a traffic stop on Interstate 94. The charges against the trooper were eventually dropped. 

He has also assisted Jonathan Ross, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who shot and killed Renee Good earlier this month in South Minneapolis. 

He defended his decision to help Ross, saying that he believed in the "constitutional right to counsel." 

This is a developing story.