HAM LAKE, Minn. – Republican Michelle Benson, a three-term state senator, has dropped out of the race for governor and apparently is leaving politics. Besides leaving the governor race, Benson said she will not seek a fourth term in the Senate. Benson’s departure from the gubernatorial campaign narrows a crowded GOP field. The leading remaining candidates:
> Scott Jensen, of Chaska, a former state senator, a doctor running as a CoVid skeptic.
> Paul Gazelka, of East Gull Lake, a state senator who has been Senate majority leader.
Benson said she had found “support of conservatives in every corner of Minnesota.” Now, she said, Republicans ned to unite behind a single candidate to defeat Democratic Governor Tim Walz. She did not say which GOP hopeful she favors.
Verbatim
Benson: “As families continue to struggle with the rising costs of daily life, Governor Walz has failed to offer solutions to get Minnesota heading in the right direction. Instead, we need to focus on putting parents back in charge of their kids’ education, ensure safe streets with investments in law enforcement and public safety, and permanently reform government to allow Minnesotans to prosper. It’s time for Republicans to unite behind a single candidate that can defeat Tim Walz this fall. I look forward to working with delegates on selecting the right choice.”
Benson. First elected to Senate in 2010. In the Senate, Benson chairs the Human Services Licensing Policy Committee. She is 53.