Scott Jensen ends campaign for Minnesota governor, announces run for state auditor

Republican Scott Jensen ended his campaign for Minnesota governor on Feb. 9 and announced he will instead run for state auditor.

The decision by the GOP’s 2022 gubernatorial nominee came nearly a week after some 18,000 conservatives signaled their preferences for governor in a statewide straw poll.

The results of that poll suggested a three-way GOP race for governor between Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, retired health care executive Kendall Qualls and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell.

Jensen finished a distant fourth in the straw poll, ahead of “undecided” and eight other candidates in what is a crowded GOP field. Some top candidates said they hoped to see lower-tier finishers drop from the race afterwards.

“We have excellent candidates running for governor and I am confident that one of my colleagues will be well-positioned to win in November. That is why I’m shifting my focus,” Jensen said in a video he posted on social media.

The Chaska physician and former state senator struggled to gain traction in his second bid for governor. Many conservatives were skeptical of supporting a candidate who previously lost to DFL Gov. Tim Walz by more than 7 percentage points. Some also criticized Jensen for shifting his views on abortion and saying he would take his campaign to the August primary election if he failed to win the party’s endorsement at its spring state convention.

In announcing his shift to the auditor’s race, Jensen cited the pervasive fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs, which he said has “made us the laughingstock of the nation.”

“It’s time to declare war on waste and fraud and abuse. It’s time to resurrect good government,” Jensen said.