The Dangerous Normalization of Extremism in Minnesota Politics

In 2024, Royce White made a shocking entrance onto the political stage when he secured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in Minnesota. Despite his controversial past and deeply troubling views, White managed to build a following, tapping into the anger and frustration of voters disillusioned with the political establishment. Though ultimately unsuccessful in the general election, his candidacy should have served as a wake-up call. However, with Minnesota now projected to be one of the most fiercely contested battleground states in the upcoming 2026 election cycle, White's return to the political fray is not a distant nightmare but a real and imminent possibility. What’s more disturbing is that, given the state’s tight margins and the Republican Party’s eagerness to seize key Senate seats, White’s path to victory is far from improbable. His potential triumph, however, could tarnish the Republican Party's image, aligning it with dangerous rhetoric and divisive politics, and potentially alienating moderate voters.

White’s 2024 campaign was not a conventional political run. His platform was built not on policy ideas but a rhetoric of anger, grievance, and conspiratorial thinking. He courted controversy from the start with his inflammatory statements, most notably his defense of Kanye West's notorious antisemitic remarks. White’s willingness to dismiss the concerns of the Jewish community was not a one-time misstep but rather part of a larger pattern of dangerous and divisive rhetoric. He has repeatedly invoked the idea of “Jewish elites” in his speeches, a blatant and harmful echo of some of the most insidious conspiracy theories in modern political discourse. His public defense of West after his hateful comments led to a rare and significant rebuke from the Republican Jewish Coalition, which condemned White’s views and urged voters to reject him. This would have been a career-ending blow for most candidates, but White continued undeterred, leaning further into embracing extremist viewpoints that pose a real danger to our political discourse.

But it’s not just White’s words that should give Minnesotans pause; it is his complete and utter disregard for historical truth and intellectual integrity. One of his most disturbing comments came when he claimed that “the bad guys won World War II.” It’s an egregious statement that misrepresents the past and glorifies ideologies that should have no place in a modern political conversation. To say such a thing is not to critique policy or engage in historical debate. It is a deliberate attempt to rewrite history, to inject an entirely unfounded narrative that undermines the moral foundations upon which the modern world is built.

Furthermore, it more than cements his image as an antisemite. Although White later claimed to have merely been speaking about how the war benefited the IMF and the United Nations, thus making them winners, his comments still paint the Allied triumph negatively. Given that this retraction was only made after his comments started receiving negative press, this may be a PR move to soften what we all know he meant. Given his prior statements and defense of Kanye, it isn't hard to make the jump that he had more in his mind as he made those comments than the IMF and UN. White's remark is also insufficient in covering his remark in the same statement as the bad guys winning. That remark is there were no 'good guys' in World War II. White additionally plays into a conspiracy theory that General Patton was assassinated in the same statement. This kind of revisionism is dangerous, especially when coming from someone seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate, where informed and fact-based decision-making is essential.

However, White’s relationship with facts has always been tenuous at best. During his 2024 campaign, he shared an image on Twitter that he claimed was a map of crime hotspots in Minneapolis. The image was a map of the city’s public drinking fountains. White's refusal to acknowledge the blunder and subsequent attacks on those who corrected him demonstrated his disinterest in truth. Rather than taking responsibility for his mistake, he used it to entrench his narrative further that the media and political establishment conspired against him. It’s a textbook example of how conspiracy theories thrive in an environment where facts are ignored to create a narrative that fits one’s agenda.

Financial misconduct is another major red flag for White’s candidacy. During his 2024 campaign, the Campaign Legal Center filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission, alleging that White had misused over $150,000 in campaign funds for personal expenditures, including payments to strip clubs and jewelry stores. These funds were intended to support his political efforts, not to enrich his lifestyle, yet White appeared to treat the donations with a shocking lack of accountability. The complaint cited numerous irregularities in his campaign filings, including missing or incomplete financial disclosures, all of which paint a picture of a candidate who cannot be trusted with the public’s resources. For a man who claims to be an outsider fighting against a corrupt political system, these actions reveal the corruption he claims to oppose. The potential damage of White's financial misconduct is significant, and it should raise serious concerns about his candidacy.

And then there is White’s troubling stance on mental health. He has repeatedly used his platform to question the legitimacy of mental health diagnoses, suggesting that the medical field has been co-opted to silence those who question the status quo. His rhetoric dismisses the lived experiences of people struggling with mental illness and casts doubt on the very science that underpins mental health care. It is one thing to advocate for better mental health resources and a more compassionate approach to care. Still, it is another to use mental health as a tool for conspiracy-driven attacks on institutions. His views on this subject are not only damaging; they are reckless and should be a cause for disbelief in a time when mental health awareness is more critical than ever.

Despite this, White has maintained a loyal base of supporters, a group drawn to his outsider persona and his willingness to speak in ways others won’t. He embodies a strain of political populism that thrives on outrage and rejecting traditional norms. In a state like Minnesota, where the political landscape is increasingly polarized, his unfiltered rhetoric may seem appealing to some, but it is ultimately harmful. His views are out of step with the values that most Minnesotans hold dear. He has alienated entire communities, embraced dangerous conspiracy theories, and shown a complete lack of respect for the facts.

Minnesota’s 2026 Senate race will be one of the most high-stakes elections in the country, and Republicans have a unique opportunity to field a candidate who can appeal to a broad electorate. With the state predicted to be a battleground, the GOP needs a candidate who can unite voters, offer a clear and compelling vision for the future, and respect the norms of civil discourse. Royce White is not that candidate. His brand of politics, rooted in divisiveness, dishonesty, and conspiracy, can only lead to defeat, further alienating voters and deepening the country’s political divide. Instead, the Republican Party should focus on finding a candidate who embodies the values that most Minnesotans hold dear, respects all communities, and upholds the principles of truth and integrity in public service.

For the sake of the Republican Party and the future of Minnesota, party leaders must come together to draft and support a better candidate. White’s candidacy threatens not just his party’s prospects in 2026 but the fabric of American democracy itself. Suppose Republicans truly want to win the Senate seat in Minnesota. In that case, they must find a candidate who will represent the party with dignity and integrity and will unite voters rather than fracture them. Royce White has already shown us who he is. The question now is whether Republicans will allow him to define their party or if they will rise above his extremism and offer voters a better alternative.