DULUTH — When Minnesota Republicans convened for their state convention in May, a surprising candidate emerged with overwhelming backing for the party’s U.S. Senate nod.
Royce White, a former professional basketball player turned political podcaster, earned the nomination with a grassroots campaign that had garnered little attention in the lead-up to the convention.
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His opponent, Joe Fraser, a career military officer now working in the private business sector, had run the only widely publicized campaign. Citing low participation at the convention, he backtracked on a previous promise to abide by the nomination.
Now, the two men are set for an Aug. 13 primary election that will test the strength of a controversial insurgent candidate against a mainstream Republican with a more traditional resume.
The victor will challenge three-term incumbent U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in what is expected to be an uphill battle at the Nov. 5 general election.
Klobuchar, who faces only nominal opposition in the DFL primary, has won all of her Senate elections by at least 20 percentage points. And no Republican has won a statewide contest in Minnesota since 2006.
Stark contrast between candidates
White, 33, said he got into the race due to corruption in the federal government, and he has embraced an “America First” agenda that involves exiting “forever wars.”
But he has been widely criticized for spreading far-right conspiracy theories, making misogynistic and antisemitic remarks and dealing with an array of legal issues, as well as allegedly misspending funds during an unsuccessful 2022 U.S. House campaign.
“My only expertise is that I can’t be bought,” White said in a recent interview with Forum News Service. “I don’t sell out.”
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Fraser, 51, is a political newcomer who retired as a commander after more than 25 years in the U.S. Navy — a role that took him to Europe, Haiti, the Far East and the Middle East. He is currently working as a business executive at a financial institution.
In contrast to his opponent, Fraser stressed the importance of “peace through strength” with a prepared military. He said his decades of government experience have taught him “how the swamp creatures work” and prepared him to reform a “greedy” government.
“You don't need somebody who's just going to placate you with go-to speeches and go-to feeling talks and pull on your heartstrings,” Fraser said at a recent debate hosted by the Minnesota Federation of Republican Women.
“You need to have somebody who's going to be the fighter on the Senate floor, who’s going to be a fighter in the Senate chamber, who’s going to pull people aside," he said. "I’m not just going to be a rubber stamp like Amy Klobuchar, and I can beat her this fall. I appeal to not just the Republican Party, but across lines, and that’s what we need to win.”
Both men said they strongly support former President Donald Trump’s agenda and bid to return to the White House and blasted outgoing President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party for a host of issues, including the economy and southern border.
“The biggest problem that faces this country is our debt,” Fraser said. “The debt is a national security issue. The debt is what makes it unaffordable for people to buy a home. It makes it unaffordable for people to go to the grocery store. It’s what has driven the cost of fuel. It’s what has put people on the unemployment line.”
Asked what domestic policies he considered most important, White addressed a “crisis of information.”
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“The key thing here at home,” he said, “is how the American mainstream media has made a conscious decision to lie to the American people, and how our education system has made a conscious decision to sanitize history as to misinform and under-educate the American people.”
White’s comments, legal issues draw scrutiny
White’s foray into Republican politics came through an unusual route, leading protests in the aftermath of the May 2020 murder of George Floyd.
However, he denied that his marches were intended as Black Lives Matter events. He said he was targeting the Federal Reserve and the “global corporate community,” maintaining that his political beliefs have not undergone a transformation.
A frequent guest in recent years on shows hosted by far-right figures Steve Bannon and Alex Jones, White has been criticized for frequent disparaging remarks. Among other statements, he has denounced “Jewish elites” and said that women have become “too mouthy.”
Asked to address the blowback, he claimed “identity politics (have) risen above national identity” and cited his own life as a Christian and Black man.
“I reject the use of the word 'misogyny,'" White said. “I reject the common use of the word 'racist.' I reject the common use of the word 'homophobic' or 'transphobic.' I reject the common use of the word 'antisemitic.' And I think all four identities have been used to undermine American citizenship.”
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On a personal level, he has been plagued by debt — owing child support and having been subject to eviction actions. White said that makes him more relatable to Minnesotans who are struggling financially and explained that some of his struggles were related to being “blackballed” by the NBA for speaking out about mental health needs.
“When I was 21 years old, I said there's a global corporate community, and that global corporate community is not well-versed, or not well-prioritized, around the human condition and what it means to be human,” he said.
Fraser, whose campaign did not respond to an interview request, has also seen some criticism for staying in the race after initially vowing to abide by the party’s nomination.
He suggested at last month’s debate that revelations about White’s past — which largely emerged only after he earned the nomination — were a factor in his decision to continue on to the primary.
“We had a small fraction of our party show up to our convention,” Fraser said. “That doesn't represent the totality of the Republican Party in this state. It's a fraction of it. And when we talk about power of the people, when we talk about the people's voice, a minority shouldn't dictate what the majority of the party does. That is not American republican democracy.”
Klobuchar has wide advantage
A had Klobuchar well ahead of her potential Republican opponents, leading White 55% to 33% and Fraser 54% to 33%.
Klobuchar is also massively outpacing the field in fundraising. Her campaign reported total receipts of $18.29 million through June, with $6.39 million on hand.
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White had raised just $85,106 and had $47,636 on hand, according to the Federal Election Commission filings, while Fraser had received just $62,501 and had $17,406 to spend.
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