Minnesota Republican drops governor bid, blasts party over federal ‘retribution’ after Pretti killing

A Minneapolis lawyer who represented the immigration agent who fatally shot Renee Good is ending his Republican bid for Minnesota governor after a second protester was killed by federal authorities.

"I cannot support the national Republicans’ stated retribution on the citizens of our state," Chris Madel said in a message posted on social media Monday, as he announced he was dropping his outsider bid for the GOP gubernatorial nomination. "Nor can I count myself a member of a party that would do so."

Madel's move comes two days after a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot and killed Alex Pretti, an intensive care nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center who was filming an immigration operation.

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Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials initially said Pretti, who was legally armed with a handgun, was threatening agents, who they say fired in self-defense. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem labeled the actions of Pretti as "domestic terrorism" and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller called him a "would-be assassin."

But videos of the shooting seem to indicate Pretti was brandishing a cell phone rather than his handgun, with federal agents appearing to secure Pretti's weapon moments before he was shot multiple times.

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The fatal shooting has further inflamed political tensions in Minnesota and across the country over aggressive efforts by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Border Patrol and other federal agencies to enforce President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration.

"I support the originally stated goals of Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Operation Metro Surge in locating and deporting the worst of the worst from our state," Madel said.

But he argued, "Operation Metro Surge has expanded far beyond its stated focus on true public safety threats. United States citizens, particularly those of color, live in fear. United States citizens are carrying papers to prove their citizenship. That’s wrong."

While he praised a number of Trump's achievements so far in the president's second term in the White House, Madel claimed that the massive deployment of a couple of thousand federal immigration agents to Minnesota "has been an unmitigated disaster."

"At the end of the day, I have to look my daughters in the eye and tell them I believe I did what was right. And I am doing that today," he added.

No Republican has won an election for governor in blue-leaning Minnesota in 20 years, and Madel claimed, "The reality is that the national Republicans have made it nearly impossible for a Republican to win a statewide election in Minnesota. It is a simple fact."

Madel grabbed national attention earlier this month when he legally represented Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who fatally shot Good, a 37-year-old mother of three who was protesting an anti-immigration operation in Minneapolis.

Good's death, which instantly escalated already simmering tensions, came a couple of days after Democratic Gov. Tim Walz ended his re-election bid for a third term as governor amid a deepening federal investigation into the sweeping fraud scandal in Minnesota's social services programs.

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More than 90 people — most from Minnesota's large Somali community — have been charged since 2022 in what has been described as the nation's largest COVID-era scheme. How much money has been stolen through alleged money laundering operations involving fraudulent meal and housing programs, daycare centers and Medicaid services is still being tabulated. But the U.S. attorney in Minnesota said the scope of the fraud could exceed $1 billion and rise to as high as $9 billion.

Prosecutors said some of the dozens that have already pleaded guilty in the case used the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, jewelry and international vacations, with some of the funds also sent overseas and potentially into the hands of Islamic terrorists.

Madel, a veteran trial lawyer, spotlighted his high-profile fraud cases as he campaigned for governor.

He was one of nearly a dozen candidates vying for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, in a field that also includes Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and state Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the Minnesota House’s Fraud Prevention and Oversight Committee.

And in his announcement that he was dropping his bid, he took aim at some of his primary rivals, charging that "our government has failed us. Republicans and Democrats."

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A longshot when he entered the race late last year, Madel seemed to be picking up support.

"Since I announced my candidacy on Dec. 1, I am extremely proud of what we've accomplished. I started as a relative unknown candidate and emerged as a leading Republican contender in less than two months," he touted in his Monday announcement.

But while Madel had in recent years represented Alpha News, a conservative Minnesota news outlet, and had written opinion pieces for them, he faced a challenge in winning over MAGA supporters and some conservatives in the state, due in part to his past political contributions to Democrats, including to Walz.

Last week, longtime Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar made her first move ahead of likely launching a 2026 race for governor in her home state, as she filed preliminary paperwork with the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board.

But Madel said Klobuchar's move was not a factor in his decision to end his bid for governor.

"I'm not withdrawing my candidacy because of any existing or new entrant in the race, and that includes Sen. Klobuchar," he emphasized.