Downey gets opponent for Republican Party chair post

Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Keith Downey, who had been unopposed in his bid for a second two-year term, as of Tuesday has an opponent in former CD2 GOP chairman BIll Jungbauer.

In an interview with the Star Tribune, Jungbauer was harshly critical of Downey's financial leadership of the party, which has struggled with persistent debt issues in recent years.

"I've bit my tongue now, but somebody has to speak out," said Jungbauer, who lives in West St. Paul. His decision to challenge Downey was first reported by blogger and former Republican operative Michael Brodkorb.

Jungbauer chaired the CD2 Republicans until last Saturday, where he did not run for another term. He also previously was vice chairman of the CD4 GOP. He said from his perch on the state party's executive committee, that he and Downey often clashed about the party's debt, which now sits at about $1.4 million, Jungbauer said.

"We're supposed to be the party of fiscal responsibility. We have to start practicing what we preach," Jungbauer said. He criticized Downey's decision, supported by a majority vote of the executive board, to run recent TV commercials urging Gov. Mark Dayton and lawmakers to return the entire $1.9 billion budget surplus.

That spending was "irresponsible" in the face of the party's debt, Jungbauer said.

Downey said Tuesday night that he has made progress on the party's debt and that it will continue to shrink if he is re-elected. Pointing to the House majority won last November, Downey said he believes Republicans are poised for more gains.

Republican Party activists meet on April 11 in Bloomington to elect a party chair.

Downey is a former state representative who lost a race for state Senate in 2012. While the total size of the debt has shrunk under his watch, a series of unpaid bills from the '14 election cycle prompted several Republican-owned political firms to publicly air criticism of Downey.

Downey questioned Jungbauer's late entrance into the race, arguing that a serious challenger would have gotten started earlier.

Asked to name Republican elected officials he admires, Jungbauer said state Rep. Steve Drazkowski, and state Sens. Dave Thompson and Brandon Petersen. But he withheld similar praise for one of the party's most prominent new leaders, House Speaker Kurt Daudt, who has faced criticism from some on the party's right flank.