Minnesota Needs “Grown-Up Behavior,” GOP Candidate Claims Democratic Leaders Prioritize “Illegal Aliens”

Minnesota needs “grown-up behavior” from its leaders, according to GOP gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls, who on Wednesday blamed Democrats for stoking political tensions and prioritizing illegal aliens over “the 5.3 million Minnesotans that live here legally.”

“This is something that’s consistently happened with Gov. [Tim] Walz as well as [Rep.] Ilhan Omar,” Qualls said. “What we’re seeing in our state is not leadership. We need some grown-up behavior. We need some adult behavior.”

Qualls, a U.S. Army veteran, made the comments while reacting to remarks from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., about possible impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem following unrest in Minneapolis that included the federal agent-related shooting deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

Qualls pointed to the May 2020 unrest in Minneapolis after George Floyd’s death, saying voters do not want Minnesota to “turn into a war zone like we did when we had it in May of 2020 that Tim Walz and Jacob Frey allowed to happen.”

The interview came after Governor Walz condemned an incident in which Omar was sprayed with an unknown substance at a town hall on Tuesday.

Walz said on social media that the state had been “shattered by political violence” and that “cruel, inflammatory, dehumanizing rhetoric” needed to stop.

Qualls countered that Walz and Omar have used extreme language toward President Donald Trump and immigration enforcement. “They’re constantly calling the president a Nazi,” Qualls said. “They’re calling the ICE agents, Gestapo agents. When it comes the other way, they deflect it and blame everyone else.”

Qualls also echoed scrutiny raised about Omar’s finances after Trump said the Justice Department and Congress were looking into the congresswoman.

Qualls questioned how Omar’s reported wealth increased during her time in office. “You would think this $44 million in net worth happened within less than an eight-year time frame that she’s been in office,” he said. “When she entered office, her net worth was a negative number. And now she’s a multi-millionaire.”

Trump has accused Omar of having ties to alleged large-scale fraud involving Somali-linked networks in Minnesota and has questioned her finances.