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In The Wake of Texas Mass Shooting, MN GOP Statewide Ticket Shows Lack of Leadership & Spine

05/25/2022

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement after the Minnesota Republican Party’s endorsed statewide ticket utterly failed to respond to the pressing need for gun safety reforms following the recent mass shooting in Texas:

“It has been 24 hours since the ruthless murder of at least 19 children and two teachers at a Texas elementary school, and yet the Minnesota Republican statewide ticket has either ignored it or expressed meaningless platitudes that will do nothing to keep Minnesota’s children safe.

“It’s become crystal clear that Scott Jensen, Matt Birk, Jim Schultz, Kim Crockett, and Ryan Wilson are either too spineless to speak out against the gun lobby or cannot think of a single solution to prevent children from being murdered in our schools. Real leaders step up in good times and in bad, and it’s evident that is a lesson the GOP’s statewide ticket has never learned.”

How the Minnesota GOP’s Statewide Ticket Has Failed to Respond to the Texas Shooting:

  • Scott Jensen: Nearly an entire day later, Jensen tweeted two sentences that blamed the shooting solely on mental health issues.
  • Matt Birk: No statement. One retweet of Jensen’s tweet.
  • Jim Schultz: One tweet. Offered “reflection and prayer”, which has yet to stop a mass shooting.
  • Doug Wardlow: One Facebook post. Offered “prayers”, which have yet to stop a mass shooting.
  • Kim Crockett: Did not deem the murder of 19 elementary school children worthy of addressing.

Ryan Wilson: Did not deem the murder of 19 elementary school children worthy of addressing.