Michelle Benson bows out of Minnesota governor’s race

Minnesota Sen. Michelle Benson is ending her campaign for governor, thinning the field of Republican challengers seeking to unseat DFL Gov. Tim Walz this fall.

The senator from Ham Lake, who announced her gubernatorial campaign in September, marked its conclusion with a speech Friday at the Seventh Congressional District Republican convention. The only woman in the governor’s race, she said she will not pursue the party’s nomination at the state convention in May.

“As families continue to struggle with the rising costs of daily life, Gov. [Tim] Walz has failed to offer solutions to get Minnesota heading in the right direction,” Benson said in a statement. “It’s time for Republicans to unite behind a single candidate that can defeat Tim Walz this fall. I look forward to working with delegates on selecting the right choice.”

In recent months, Benson lagged her fellow gubernatorial challengers in fundraising and straw polling. The Republican field remains crowded, though most candidates have said they will drop out if they do not garner the party’s endorsement.

Benson was elected to the state Senate in 2010, and chaired the chamber’s Health and Human Services Committee. She will not seek re-election to the Senate.

Staff writer Jessie Van Berkel contributed to this report.