¶ How To Win Against Ron Schutz
Republican Minnesota attorney general candidate Ron Schutz attacked the health care, jobs, and safety of everyday Minnesotans. Schutz was a board member of Center of the American Experiment, a right-wing think tank that supported Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and its cuts that stripped health care from hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans and killed tens of thousands of jobs. Schutz was a proponent of aggressive anti-fraud enforcement even though such methods previously led to the deaths of two Minnesotans at the hands of federal agents. Schutz also promoted voter fraud conspiracies that sowed distrust in Minnesota elections and opposed restrictions on assault weapons in the state. Additionally, Schutz pledged his loyalty to Trump and would not commit to protecting Minnesotans from Trump’s unlawful actions.
¶ Ron Schutz Was A Board Member Of Right-Wing Minnesota Think Tank Center Of The American Experiment
- Schutz served on the board, and was formerly chair of the board of, the Center of the American Experiment (CoAE), a Minnesota-based right-wing think tank. CoAE expressed support for Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” and denied claims that it would strip Medicaid coverage from Minnesotans, despite 17 million Americans and 179,000 Minnesotans being expected to lose their health care coverage under the bill.
- CoAE also supported the “One Big Beautiful Bill’s” cuts to clean energy tax credits, stating that the cuts did not go far enough and advocating for fully repealing the Inflation Reduction Act. In Minnesota, the cuts eliminated subsidies which killed 23,000 clean energy jobs.
- CoAE and its members expressed radical far-right opinions on a plethora of subjects. CoAE president John Hinderaker had a personal blog where he wrote about “ties between terrorism and Islam, Hillary Clinton’s e-mails and accusations of liberal media bias.” CoAE speakers equated Critical Race Theory to Marxism, called racism an “excuse for Black failure” and claimed a $15 minimum wage would be a “disaster” for both workers and employers.
Message: Schutz helped lead a far-right think tank that supported policies that stripped health care and jobs from Minnesotans.
¶ Ron Schutz Would Not Protect Minnesotans From Trump’s Federal Overreach
- After federal agents killed two Americans in Minneapolis, Schutz urged local law enforcement to cooperate with federal officials, and later predicted the harmful effects of immigration enforcement would fade and not be a defining factor in the general election.
- Schutz also called anti-fraud enforcement one of his main priorities, only after the discredited video from conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley falsely claimed to uncover hundreds of thousands in stolen funds in Minnesota daycares. Many of the daycares were Somali-run, which prompted Trump to end temporary protected status for Somali immigrants, and was the main motivation for Trump to send federal immigration agents to Minneapolis.
- Schutz said his plan to fight fraud in Minnesota included “tough-on-crime enforcement” rather than more oversight, “more boots on the ground” fraud investigations, and establishing fraud “watchdogs” in the attorney general’s office.
Message: Schutz supported “boots on the ground” anti-fraud enforcement that resulted in the deaths of two Minnesotans at the hands of federal immigration agents.
¶ Ron Schutz Promoted Election Denial Conspiracies
- In 2025, Schutz shared claims of election fraud in Minnesota. During an investigation into elections in Carver County, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon testified that two Nevada residents attempted to submit fraudulent voter registrations, but asserted there was no evidence of fraudulent votes. Still, Schutz criticized Democrats’ “lack of accountability,” which he claimed led to voter fraud in Carver County.
- Additionally, Schutz pledged to make “secure elections” a main priority of his campaign, and said he would prosecute noncitizens who attempt to vote in Minnesota elections.
Message: Schutz promoted rhetoric that sowed distrust in Minnesota elections.
¶ Ron Schutz Opposed Gun Safety Laws
- In 2025, Schutz asserted his support for Second Amendment rights. In response to a St. Paul assault weapon ban, Schutz said he opposed gun restrictions that prevent “everyday Minnesotans from defending themselves.” Instead, Schutz wanted to prevent gun violence through more mental health resources.
Message: Schutz opposed protecting Minnesotans from attacks with assault weapons.
¶ Ron Schutz Was A Trump Lackey
- In 2026, Schutz asserted his loyalty to Trump and refused to say he would challenge Trump on an unlawful decision. When asked if he would challenge Trump, Schutz said he could not “answer in the abstract,” and said he doubted Trump would take “some action that would be blatantly illegal.” Additionally, Schutz defended Trump’s war in Iran, saying it was “fully justified” because Iran was the world’s “number one sponsor of terrorism” and was developing “nuclear weapons so they can destroy Israel.”
- Schutz also had connections to the Republican establishment and Trump’s inner circle. In 2025, the Minnesota Republican Congressional Delegation recommended Schutz to Trump as a finalist to be the U.S. attorney in Minnesota. In 2018, Schutz posted a photo on Facebook of him and his wife with current Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Schutz’s wife said the pair knew Hegseth “from his Minnesota days.”
Message: Schutz’s statements suggested he would submit to Trump over protecting Minnesotans.
¶ Issue Back-Ups
¶ Ron Schutz Supported Policies That Harmed Everyday Minnesotans
Ron Schutz Was A Board Member Of A Right-Wing Minnesota Think Tank
Ron Schutz Would Not Protect Minnesotans From Trump’s Federal Overreach
Ron Schutz Promoted Election Denial Conspiracies
Ron Schutz Opposed Gun Safety Laws
Ron Schutz Was A Trump Lackey