Republican Chris Madel announced Monday that he was ending his run for Minnesota governor, pointing to his party's handling of immigration enforcement in his state as his rationale.
"I cannot support the national Republicans' stated retribution on the citizens of our state, nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so," Madel said in a video posted to X.
In the nearly 11-minute video, Madel emphasized that he supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement's "originally stated goals" in its Operation Metro Surge in his state. He argued, though, that the operation "has expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats."
He pointed to U.S. citizens carrying papers to prove their citizenship and Hispanic and Asian law enforcement officers who he says "have been pulled over by ICE on pretextual stops."
Madel, an attorney, also argued that "the national Republicans have made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota."
His decision to drop out of the race marks some of the most pointed GOP backlash yet to Republicans' handling of the killing of Alex Pretti by a Border Patrol agent.
Earlier this month, Madel said he helped ICE officer Jonathan Ross with paperwork to get Justice Department legal representation if he is sued or charged with a crime. Ross shot and killed Renee Nicole Good earlier this month, sparking a surge of protests.
Madel's decision comes as several Republicans in Congress have called for a full investigation into Pretti's killing on Saturday.
Sen. Pete Ricketts of Nebraska said in a post on X that he expected a "prioritized, transparent investigation into this incident." Sen. Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania said in a post that there must be a "full investigation into the tragedy," and Rep. Max Miller of Ohio said in a post that "there are serious unanswered questions about federal use of force in Minnesota."
Several other Republicans are still vying to be the party's nominee in the governor's race. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., has filed relevant paperwork for a potential run but has not yet said whether she will enter the race.
