First on Fox: Army veteran and business director Kendall Qualls officially launched a campaign to challenge former Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz to become Minnesota's next governor.
Although Walz has not officially announced its third straight bid, Qualls is also running for governor in 2022, and his campaign for Minnesota's top position constitutes an opportunity to resolve the problems Walz has created.
"I'm running because Minnesota citizens are looking for different directions after their failed leadership. They're looking for new leadership, and I'm here to make sure they get directions."
Qualls said in a statement first shared with Fox News Digital that he is the only candidate to help Minnesota achieve its potential.
Waltz said Harris picked his vice president to "talk to white people"
Right Kendall Qualls is running for Tim Walz as governor of Minnesota. (Getty Image)
"I don't need to tell you that Minnesota is at a crossroads," Qualls said in a statement. "Tim Walz took us on a path of unemployment, escape from companies, crime and education everywhere. Now he's spending more time on his vanity journey across the state than trying to get Minnesota forward. It's not a leader."
Tim Walz
Qualls explains that Minnesotans want to build an economy, feel safe in their communities and improve education, but “we won’t get any of these changes from Tim Walz.”
"I'm the only candidate who can help Minnesota achieve its potential," Qualls said. "If we're going to set a budget for Tim Walz to go bankrupt, we need an experienced leader with real-world business experience. If we're going to go back to our streets and classrooms, we need a candidate for conservative backbone and Law and Orders," Qualls said.
Qualls said the only way to change a Minnesotan is to introduce a political outsider like him.
Qualls compared himself to President Donald Trump because he was a political outsider with a business background. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)
"Just like President Trump's experience in business and leadership, my background has been in business. Until then, I was an official in the U.S. Army. Even before that, I grew up in horrible poverty. I know that even if we don't come from a privileged background, there are formulas to succeed in this country," Qualls said.
The governor’s candidate said he wants Americans to know that no matter their background or where they go, Americans have a way forward. But Quilles said the government has a responsibility to get rid of the path to success.
"There are a lot of roads. Unfortunately, what I found with Democrats is that they have closed the doors to those prosperity. When I was 18, I registered as a Republican, I never looked back. I don't know any Republican. I don't have a country club membership. I don't have what one person does in the black community, and I don't want to do. Being in poverty in the trailer parks in Harlem, New York and Oklahoma.
Gov. Tim Walz has not announced his third consecutive campaign against Minnesota governor. (AP/Matthew Putney)
Although Qualls presents his campaign as what he describes as the only alternative to the current Democratic rule in Minnesota, this is not his first campaign for the state's highest position.
"In the last election, I ended the second of the seven candidates in the Republican recognition process. I agree to abide by the recognition. I actually acknowledge. The candidates won. But unfortunately, in the 2022 election, we lost everything, we lost everything, the governor, the Senate, the Senate, the House, the House, the Commander-in-Chief, everyone, maybe we feel that there are a lot of people saying the verdict, maybe it is a vote.
But Qualls said it was different this time.
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“I’ve been around the state for four years, helping candidates raise funds, just calling out troops,” Qualls said. “Real leadership that people have never seen before.”
Qualls relies on his name to recognize, and Qualls said he focused on building a grassroots coalition of Minnesota Republicans ready to change.
Waltz did not respond to Fox News numbers' request for comment.