SLEEPY EYE, Minn. (WCCO) – Dr. Scott Jensen, whose gubernatorial campaign fell well short of beating Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in the 2022 election, says he’s once again running for the state’s top office.
The 70-year old Jensen, who also served as State Senator representing part of Carver County between 2017 and 2021, announced his bid Thursday morning on social media.
“Because Minnesota is for families who wanna build it, and America is for Americans who wanna love it,” Jensen said. “Two decades of liberal policy have made Minnesota too expensive, too dangerous, and thrown our culture out of whack. Tim Walz made it worse. A leader must take responsibility. Tim Walz didn’t and so he shouldn’t be governor.”
Jensen joins Kendall Qualls in the 2026 race on the Republican side so far.
Walz, meanwhile, has yet to announce officially whether he’ll seek a third term, but there have been indications lately that he does plan to do that.
It was not a close race in 2022 between Walz and Jensen. The Walz-Flanagan ticket won 52% versus 44% for Jensen-Birk. Jensen fared better than Walz’s opponent in 2018, and made gains against Walz in rural parts of Minnesota. But he did not overcome Walz’s wide lead in the Twin Cities.
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