Former NBA player and Steve Bannon ally Royce White successfully won the Republican Endorsement for US Senate on Saturday. Royce successfully beat out establishment candidate Joe Fraser on the first ballot with 67% of the vote (924-391).

Republicans began their state convention on May 17th in St. Paul, conducting two days of business before adjourning late on Saturday. Roughly 1,300 delegates participated in the vote to endorse. 

The establishment tried to push White to the curb through their nomination process, which requires the candidate to be interviewed by an appointed committee. While they certified Fraser as “qualified without reservations,” they certified White as “qualified, with reservations.” This classification from the nominations committee was an effort to sway delegates toward Fraser.

Delegates instead rallied behind White, with 67% of them throwing their support behind him on the first ballot. A candidate needs 60% of the vote to be endorsed by the party. Clearly, the Republican party has changed. Gone are the days of politics as usual. Grassroots activists are now America First conservatives.

Many see the endorsement of White as a slap in the face to Dave Hann’s Republican Party leadership. Hann had previously tampered with the delegate pool by disenrolling over 100 Republican delegates from Otter Tail County after caucus night.

With the Republican Endorsement, White will gain access to party lists, money, and volunteers.

A representative of the Fraser campaign refused to say whether or not he would launch a divisive primary that would divide the party. The winner of the primary in August will face Democrat Incumbent Amy Klobuchar in November.