Chris Madel is a major donor to Democrats in Minnesota and nationally and the full list of his over $55K in Democrat donations can be seen in our previous reporting. This includes giving $12,200 to Joe Biden, $5,500 to Tim Walz (including during the height of Covid tyranny), and $8,800 to Amy Klobuchar across various campaigns. Many conservatives viewed Chris Madel skeptically, especially since the very people he was donating to were set to be his general election opponents. On the heels of Shaky, Angry Amy Klobuchar announcing a Governor campaign, Chris Madel has announced he is dropping out of the race.

Madel faced an uphill battle in the campaign as he failed to properly address his massive donations to Democrats. As seen in previous A4L reporting, Madel argued that his donations to Democrats helped free his legal clients, which suggests there is a corrupt pay to play scheme that allows criminal charges to be reduced or completely removed by paying off certain Democrat politicians. This failed to explain away his various donations to people like Joe Biden, Steve Simon, Angie Craig, Jamie Raskins, and more. Madel was also one of three GOP candidates to not pledge to veto taxpayer funded abortion.

While Madel was not leading the field, he was able to generate some buzz about himself and would typically place in the top half of candidates in various straw polls happening around the state. As the Alpha News attorney and the lawyer who represented Trooper Ryan Londgregen, Madel had some cache with conservatives and appealed to certain voters using strong, outsider, pro-police, populist messaging. Madel likely understood that he lacked the name recognition and conservative credentials to win the GOP endorsement or the primary.

In an over 10 minute long video, Madel announced on X on Monday, Jan. 26th that he would end his campaign. See video below:

I am ending my campaign for Minnesota Governor. I describe why in the below video. Please watch until the end. (It is 10 minutes, 52 seconds.)

Thank you,
Chris pic.twitter.com/2nfyAyTzNZ

— Chris Madel (@CWMadel) January 26, 2026

As seen in the video above, Madel trashes the Trump Administration for alleged retribution against Minnesota citizens and that he could not support I.C.E.’s metro surge operation any longer. Madel grandstands with arguments that misrepresent I.C.E.’s presence in MN like “Driving while hispanic is not a crime”. Madel further argues that national Republicans have made it “nearly impossible” for a Republican to win the Governor’s race.

Despite arguing that it would be “nearly impossible” to win, Madel later argues that he believes he would have beaten Amy Klobuchar and her entering the race did not impact his decision. It seems Madel wants to have it both ways by quitting because he believes he would inevitably lose but argue that he would have won with no evidence to support that. Had Madel become the GOP nominee for Governor, his anti-Trump record would have made many voters in the MAGA coalition stay home. If a voter’s interests are not represented on the ballot, the GOP cannot count on their vote.

Madel quitting the race makes it appear that his entire campaign was just a publicity stunt for his legal career. If he truly thought he could beat Amy Klobuchar, of course he would remain in the race. As a donor to Klobuchar, he may feel at ease with her in the race. Madel did not offer an endorsement to any candidate remaining in the race but he did rightfully take a final swing at Lisa Demuth and Kristin Robbins for having “done nothing to properly investigate Minnesota fraud” in the State House as they’ve instead “chosen to write strongly-worded letters” asking the federal government to do their job instead of doing it themselves. At the end of the video, Madel wisely announced that he is returning campaign donations back to the donors.

Madel’s candidacy coming to a close makes one thing very clear: A big-time Democrat donor faces extreme challenges in becoming the nominee because the MAGA base is sick and tired of the RINO establishment. Madel’s exit reduces the size of a crowded field and will likely be the first of many to drop off. The Governor race remains a focal point for MN Republicans due to the national exposure of mass fraud. 

Action 4 Liberty will continue to keep Patriots informed with the latest in MN politics and the Governor race. A4L will remain the leading source for hardcore, anti-establishment, and pro-liberty reporting. A4L will never abandon our mission to protect liberty for the next generation.