Navy vet running to unseat Minnesota Democrat says 'selfish' opponent 'not serious' about protecting Americans

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A Navy veteran seeking to represent Minnesota in the Senate says the silence from Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., about a number of issues, particularly the southern border crisis and the economy, shows she is "selfish" and "not serious" about protecting Americans.

"She's been silent on the border issue. She's been silent on bringing jobs to Minnesota when it comes to the Iron Range and our mining capabilities that we have out there. We're sitting on billions of dollars worth of revenue and jobs, and she's done nothing to help," Joe Fraser, a Republican making his first run for public office, told Fox News Digital in an interview.

"The national debt has tripled under her watch, and the border is less secure," he added. "She ran on securing the border 18 years ago. She wanted to close the border and fix immigration. Now she's all for open borders, no immigration policy. You won't find that flip-flop from me."

The recent arrests by federal immigration authorities of eight Tajikistan nationals with ties to ISIS in three major cities, Fraser said, further adds to the notion that Klobuchar and other Democrats in Congress are "not serious about foreign policy and security or securing the nation and protecting American citizens."

AUTHORITIES NAB 8 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS WITH TIES TO ISIS IN MULTI-CITY STING OPERATION

Joe Fraser insists that Sen. Amy Klobuchar's lackluster advocacy for "strong foreign policy" has also contributed to her inability to successfully represent Minnesota in the upper chamber. (Joe Fraser campaign | Getty Images)

The Tajikistan nationals, who are said to have crossed the U.S. southern border illegally, were busted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in conjunction with the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force, a federal source told Fox News on Tuesday. The arrests took place in New York City, Los Angeles and Philadelphia in recent days.

"They're putting those ISIS members' rights ahead of Minnesotans' rights, they're putting them ahead of Americans," Fraser added. "They're doing it for their own personal and selfish needs. They're not doing it for the needs and the people and the needs of national security in this country."

Fraser insisted Klobuchar's lackluster advocacy for "strong foreign policy" has also contributed to her inability to successfully represent Minnesota in the upper chamber.

"She's done nothing to advocate for strong foreign policy to keep radical nations like Iran in check. Her support for the Iran nuclear deal pretty much gave us what we've got right now going on in the Middle East, where U.S. Navy warships are being fired on a daily basis by Iranian weapons that were provided to the Houthi rebels."

Drawing a contrast between himself and Klobuchar, who first won election to the Senate in 2007 and is seeking a fourth term in office, Fraser said he has "no desire" to serve in the Senate for a prolonged period of time and vowed to serve no more than two terms.

"I realize that I work for the people and I don't work for the party," he said. "I will be an advocate for the people of Minnesota and I won't forget where I came from."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Ben Hill, a Klobuchar campaign spokesperson, said, "Senator Klobuchar is focused on getting things done for the people of Minnesota. In the last Congress, she distinguished herself as the Senator with the most bipartisan bills, and she ranked third for passing bills into law."

"She supported the bipartisan border deal that would have strengthened border security, stemmed the flow of fentanyl, and provided emergency powers to close the border. That bill was negotiated by one of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate and was endorsed by the U.S. Border Patrol," Hill added.

Before he can take on Klobuchar in the state's general election on Nov. 5, Fraser will need to outperform his challengers in the Republican primary election, slated to take place Aug. 13.

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More than half a dozen Republicans have already filed paperwork and are seeking their party's nomination to challenge Klobuchar this fall, including former NBA player Royce White, a former Black Lives Matter protest leader who was endorsed last month by some members of the Minnesota Republican Party during a convention in St. Paul's RiverCentre.

Royce White takes the stage at the Minnesota Republican Party convention at the St. Paul's RiverCentre on May 18, 2024. (Glen Stubbe/Star Tribune via Getty Images)

White led Black Lives Matter protests in Minneapolis at the height of the controversy surrounding the death of George Floyd and has made several controversial remarks in the past, including one where he claimed to be a Christian and a "real Jew" while responding to a social media user. Additionally, amid Israel's war with Hamas, White took to X in December and claimed, "Israel has a right to exist but not to be the lynchpin of New World Order."

When asked about the Minnesota GOP's endorsement of White, Fraser, who considers himself the "only adult in the room" among a crowded field of GOP primary challengers, said he believes the state party made an "ill-informed decision" and "fumbled the ball" when it came to vetting White.

"I think they made an ill-informed decision," he said. "Keep in mind, it was a fraction of the percentage of people that cast a vote for the party. One of the reasons why I'm running in the primary is because I believe that Minnesotans deserve a choice, and they deserve a choice based off of what they know."

White unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination to challenge "Squad" member Rep. Ilhan Omar for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District during the 2022 election cycle, losing to fellow Republican Cicely Davis in the primary election by more than 1,000 votes.

"I think the state party fumbled the ball when it came to doing the background checks and validation of the credibility and the electability of Mr. White. Now we're seeing that. Every day there's something new that comes out," Fraser added.

Joe Fraser said he has been "very transparent" about his past and his experience, which includes nearly 26 years in the Navy. (Joe Fraser)

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Fraser said he has been "very transparent" about his past and his experience, which includes a nearly 26-year stint in the Navy.

"I've got a career of experience and exposure across the board, whether that's small business or large business, as well as national security and foreign policy exposure and experience," he said. "I've got experience with drafting requirements that go into the federal budget. I understand the federal budget process, I understand how laws are made. I've done everything but actually sit in the chamber. The other folks don't have the level of experience or expertise that I have."