The former Minnesota GOP chair Jennifer Carnahan hinted at the possibility of a gubernatorial bid in a Facebook post. Carnahan resigned about a month ago after allegations surfaced about harassment, abuse, and ties to a child sex trafficker.
If Carnahan follows through, she will be the sixth GOP candidate for governor, joining Dr. Neil Shah, Dr. Scott Jensen, Representative Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake), Mike Murphy, and Mike Marti.
NEW: In a lengthy post on Facebook, former @MNGOP chair Jennifer Carnahan raises the possibility of running for #MNGOP chair next month, running for governor, “and other ideas in between…” Carnahan claims she’s “received thousands of calls” of encouragement. pic.twitter.com/I4YeRCVsBl
— Michael Brodkorb (@mbrodkorb) September 5, 2021
Her Facebook post reads, “From running again for Chair on October 2nd to running for Governor and other ideas in between, the calls are loud, strong, and encouraging.”
She went on to tell her followers to “stay tuned” for updates about what she will be pursuing next.
Carnahan claimed she was receiving an “outpouring of support” from people following her resignation and that those who opposed her were only a “small group.” She wrote, “This small group didn’t push me out of the party, take my job away from me, nor change people’s perceptions of me (because people believe in truth and what happened was not truthful).”
She also said she has gotten “thousands of calls for action” to take her leadership in “Minnesota to the next level.”
Carnahan stepped down from her position as the Minnesota GOP chair on August 19, after a long-time GOP donor and friend, Anton Lazzaro, was indicted on child sex trafficking charges.
As reported by The Minnesota Sun, when that situation came to light, many former staffers came forward to accuse Carnahan of creating an “extremely toxic work environment, often yelling, demeaning and questioning loyalty.” Carnahan is married to Representative Jim Hagedorn (R-MN-01) who has not offered any public comment about the situation at this point.
As reported by The Sun, “Reports also alleged that instances of sexual harassment occurred within the Minnesota GOP but that Carnahan did nothing about it.” All of those details led to many bipartisan calls for Carnahan to resign.
Carnahan publicly responded calling the accusations an attempt to “defame, tarnish and attempt to ruin my personal and professional reputation.” She said she was confident that an investigation would clear her name.
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jennifer Carnahan” by Jennifer Carnahan.
