Royce White, a former Black Lives Matter protester and InfoWars mogul, won the endorsement of the state GOP party on Saturday to oppose Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar for her U.S. Senate seat.
White, former Mr. Basketball, said he felt “providence” at St. Paul’s RiverCentre after being introduced to the convention by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon.
A few hours later, White accepted the endorsement to become Klobuchar’s Republican Party challenger, capping off momentum for his campaign — which has yet to raise significant money. He won with 67% of the votes on the first ballot.
“I’m a ‘We the People’ guy through and through,” White told the Star Tribune just before his victory was announced.
On stage, the 6-foot-2 White stood in front of an American flag and was flanked by people hoisting a “The People Are Coming” sign. The moment marked the high point of the candidacy of a man who never held office, harbored conspiracy theories, was dogged by debt and said he was “going to work on Amy Klobuchar in Hennepin, Ramsey and Dakota.” [counties].”
“The biggest problem in this country is money in politics,” White said. “The government is too big and, above all, corrupt.”
White ran unsuccessfully in a Republican primary two years ago to challenge DFL U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar.
White spent much of his victory speech defending himself against accusations that his campaign was not well funded. Previously, Minnesota Republican Party officials had indicated they had “reservations” with White on the ballot, noting a lack of funding.
This is a developing story. Check back regularly for updates.
