Ex-NBA player to face Amy Klobuchar for Minnesota Senate seat
A retired Naval officer and an ex-NBA player were the top two contenders
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A former professional basketball player has won the Republican primary to take on three-term Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in the fall.
Royce White, who played with the Sacramento Kings in the NBA in 2014, bested a crowded field of candidates in the North Star State, armed with key endorsements from former President Trump’s circle.
That includes support from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla.; Arizona Senate hopeful Kari Lake; and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. He was also backed by the state GOP.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former professional basketball player Royce White ran in the Minnesota Republican primary. (Getty Images)
White has previously described himself as a "MAGA extremist," according to the Star Tribune, and has closely aligned himself with the ex-president’s right-wing populist stances.
His victory appears to be a rebuke of the Minnesota GOP. White beat out retired U.S. Navy officer Joe Fraser, his top rival, despite the latter having support from two former GOP senators and a former governor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Royce has raised just over $125,000 in individual contributions this election cycle and is heading into the general election with nearly $53,000 cash on hand.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., is seeking a fourth term (Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
That’s dwarfed by Klobuchar’s $12 million in individual contributions raised. Her war chest is also larger than Royce’s. She entered the race with $6.5 million cash on hand.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Royce remains a long shot to win the general election, however. The state has trended blue in recent years, and Minnesotans have not elected a Republican to the White House since Richard Nixon in 1972.
Klobuchar, the senior senator from the state, has won re-election twice after her first campaign in 2006. She’s the first woman to represent Minnesota in the Senate.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Retired Navy officer Joe Fraser ran in the Republican Senate primary in Minnesota (Facebook)
A moderate Democrat, she voted with former President Trump approximately a third of the time
She won in 2006 with approximately 58% of the vote, followed by 65% in 2012 and 60% in 2018.