Chris Madel ends Minnesota governor bid, cites immigration crackdown in Minneapolis

Chris Madel, a Minneapolis defense lawyer who had been running for governor of Minnesota as a Republican, said he was ending his campaign on Jan. 26, 2026 because he had become outraged by the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in Minneapolis. Mr. Madel said the operation "has departed so far from the stated goals that it is simply a disaster," speaking two days after federal agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S.

citizen, in the city. "People are living in fear, and it needs to end," he said in an interview. He said he had supported stronger immigration enforcement when he started his campaign but had concluded that federal agents were acting lawlessly in Minnesota. In a social media post announcing his decision, Mr.

Madel said he could no longer count himself a member of a party that would seek "retribution on the citizens of our state." He added that "people from the Department of Homeland Security are just stopping people, and in some cases, detaining them merely based on the color of their skin without any reasonable articulation of a violation of the law." Mr.

Madel also criticized immigration agents for pulling over and questioning police officers, saying Latino and Asian officers he knows had been stopped ostensibly for speeding, an authority he said the agents do not have.

Key Topics

Politics, Chris Madel, Alex Pretti, Federal Agents, Minneapolis, Minnesota