Minnesota has become one of the most corrupt, fraud-ridden states in the country thanks to executive officer Democrats and the Uniparty Legislature that fails to hold them accountable. Taking on the corruption and fraud within Minnesota’s government is not a task for a rookie, it will take a financial professional who can comb through billions upon billions of tax dollars and connect the dots. Instead, 27 year old Elliot Engen, with no serious finance or business background, announced a run for State Auditor, the chief financial watchdog for the state.

Engen is a state Representative from district 36A which covers parts of Anoka and Ramsey Counties. He was elected in 2022 and is in his second term. Engen says he was first courted to run for office by an Iowa state Representative who planted a self-described seed in Engen while in a hot tub at a Turning Point Action event in 2019. While Engen has tried grifting and cozying back up to TPUSA since Charlie Kirk’s tragic murder, he went on the attack against Turning Point USA by disavowing it and calling it “extremism from the right” in 2023. If mainstream conservatism like TPUSA is considered extremism to Engen, he is no real conservative. Also in 2023, Engen said TPUSA was controlled by the “cult of Trump”. See below:

Engen has also been an avid anti-Trump Republican throughout his career. In the 2024 primary, Engen endorsed Meatball Ron over President Trump and never endorsed Trump in the primary even after DeSantis did. See several anti-Trump comments by Engen throughout the years:

While Republicans often want youthful fighters in office, they do not want inexperienced rookies. Much more so than other political offices, the State Auditor requires competency. This is not a position for on-the-job training. Someone with no professional financial life experience will not know where the bodies are buried. Lacking know-how can lead to further fraud and corruption. His only professional experience outside of politics is on invasive species with a wildlife conservation group.

Unlike Engen, another Republican candidate running does have finance and auditing experience which is Braham Mayor and Air Force veteran Nate George. Sources tell A4L George eliminated the city’s deficit and has been effective in office. In a Kanabec County Times article, George discusses his experience with local finances/budgeting, auditing, state government, running government agencies, compliance, and regulation. Nate George is also the Director of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Office of Gaming Regulation & Compliance, worked at the Capitol for almost six years, and has executive-level experience in the private sector and in the military. A4L hears that more candidates may still emerge on the GOP side. 

This article does not represent an old guard keeping young conservatives out. I (the article’s author) am less than 5 months older than Engen! Though confident I’d have the skills necessary for many government roles, there is no way in Hell I would think I should be the State Auditor even with a few years in the legislature! This is not ageism, this is REALISM!

To make matters worse for Engen, his 2025 A4L legislative score is a pathetic 58.33%! This means he has voted for big government over 40% of the time on critical votes! Engen’s legislative history includes voting for the rules packages that seated Brad Tabke despite massive election integrity issues in HD54A, the $700M debt bill (HF18), opposing A4L’s Never Again Bill, and increasing Keith Ellison’s budget/funding a LGBTQIA2S+ council (SF3045). Someone who voted for the omnibus bills that caused the fraud and corruption in our state is NOT the person who will clean up the mess!

The State Auditor race was the closest statewide race in 2022 where Republican Ryan Wilson trailed Julie ‘White Claw’ Blaha by just 0.34% (8,435 votes). The Walz Administration has become synonymous with fraud and the Auditor race will be the role for Republicans to jump on.

Vodka chugging drunk driver "DWI Dan" Wolgamott has announced on the Democrat side along with Tonka Bay Mayor Adam Jennings and former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer. If the Democrats nominate Wolgamott, Engen will be their dream opponent.

If Republicans want to win the State Auditor race and begin to drain the St. Paul Swamp, it will only happen if a strong candidate with relevant experience is nominated. Hot Tub Elliott Engen is likely not prepared to run a winning campaign, nonetheless not prepared for the office of the State Auditor. Action 4 Liberty will always give Patriots hard-hitting news and will never shy away from the truth.