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Republican candidate for governor Scott Jensen announced Monday that he's tapped a Hennepin County sheriff's deputy as his running mate. 

In a news release, Jensen named Phouthaivanh Wilkerson as his pick for lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket. Wilkerson works in recruitment and public engagement in her law enforcement role. And her family fled Laos to come to the United States after her father was killed for resisting communism.

Wilkerson said she reached out to Jensen about his campaign and asked to be his running mate. Wilkerson said their campaign will focus on protecting freedom and putting families first.

“When I heard Scott Jensen say, ‘Minnesota is for families who want to build it, and America is for Americans who want to love it,’ I heard my family’s story,” Wilkerson said. “I heard my story. I reviewed the candidates, and I reached out to Scott because it was time to stand up and step into the arena.”

Jensen was the Republican Party's endorsed candidate in 2022. He ultimately lost against Gov. Tim Walz. Jensen said Wilkerson is “the living embodiment of Minnesota’s founding spirit — faith, freedom, hard work, and service.”

Jensen is part of a crowded field of Republican candidates vying for the Republican Party endorsement. Precinct caucuses could narrow the field next month and endorsing conventions are planned for late spring.

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Jensen announced on Monday that he picked lieutenant governor candidate Phouthaivanh Wilkerson to run with him for the Republican Party’s endorsement.

Scott Jensen names sheriff’s deputy as his running mate

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