MINNEAPOLIS – When Donald Trump’s longtime ally Steve Bannon surrendered in a federal prison In Connecticut, he asked an unconventional U.S. Senate candidate from Minnesota to stand by his side.
Royce White, who is seeking the Republican nomination in next week’s primary to challenge incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, embraced Bannon last month and praised him as “an American hero.”
White also counts among his friends conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and his previous comments on social media have been denounced as misogynistic, homophobic, anti-Semitic and profane. His legal and financial problems include unpaid child support and questionable campaign spending. As first reported by The Daily Beast, Potentially illegal expenses included $1,200 spent at a Florida strip club after he lost a 2022 congressional race.
However, White surprised the Minnesota political world in May when, with Bannon’s support, he won the endorsement of the state Republican Party to face Klobuchar. He still needs a victory in Tuesday’s primary and is an overwhelming underdog against Klobuchar in November.
But his surprising success in a state that has a history of electing unconventional candidates — like fighter Jesse Ventura as governor and comedian Al Franken as senator — made the race anything but the sleepy one it was expected to be.
His journey as a basketball player whose NBA career was cut short by mental health problems to politics is a sign of growing power of the populist wing of the Republican Party that Bannon helped build. White has been a frequent guest on Bannon’s “War Room.”
It also speaks to the current condition of the Minnesota Republican Party. It’s a state that has long been Democratic in presidential politics, although Trump has pledged to compete there this year. Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of current Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to be her running mate on Tuesday further shakes up the state’s political landscape, and the Republican Party has yet to prove it is ready to be competitive in state disputes. And yet Trump’s shadow looms over everything, sometimes in ways that amplify the voices of the extremists who embraced him, pushing these figures to the forefront.
“Please Call Me Crazy” is the name of White’s podcast. He is also a prolific poster on social media, where he recently called himself “the new gold standard of bad-ass, foul-mouthed American nationalist populism.”
His targets include the Federal Reserve, which he says is run by “Jewish elites,” as well as the national debt, the border, LGBTQ+ activists, the mainstream media and his critics. He argues that as a black man, he can help broaden the party’s base by appealing to black voters in Minneapolis-St. Paul Area and others who are disillusioned with established politics.
White drew little attention when she finished second in the 2022 Republican Party primary for the nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. So he was as shocked as anyone, he acknowledged in an interview, when he won support on the first ballot at the state party convention in May. He defeated a more traditional Republican, U.S. Navy veteran Joe Fraser, who is also running in the primary. White credits Bannon’s endorsement — and his own speech — for persuading delegates that he would be the strongest supporter of the pro-Trump “America First MAGA” movement.
University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs said White’s endorsement was a “shocking example” of how easily the process can be manipulated when turnout is low. The convention was sparsely attended and many delegates did not know much about Fraser and were swayed by White’s “energy and charisma.”
“Royce is clearly unprepared to be a U.S. senator and candidate,” Jacobs said. “His record in the past is disgraceful and will be an easy choice for Amy Klobuchar.”
It was only after White’s endorsement that his record received much scrutiny. The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in June alleging that White had used congressional campaign funds to illegally pay for more than $157,000 in personal expenses, saying he “appears to have misappropriated donors’ money to benefit himself.”
White denies any improper spending. In a document filed last month, he said he had reimbursed his campaign for “unauthorized expenses,” including the strip club visit.
As a basketball player, White led Hopkins High School to the 2009 state championship. A shoplifting arrest precipitated his departure from the University of Minnesota, but he starred at Iowa State and was drafted by Houston in the first round of the draft. 2012 NBA. He had an anxiety disorder that included a fear of flying, and he never played for the Rockets. His only NBA playing time was three minutes in three games with Sacramento in 2014. He now says he flies when he needs to and that won’t be a problem if elected.
He returned to the game in the Big3, the 3-on-3 league co-founded by Ice Cube. It was Big3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz who introduced White to Bannon.
White also became friends with Jones, the Infowars host who owes millions of dollars about false allegations that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting it was a hoax. White said Jones himself admitted that some things he said were mistakes, but he is still a fan.
“He has a lot of courage to say things that a lot of people wouldn’t say,” White said.
Klobuchar, with more than $6 million available in campaign cash, will have a huge financial advantage over any of the Republican candidates.
Klobuchar spokesman Ben Hill did not mention her opponents when praising the senator’s legislative accomplishments in forcing pharmaceutical companies to negotiate drug prices and getting aid for military veterans. “Senator Klobuchar is focused on her work in the Senate and delivering results for Minnesotans,” Hill said in an email.
Fraser said in an interview that White’s confrontational style and message will not appeal to moderates and independents. He said he offers a more mainstream approach, emphasizing fiscal conservatism, a strong defense, global leadership and small government. White’s alliances bother Fraser.
“Bannon is Bannon, but what I really consider an affront to decency is his support for Alex Jones,” Fraser said.
Fraser highlights his 26 years in the Navy, where he was an intelligence officer. His service included a combat tour in Iraq. He and his wife, who is also a Navy veteran, settled in Minnesota for her family. He said his frustrations with the Biden administration “and its abysmal foreign policy and its ineffective domestic policy” drove him into politics.
Former Minnesota Republican Party Vice Chairman Michael Brodkorb said White’s endorsement shows the process is broken and that part of the problem is Republicans like him who no longer attend caucuses.
“You will see an active coalition of Republicans for Amy Klobuchar, who will support Amy Klobuchar proudly and loudly if Royce White wins the primary,” Brodkorb predicted.
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Associated Press writer Susan Haigh in Danbury, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
