Jensen drops out of MN governor’s race, will now run for state auditor

Dr. Scott Jensen, a former state senator and the 2022 GOP nominee for governor, announced Monday, Feb. 9, that he is ending his bid for Minnesota governor and instead running for state auditor.

In last week’s GOP precinct caucus straw poll for governor, Jensen performed poorly compared to the dozen or so other GOP candidates seeking the nomination. Jensen received about 7% of the vote, compared to House Speaker Lisa Demuth’s 32% and Army veteran and former health care executive Kendall Qualls’ 25%, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State.

Jensen’s campaign was also trailing in donations compared to other candidates. In a press release, Jensen said he’s shifting his campaign because he’s confident one of the other GOP candidates for governor can win in November.

“Our state’s problems can’t be fixed by simply replacing a leader. Our biggest problem right now is broken trust in government,” Jensen said. “I am ready and determined to be the person who opens up the hood and looks at what the engine of our government is doing and not doing, and fix it.”

In 2022, Jensen lost the governor’s race to Gov. Tim Walz by over seven percentage points.

Jensen cited combating fraud as one of the reasons he’s running for state auditor, but the job has no jurisdiction over state government spending.

The Office of the State Auditor oversees and audits the financial activity of local governments, like cities and counties. The fraud scandal that has captured recent news in Minnesota is within state government, which is audited by the Office of the Legislative Auditor.

Rep. Elliott Engen, R-White Bear Township, is also running for state auditor. Throughout his months-long campaign, Engen has argued that the state auditor can expand the duties of its office to create a fraud prevention unit that works with law enforcement. The Legislature would likely need to give the Office of the State Auditor millions to create this layer of bureaucracy, and Minnesota government is already strapped for cash.

Rep. Dan Wolgamott, DFL-St. Cloud, is also running for state auditor.

Jensen said his experience working in the audit section of a bank and his time spent chairing committees in the Minnesota Senate qualify him for the job.

“We need someone who is absolutely going to look out for the welfare of Minnesotans,” Jensen said. “We need to make Minnesota shine once again as the star of the north.”

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