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FIRST ON FOX: Army seasoned and concern enforcement Kendall Qualls has officially launched his run to situation erstwhile Democrat vice statesmanlike nominee Gov. Tim Walz to beryllium the adjacent politician of Minnesota.
While Walz has not yet formally announced a 3rd consecutive gubernatorial bid, Qualls, who besides ran for politician successful 2022, framed the contention for Minnesota's highest bureau arsenic an accidental to hole the problems Walz created.
"I'm moving because, aft a 16-year reign of failed leadership, the citizens of Minnesota are looking for a antithetic direction. They're looking for caller leadership, and I'm present to marque definite they get it," Qualls told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive interrogation up of his run motorboat connected Tuesday night.
In a connection shared archetypal with Fox News Digital, Qualls said helium is the lone campaigner who tin assistance Minnesota scope its potential.
WALZ SAYS HARRIS PICKED HIM FOR VP TO 'CODE TALK TO WHITE GUYS'
Kendall Qualls, right, is moving to regenerate Tim Walz arsenic politician of Minnesota. (Getty Images)
"I don’t request to archer you that Minnesota is astatine a crossroads," Qualls said successful a statement. "Tim Walz took america further down the roadworthy of mislaid jobs, fleeing companies, rising transgression and cratering education. Now, he’s spending much clip extracurricular the authorities connected a vanity circuit than helium is trying to determination Minnesota forward. That’s not leadership."
Qualls explained that Minnesotans privation to physique the economy, consciousness harmless successful their communities and amended education, but "we're not going to get immoderate of those changes from Tim Walz."
"I’m the lone campaigner who tin assistance Minnesota unrecorded up to its potential. If we are going to hole the fund Tim Walz broke, we request a proven person with real-world concern experience. If we are going to instrumentality backmost our streets and our classrooms, we request a campaigner with a blimpish backbone and instrumentality and bid credentials," Qualls said.
Qualls said the lone mode to make the alteration that Minnesotans are asking for is to bring successful a governmental outsider similar himself.
Qualls compared himself to President Donald Trump for being a governmental outsider with a concern background. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
"Much similar President Trump with his acquisition successful concern and leadership, my inheritance has been successful business. And earlier that, I was an serviceman successful the United States Army. And adjacent earlier that, I grew up successful dire poverty. I cognize that there's a look for occurrence successful this country, adjacent if we don't travel from a inheritance of privilege," Qualls said.
The gubernatorial campaigner said helium wants Americans to cognize determination is simply a pathway guardant successful the United States for anyone to succeed, careless of their inheritance oregon wherever they went to school. But Qualls said the authorities has a work to get retired of the mode of those pathways to success.
"There are pathways out. And unfortunately, what I'm uncovering with the Democrats is that they person been closing those doors of prosperity. When I turned 18 years old, I registered arsenic a Republican, and I ne'er looked back. I didn't cognize immoderate Republicans. I didn't person a state nine membership, but what I did cognize was what the Democrats were doing successful the Black assemblage was thing I didn't privation to beryllium a portion of. They weren't helping. They were making things worse," Qualls said, who grew up successful poorness in Harlem successful New York and successful a trailer parkland successful Oklahoma.
Gov. Tim Walz has not yet announced a 3rd consecutive run for politician of Minnesota. (AP/Matthew Putney)
While Qualls is presenting his run arsenic the lone alternate to what helium describes arsenic the demolition of Minnesota's existent Democrat rule, it's not his archetypal clip moving for the state's highest office.
"In this past election, I finished fig 2 retired of 7 candidates successful the Republican endorsement process. I agreed to abide by the endorsement. I really endorsed. The campaigner that won. But unfortunately, successful that predetermination successful 2022, we mislaid everything, the governorship, Senate, House, lawyer general, everything. And a batch of radical felt that possibly we had the incorrect campaigner astatine the apical of the ticket," Qualls said.
But Qualls said this clip is different.
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"I worked astir the authorities for 4 years helping candidates rise money, conscionable rallying the troops," Qualls said. "There's a consciousness of existent enactment that radical haven't seen before."
Leaning connected his accrued sanction designation this clip around, Qualls said helium is focused connected gathering a grassroots conjugation of Minnesota Republicans who are acceptable for change.
Walz did not respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.
Deirdre Heavey is simply a authorities writer for Fox News Digital.
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