Former NBA player Royce White won a surprise endorsement from the Minnesota Republican Party over the weekend in his bid to challenge Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
White, 33, who once led protests after the killing of George Floyd and is now an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump, spoke at the state Republican convention Saturday at the River Center in St. Paul. It received 67% support.
“I would like to thank MNGOP and the delegates for supporting me as a candidate.” [sic] In the 2024 Minnesota State Senate race.I’m speechless, it takes so long,” the 6-foot-8 former hoops star posted on X After approval.
“People are coming!”
Republican support does not guarantee White will win the party’s nomination, which will be decided in the Aug. 13 primary.
About six Republicans have expressed interest in the party running for the seat, including former Naval Intelligence Officer Joe Frazier, who was considered a front-runner seeking Republican support. According to the Star Tribune.
White was introduced at the convention in a video featuring former Trump aide Steve Bannon, a longtime supporter of Trump’s candidacy.
The former athlete was once a first-round NBA draft pick, but his career was hampered by mental health struggles and a fear of flying.
He was drafted by the Houston Rockets, but was later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. Eventually, he worked in Ice Cube’s Big3 Basketball League and Canada’s National Basketball League.
At one point while playing in the Big 3 League, White scrawled messages on his head, including “Trump won,” “Free the Uyghurs,” and “Protect RFK Jr.”
He first ran for political office in 2022, when he ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary against Squad member Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota).
In his acceptance speech at the party’s convention over the weekend, White railed against the power of money in politics and slammed criticism of his campaign’s finances.
As of the latest filing Federal Election Commission andMr. White’s campaign had just over $10,000 in cash on hand.
In his speech, White emphasized, “The reality is that now more than ever we need people that money can’t buy.” “They don’t have a price. I can’t stress that enough.”
After winning the endorsement, White was furious at media reports pointing to past marches with Black Lives Matter activists.
“I never marched with BLM. They marched with me…to the Feds,” he claimed in X.There was enough to talk about more deep-rooted money issues, so they quickly decided that this black man [sic] Human life is not that important. ”
After Mr. Floyd was brutally choked to death by a police officer in 2020, Mr. White called for sweeping police reforms.
“What we’re talking about is pushing the police completely outside the circle of trust and reintroducing them into the circle of trust through their actions and by proving that they can be trusted within that circle.” It’s about establishing it.” he told Joy Reid on MSNBC. In June 2020.
Recently, Mr. White has been an unabashed supporter of Mr. Trump.
“If Donald Trump could walk on stage, pull down his pants, and step up to the podium, I would never vote for you Democrats again.” he said in one clip. It received attention on social media.
At times, they resorted to conspiratorial rhetoric. For example, in 2022, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)’s husband made dubious claims that he was “assaulted during a sexual altercation between gay lovers.”
“Mr. Pelosi’s husband was assaulted during a homosexual sexual altercation, in which he spoke for a dummy who could not read between the lines. The 82-year-old man was assaulted during a homosexual sexual altercation. You can’t survive a hammer assault unless you’re like, “How did he get into the house?” “Where’s Nancy?” White posted on social media at the time.
If White ultimately wins the Republican nomination, she will face off against Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), who is seeking a fourth term in the Senate.
Klobuchar, a former presidential candidate, has $5.7 million in cash on hand. According to the latest federal filings.and her seat is ranked as solidly Democratic by the Cook Political Report.
In the last election, Klobuchar defeated her Republican opponent 60.31% to 36.21%.
