Minnesota: Election Denial in Races for Election Administration Positions

Below, we compile quotes from campaigns’ ads, websites, social media posts, and statements reported in the media that illustrate endorsement or opposition to election denial — claims that the process or result of the last presidential election was illegitimate. Each of the candidates is running for an office that will play a role in administering future elections in Minnesota. Information about the financing of these campaigns and those in other battleground states can be found here.

Paul Gazelka (withdrew)

State Sen. Paul Gazelka (R), responding to a debate question about what changes to Minnesota voting law are needed, suggested that Trump lost because the state does not require “Voter ID.” He called for eliminating mail ballots because: “That’s where we saw all the corruption.” He has acknowledged the 2020 Electoral College result, while maintaining, “I don’t think the election was fair.”

Scott Jensen (won primary)

Former state Sen. Scott Jensen (R), when asked in a debate whether Biden won the Elect­oral College, said, “I can’t know what I don’t know, and I think we have to take that atti­tude towards 2020.” He went on to claim that, in Arizona, dead people voted, and more mail ballots were returned than were sent by offi­cials. In another candid­ate forum, Jensen said: “You should be angry that your elec­tion process was bastard­ized, and it’s got to change,” and he called for a “forensic audit.” In remarks at a local GOP convention in April, Jensen implied that Secretary of State Steve Simon could be imprisoned for the way he has run elections, saying cheaters are “going to jail” and Simon “better check out to see if you look good in stripes.”

Mike Murphy (withdrew)

Mike Murphy (R), the mayor of Lexington, Minnesota, said in a debate: “I do believe there was voter fraud at a massive scale across this country.” In another forum, he said: “There was election fraud in 2020,” and added that he is on a panel working to “decertify” Wisconsin’s election. He called for a “forensic audit process” in Minnesota and promised as governor he will audit the 2020 election. His campaign website says: “The 2020 election highlighted the inaccuracies in our voting system.”

Kim Crockett (won primary)

Kim Crock­­ett (R), a lawyer work­ing with the elec­­­tion integ­rity group Minnesota Voters Alli­ance, has ques­tioned the results of the 2020 elec­­­tion and argued that voting proced­ures enable fraud. At the state Repub­lican Party conven­tion, the Crockett campaign showed a video that depic­ted incum­bent Secret­ary of State Steve Simon controlled by puppet strings in the hands of investor and phil­an­throp­ist George Soros with the caption, “Let’s wreck elec­tions forever and ever.” She is also part of a national right-wing network that is recruiting an army of activists to become poll workers. The network is led by Cleta Mitchell, a Republican lawyer who attempted to help former President Trump change the 2020 election results in Georgia. Crockett sent support­ers an email in May celeb­rat­ing Repub­lican efforts to recruit elec­tion judges. The email says the effort will “help flip Minnesota.” Another Crock­ett email says Repub­lic­ans need to over­come a “margin of fraud” in the upcom­ing elec­tion. In March, she tweeted an image read­ing “2020? Never Again.” In the tweet, Crock­­ett pledges: “I’m commit­ted to ensur­ing ineligible ballots and illegal elec­­tion proced­ures do not disen­­­fran­chise legit­­im­ate voters.”

Steve Simon (won primary)

Minnesota Secret­ary of State Steve Simon (D) said of elec­tion denial that the “cloud of disin­form­a­tion” is a prob­lem, assert­ing that people are push­ing it for polit­ical and finan­cial advant­age. In a Janu­ary 2022 inter­­view, Simon said the elec­­tion “was funda­­ment­ally fair, accur­ate, honest, and secure.” He described Trump’s claims of voting irreg­u­lar­it­ies as “not just factu­ally wrong. It is corrod­ing our demo­cracy in many ways.”