Former NBA player to face Amy Klobuchar for Minnesota Senate seat

A former professional basketball player has won the Republican primary to face three-term Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, in the fall.

Royce White, who played for the NBA’s Sacramento Kings in 2014, beat out a crowded field of candidates in the North Star state, armed with key support from former President Trump’s inner circle.

He has been endorsed by Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz, Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, among others. He has also been endorsed by the state Republican Party.

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White has previously described himself as a “MAGA extremist,” according to the Star Tribune, and has closely aligned himself with the former president’s right-wing populist views.

His victory appears to be an affront to the Minnesota Republican Party. White defeated retired U.S. Navy officer Joe Fraser, his main rival, despite the latter having the support of two former Republican senators and a former governor.

Royce has raised just over $125,000 in individual contributions this election cycle and heads into the general election with nearly $53,000 in cash on hand.

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That’s dwarfed by Klobuchar’s $12 million in individual contributions. Her war chest is also larger than Royce’s. She entered the race with $6.5 million in cash on hand.

Royce, however, has little chance of winning the general election. The state has trended toward blue in recent years, and Minnesotans have not elected a Republican to the White House since Richard Nixon in 1972.

Klobuchar, the state’s oldest senator, was reelected twice after her first campaign in 2006. She is the first woman to represent Minnesota in the Senate.

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A moderate Democrat, she voted with former President Trump about a third of the time

She won in 2006 with about 58% of the vote, followed by 65% ​​in 2012 and 60% in 2018.