Republican Kristin Robbins suspends campaign for governor of Minnesota

Minnesota state Rep. Kristin Robbins announced that she is suspending her campaign for Minnesota governor. In a lengthy Friday statement, Robbins said she came to the decision after “much thought and prayer.”

Robbins said she will continue to serve her constituents until her term in the the Minnesota House of Representatives ends. In her statement, she said, “I will be engaged in this fight for Minnesota as a State Representative and, come 2027, as a private citizen.”

First elected to the Minnesota Legislature in 2018, Robbins is the chair of the Fraud and State Agency Oversight Committee in the House. She has used that perch to shine a light on the state’s infamous, ongoing fraud problem.

Launching her gubernatorial campaign last year, Robbins strongly criticized Gov. Tim Walz, saying his “mismanagement of our state has created an epidemic of fraud with criminals stealing hundreds of millions from Minnesota taxpayers and hurting our most vulnerable citizens.”

While Walz was briefly a candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election, he eventually left the race and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced her candidacy for the office.

That shift dramatically changed the campaign as many perceive Klobuchar to be more popular, and electable, than Walz. Since joining the race, Klobuchar has gained the support of virtually the entire DFL and has all but become her party’s nominee.

In Robbins’ Friday statement, she said, “It has become apparent that the establishment political class, media, and donors have anointed Amy Klobuchar, despite her refusal to engage meaningfully on the issues that matter most to Minnesotans.”

Robbins was among several Republican gubernatorial candidates seeking to win the state’s highest office. However, Robbins did not commit to abide by the GOP endorsement.

In the February precinct caucuses, Robbins finished sixth among Republicans in a statewide straw poll for governor — receiving just over 4% of the vote. Additionally, Robbins’ 2026 Q1 fundraising numbers lagged behind other GOP candidates.

With Robbins’ departure, the remaining Republican candidates include state Rep. Peggy Bennett, House Speaker Lisa Demuth, former CEO Patrick Knight, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell, retired Navy intelligence officer Phillip Parish, and businessman Kendall Qualls.

Later this month, Republicans will gather at their state convention in Duluth to endorse a candidate for governor.

Luke Sprinkel

Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.