Midwest

Minnesota GOP leader sounds alarm on Walz trying to 'bamboozle' rural voters: 'Bernie Sanders in flannel'

Published

2 years ago

August 15, 2024

Minnesota GOP leader sounds alarm on Walz trying to 'bamboozle' rural voters: 'Bernie Sanders in flannel'

DULUTH, Minn. — The Republican Party chair of a rural county in central Minnesota is blasting the prevalent media narrative that Gov. Tim Walz is a “moderate” and tells Fox News Digital that rural voters across the country are being “bamboozled” by that talking point.

“I do have a message for most of our rural people here and anybody else that may be watching this, please, you’re getting hoodwinked,” Lowell Smith, a state college educator and chair of the Crow Wing County GOP in Brainerd, Minnesota, told Fox News Digital.

“You’re getting bamboozled. He’s lying to you. He is not for rural America. He only cares about very liberal policies that would be embraced by the elite. He’s not for us. He’s basically – you can’t remember who said it, but he really is Bernie Sanders [in] flannel. They’re trying to market him as not being that. But he’s a liberal just dressed in flannel. He’s against the Second Amendment. He’s not for rural America.”

Smith continued, “Gov. Walz’s values do not align with much of rural Minnesota at all or for much of rural America. He kind of originally ran to try and be a moderate, but every policy he has taken, everything that he has done since being elected has been ultra liberal and nothing has reflected that he’s a moderate at all, so it made perfect sense that Kamala Harris picked him to be her running mate.”

Smith told Fox News Digital that when he speaks to rural voters in Minnesota, “everybody’s really angry” about Walz “letting the state burn for about four days” during the George Floyd riots in 2020 that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage.

MINNESOTA MURDER STATS ROSE UNDER WALZ’S LEADERSHIP AS HE TRIES TO TIE VIOLENT CRIME TREND TO TRUMP: DATA

A rural GOP chair in Minnesota told Fox News Digital that Gov. Tim Walz is trying to “bamboozle” rural voters.

Additionally, Smith pointed to the tax policy and business climate under Walz in Minnesota and said that Democrats in control of the state have “squandered” a $17 billion surplus under Walz’s leadership.

The right-leaning Tax Foundation’s State Business Tax Climate Index for 2024, which was published in October 2023, ranked Minnesota as having the 44th best tax climate for businesses in the country.

An analysis published by the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy in January found that Minnesota’s tax code was the most progressive of all 50 states, with only the District of Columbia having a more progressive tax code.

“In Minnesota, we respect our neighbors and their personal choices that they make,” Walz told a Philadelphia crowd about abortion during his introduction as Vice President Harris’ vice presidential pick. “Even if we wouldn’t make the same choice for ourselves, there’s a golden rule: Mind your own damn business.”

Smith told Fox News Digital that rural voters in Minnesota take issue with that claim given Walz’s record on COVID, which he has been widely criticized for by Republicans.

“His policies did not reflect that at all,” Smith said. “He set up a tip line to where, basically, you could snitch off your neighbor if they were not wearing their mask, or they kept their business open and there would be civil fines attached to that.”

MINNESOTA DEM LAWMAKER DEFENDS WALZ AGAINST ‘RADICAL’ LABEL FROM GOP: ‘COULDN’T DISAGREE MORE’

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, speaks during a campaign event on Aug. 7, 2024, in Detroit. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

“So, that was kind of reminiscent for up here back in communism when you had family members spying on family members and that is not what us in rural Minnesota really believe in.”

Smith told Fox News Digital that residents in his county colloquially refer to Walz as “Tampon Tim” due to his policies on transgender issues, including allowing menstrual products to be placed in school bathrooms across the country, including boys’ bathrooms. Democrats have pushed back against that line of attack, but Smith says Walz has essentially made Minnesota a “sanctuary state” for transgender issues.

“Embracing that transgender ideology, so much so that he’s made Minnesota a sanctuary state to where if you’re a minor in Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and your parents do not agree with you, you can drive into Minnesota, then at that point, for lack of a better term, Minnesota can take possession of you and allow you to get that transgender surgery or health care without your parents’ consent or even knowledge,” Smith said. “Even in Minnesota, if your child is gender confused, the state may step in and take your child and allow health care directives to be directed toward your child against the parent’s wishes. This just does not sit well with us up here.”

TIM WALZ HAS TIES TO MUSLIM CLERIC WITH ANTISEMITIC VIEWS, GAVE STATE FUNDING TO HIS GROUP: REPORT

Vice President Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz attend a campaign rally at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas on Aug. 10, 2024. (Ronda Churchill/AFP via Getty Images)

Smith told Fox News Digital that residents around Brainerd are so fed up with Walz’s policies that a local business along Highway 10 in Royalton, Minnesota, put up a sign seen by thousands of motorists showing Walz with his head inserted in his rear end that reads, “Gov. Walz, Northern MN is trying to see things from your point of view. Sponsored by Rocks & Cows of the North.”

The “Rocks & Cows” refers to a comment made by Walz in 2017 about rural America that the Trump campaign has seized on, but some say was taken out of context.

Fox News Digital asked Smith what issues rural voters in his county tell him they are most concerned about in the November election.

“The top three issues that we hear first and foremost is our budget nationally as far as our money,” Smith explained. “We want to ensure that we have a strong economy, and that does not look to be going that well. The next thing will be control of crime. Crime is rampant through most of the democratically controlled areas and people want to be safe in their neighborhoods and in their homes.”

“Lastly would be the control of the border, which would be the massive flood, or what we hear up here, as they call it, an invasion from other countries into our country every week. Those are the three things that I hear most from the people in our county.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment but did not receive a response.

Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.

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Midwest

What’s next for Kristi Noem? 2026 Senate chatter grows after DHS exit

Published

3 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

What’s next for Kristi Noem? 2026 Senate chatter grows after DHS exit

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President Donald Trump cut short Kristi Noem’s tenure at the Department of Homeland Security after weeks of internal turmoil. Now headed to a new envoy post, the onetime conservative star faces a pressing question: Can she stage a political comeback?

Noem was fired as the nation’s immigration chief after a turbulent stretch marked by internal clashes and two contentious congressional hearings where even some Republicans pressed her over leadership missteps. Trump announced on Truth Social that Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., will replace her effective March 31, while Noem shifts to a newly created envoy role the president says he’ll detail this weekend.

An administration source told Fox News “it was time” to move on from Noem, citing internal feuding, staff mismanagement and controversies — including a $200 million ad campaign and fallout in Minnesota — that “overshadowed” Trump’s immigration agenda.

“Kristi’s drama sadly overshadowed and distracted from the Administration’s extremely popular immigration agenda, which will continue full force,” the source said.

KRISTI NOEM OUSTED FROM HOMELAND SECURITY POST AMID RECENT TURMOIL

DHS Sec. Kristi Noem meets with service members at a U.S. compound in Ecuador. (Pool/Getty Images)

Trump said Noem will be named “Special Envoy for The Shield of the Americas,” a newly created role he described as part of a broader Western Hemisphere security initiative. The White House has not yet detailed the scope of the position.

The reassignment comes as speculation grows in South Dakota over whether Noem could mount a primary challenge against Sen. Mike Rounds in 2026 — a move that would test whether her standing with Trump and GOP voters has truly eroded.

Rounds, who is seeking a third term, secured Trump’s “complete and total endorsement” last year and is backed by Senate Republican leadership — a formidable barrier to any challenger. “He will never let you down,” Trump wrote in his endorsement, calling Rounds an “America First Patriot.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Rounds’ office for comment.

Noem would enter any race with statewide name recognition and a deep political network, having served eight years in Congress before winning two terms as governor.

But some Republican operatives question whether her abrupt exit from DHS weakened her standing within Trump’s inner circle at a critical political moment. One GOP strategist involved in Senate races, who acknowledged that Noem was once a MAGA rock star, described a potential Senate bid at this time as a “suicide mission.”

The clock is already ticking. South Dakota’s filing deadline is March 31 at 5 p.m. CT, and candidates must gather roughly 2,200 petition signatures in just over three weeks to qualify for a June 2 primary.

NOEM SLAMS DEMS BLOCKING DHS FUNDING BILL CITING TSA, FEMA, COAST GUARD: ‘I HOPE THEY COME TO THEIR SENSES’

The speculation has drawn national attention. The Atlantic reported that pollsters in South Dakota were surveying a potential Rounds-Noem matchup, with one Republican source telling the magazine that the senator would “handily win” if challenged.

Rapid City’s ABC affiliate reported on the rumors of Noem’s ambitions in February, saying Republicans in her home state are watching to see if she would challenge Rounds.

Still, Noem has a fair share of powerful allies back home. Gov. Larry Rhoden, Noem’s successor in Pierre, commented Thursday that “Kristi is a dear friend and the toughest person I know.”

“When she shut down the border in record time, others were shocked, but I wasn’t. I knew what she was capable of.”

“She’ll deliver in her next role just as capably. I thank her for everything she’s done to keep South Dakota — and all America — strong, safe, and free,” Rhoden said.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

As governor, Rhoden worked with Noem’s DHS to make South Dakota one of the first states to enter a 287(g) agreement allowing state-level cooperation with ICE. Under the arrangement, the South Dakota Highway Patrol has been authorized to assist with immigration enforcement, and National Guard personnel have supported administrative functions — a record that could bolster her standing with conservative primary voters as speculation about her next move intensifies.

Fox News’ Peter Doocy contributed to this report.

Charles Creitz is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

He joined Fox News in 2013 as a writer and production assistant.

Charles covers media, politics and culture for Fox News Digital.

Charles is a Pennsylvania native and graduated from Temple University with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism. Story tips can be sent to charles.creitz@fox.com.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know

Published

5 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

$Detroit ‘Sloppy Chops’ restaurateur\u00a0killed: What to know$

Mourning continued and no suspects were in custody a week after the fatal shooting of Detroit restaurateur and nightlife figure Mikey “Mike B” Brown at the end of February.

Brown was the beloved figure behind the “Sloppy” brand of restaurants, and remembrances have been rolling in online since his death.

Here’s what to know:

Shooting outside cocktail bar

“Mike B” Brown, 51, and two others were shot about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 28 in the area of 15789 Schaefer, police previously said.

The two others were found in front of the location, and Brown was found across the street, police said.

Police have asked those with information on the shooting to come forward.

There were no suspects in custody and no further updates in the case as of Monday, March 9, according to a statement from the Detroit Police Department.

Updates on the conditions of the two other individuals shot were also not provided.

Who was Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?

Brown was a husband, a father of five and a restaurateur.

He opened Sloppy Chops Restaurant, a steakhouse, in 2020 on West McNichols off the Lodge Freeway and later opened a seafood restaurant called Sloppy Crab, which was renamed the Crab Sports Bar, on East Jefferson Avenue near the Renaissance Center. Brown previously had two clubs, as well.

His downtown dining spot served as an answer to questions on offerings for Black diners in the city’s renaissance. His other “Sloppy” location showcased successful reach beyond downtown and into the city’s neighborhoods. Brown was also a cultural figure in not only the world of dining, but in the nightlife, the Free Press reported.

When are funeral services for Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown?

A family hour was set for 9 a.m. March 13 and a funeral was set for 10 a.m. March 13, both at Triumph Church –North Campus at 15600 J.L. Hudson Drive in Southfield.

What’s been the fallout since Mike ‘Mike B’ Brown’s death?

Outside of the community hurt, there’s also been calls for a crackdown on establishments that stay open into early morning hours in residential areas, ClickOnDetroit reports.

How to report tips on Mikey ‘Mike B’ Brown’s shooting

Those with information tied to the triple shooting can contact the Detroit Police Department’s homicide unit at 313-596-2260 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up or DetroitRewards.tv.

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Milwaukee, WI

Critically missing Milwaukee man; last seen near Teutonia and Good Hope

Published

5 hours ago

March 10, 2026

Press Room

Critically missing Milwaukee man; last seen near Teutonia and Good Hope

article

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a critically missing man, 33-year-old Nicolas Blakely.

Missing man

What we know:

Blakely was last seen around 9:45 p.m. on Monday, March 9 in the area of Teutonia and Good Hope.

Blakely is described as a male, black, 6’1″ tall, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a blue puffy jacket over a white hooded sweatshirt, with tan Nike sweatpants.

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