Profiles in Cowardice
How Whispered Truths Fail Minnesota
My family has had season tickets to the Minnesota Vikings since the team took the field in 1961. I went to my first Vikings game in the late 1970’s, and over the past 52 years of my life, I’ve seen and felt more heartbreak than success. I love the Vikings, yet sometimes they break my heart and make me yell at the TV because I want them to win.
Loyalty, Heartbreak, and Knowing When to Speak Up
The emotional rollercoaster of being a life-long Vikings fan has helped me navigate my complicated relationship with the Republican Party. I worked on Republican campaigns and for the Republican Party. I was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2008 and later served as the deputy chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota from 2009 to 2011.
But I have never voted for President Trump. Before the 2024 election, I supported other Republican presidential candidates. But in the summer of 2024, I joined a national coalition of principled Republicans that publicly supported Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz over Trump and his then-running mate, U.S. Senator JD Vance.
Trump won the presidential election, but Harris won Minnesota. In an op-ed published after the election, I wrote that I had “no regrets” for supporting Harris and Walz and that “I did it for democracy. And I would do it again.”
Minnesota Chose a Different Path
I further explain that despite the national wave that swept Trump back into office, Minnesota rejected Trump for the third time. I added Republicans in Minnesota who supported Trump should recognize that Trump’s brand of Republicanism isn’t a recipe for success in Minnesota.
While Trump’s brand of Republicanism succeeded across the country, Minnesota voters chose a different path. Trump failed to win Minnesota, the 13th straight loss in the state by a Republican presidential candidate since 1972.
Trump received fewer votes across Minnesota’s eight congressional districts than every GOP congressional candidate, except in Minnesota’s Second Congressional District. Likewise, Harris received more votes than every DFL congressional candidate, again except in the Second Congressional District where Democrat Rep. Angie Craig beat Republican Joe Teirab.
Meanwhile, Trump received 31,468 fewer votes statewide than all Republican candidates for the U.S. House. And Harris received 77,244 more votes statewide than all DFL candidates for the U.S. House.
Nationally, Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate and retained control of the U.S. House of Representatives. When you add Trump’s victory, Republicans now have a governing trifecta in Washington, D.C. — without electoral assistance from Republicans in Minnesota.
I ended my op-ed with a warning that, sadly, foreshadowed the fighting we are seeing unfold on the streets of Minnesota.
In the days since Trump won another term as president, Americans have unfortunately seen him follow through on his promises of unilateral power and attacks on democratic institutions. These threats reflect the threats the Constitution’s framers designed it to prevent.
Trump’s victory is a sobering reminder of the challenges ahead and a call to action. Democracy is fragile, and its preservation requires the courage for all of us to put country over party.
Highsight is always 20/20, but I could never have imagined how clearly and accurately I framed my concerns about Trump returning to the White House.
What You Do After You Lose Matters
In the year since Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States, I had to decide what role I would have in politics.
I have voted for candidates who have won and lost elections. But post-election, I have always wanted the person who won the election to succeed, even if they didn’t get my vote.
I applied this civic-minded, good government philosophy to Trump, despite my strong concerns about his candidacy. It may be naive, but I want to believe there is good in people. As with my undying belief that the Minnesota Vikings will win a Super Bowl, I need to believe that Trump is capable of doing good things.
I have remained a critic of Trump, but I have ensured that my concerns about his failing as a president are grounded rhetorically and measured, unlike many never-Trumpers and Trump’s own VP, who have used hyperbolic imagery to criticize him.
Still a Republican—Just Not That Kind
Before endorsing Harris and Walz in 2024, I spent days reflecting on whether I was still a Republican. I voted split-ticket in 2022 and had supported Governor Walz, but had also backed Republican candidates for other statewide and local offices.
In the early weeks of 2025, I repeated this exercise and concluded that I was still a Republican. I would never be a “MAGA” Republican, but I did want to see a vibrant and successful Republican Party in Minnesota. I knew my support for Harris and Walz would be a hurdle for MAGA Republicans, who have approached party loyalty with a cult-like iron fist.
But in the summer of 2025, I became the Minnesota state chair of Our Republican Legacy. What is Our Republican Legacy?
We are Republicans who are deeply concerned about the future of our country and who give no thought to leaving our party. We are here to stay. We believe in the positive, stabilizing influence of the two-party system, and we believe that the futures of our party and the country are inextricably intertwined. We embrace our historic Republican principles from Lincoln through Reagan, affirm their application to the decades ahead, and believe that a responsibly conservative party best serves America in the 21st Century.
Republicans haven’t won a statewide race since November 2006 - nearly 20 years. I worked for the Republican Party of Minnesota when Governor Tim Pawlenty was re-elected, and I know the kind of Republican candidates and campaigns that are needed to win statewide.
But a lot has changed since Republicans won statewide, and my brand of Republicanism represents a small minority, yet mathematically significant, coalition of allies that could help Republicans win a statewide office.
Taking on this leadership role has been challenging, as the most active Republican activists and candidates embrace Trump, without recognizing that Trump’s brand is radioactive in the key areas of the state, such as the suburbs, where Republicans desperately need to win.
The Conversation That Sparked This Post
Over the last month, I have been concerned about how the policy and tactics of Trump’s immigration enforcement will harm Minnesota and, separately, impede the ability of Republicans to win elections once the ICE operations end.
I’ve spoken about my concerns on my podcast, on social media, in media interviews, and in private conversations. It is one of those private conversations that is the basis for this post.
On January 15, 2026, I received a phone call from Representative Walter Hudson, who had questions about a reply I made to one of his social media posts. The conversation then shifted to my concerns about the brutality of ICE’s operations in Minnesota.
Like most Minnesotans, I support the removal of illegal immigrants who would be accurately and credibly classified as the “worst of the worst.” But I am not for the continued terrorization of Minnesota.
In my phone conversation with Rep. Hudson, I asked him to explain to me how Republicans expect to win anything in Minnesota after the ugliness of Operation Metro Surge ends.
Rep. Hudson was clear in our conversation that he thought Trump was being punitive in his approach to immigration enforcement, going so far as to describe Trump using Minnesota as a “whipping boy.”
We agreed that Republicans in Minnesota would be held accountable for the trauma that has been inflicted on Minnesotans due to the tactics used by the Department of Homeland Security’s enforcement of Trump’s immigration policy.
We both left the conversation concerned about ICE’s presence in Minnesota - or so I thought.
Revisionist History, Uploaded
I learned today that Rep. Hudson released a YouTube video a few days ago, in which he responded to our conversation.
In this fictionalized version, Rep. Hudson doesn’t agree with me about the lack of humanity that is unfolding on the streets of Minnesota. Rep. Hudson’s video has the twisted righteousness and delusions of grandeur found in the ramblings of the late cult leader and preacher, David Koresh.
Rep. Hudson ended his video sermon with this closing - before the reading of an ad for new car tires:
Like winning and losing is a matter of perspective, and my perspective is eternal. It’s not subject to man’s judgment; it’s subject to the truth.
I took Rep. Hudson at his word that his perspective is subject to “…the truth,” so I called him after finishing the video.
The conversation escalated quickly, as I made it clear to Rep. Hudson that I was appalled by his video and his use of revisionist history to seek political martyrdom.
Rep. Hudson acknowledged that his video failed to mention our shared concerns about ICE’s presence in Minnesota. He tried to justify his selective presentation of our conversation by claiming that our discussion about how ICE’s presence in Minnesota could hurt Republicans was an “internal party discussion” and should not be discussed publicly.
I said this was an odd response from someone who published an 8-minute YouTube video retelling a fictionalized version of our conversation.
Anger, Justified
I won’t claim that our conversation wasn’t heated or rough; it needed to be. Some discussions are based on conflict, and the passion that I showed was justified.
I am angry about how Minnesotans are being treated and mistreated.
I am angry about how the Trump administration is trying to pit Minnesotan against Minnesotan.
I am angry that Rep. Hudson mischaracterized our conversation, which I believe was done intentionally and for his personal and political benefit.
I pushed back aggressively on Rep. Hudson. It was one of the roughest talks I’ve had with an elected official, which, if you know anything about me, is certainly noteworthy.
The conversation is still rattling inside my head, and I find myself getting angrier about how an elected official bastardized a discussion about the trauma and brutality of ICE’s tactics.
Before the conversation ended, Rep. Hudson asked me why I had a different standard for Republicans than Democrats. I responded forcefully, “Because I am a Republican and I want Republicans to do better!”
He had no response.
The phone call ended without the customary “goodbye.” There were no plans to talk again. No agreement to disagree.
Silence, Courage, and the Moment We’re In
Not everyone is in a position to speak publicly in moments like this. I understand that. Politics isn’t always performed at a microphone. There are times when quiet conversations, back-channel diplomacy, and behind-the-scenes shuttle efforts are not only appropriate but necessary. Real solutions often require patience, discretion, and trust, especially in a crisis as complex and emotionally charged as this one.
But discretion is not the same as deception. Restraint is not an excuse for revisionist history.
What Rep. Hudson chose to do wasn’t quiet diplomacy. It was public distortion. It wasn’t a careful effort to lower the temperature or move policy toward a more humane outcome. It was a calculated decision to sanitize reality, to erase shared concerns, and to recast a difficult conversation into something more politically convenient.
That choice matters, especially now, when more Republicans are beginning to speak honestly about the ugliness of ICE’s tactics. At a moment when courage is slowly replacing silence, Rep. Hudson chose to obscure the truth rather than confront it. At a moment that called for clarity, he chose comfort.
History doesn’t reward those who whisper their true beliefs in the shadows. It doesn’t remember the people who privately hoped for better outcomes while publicly enabling worse ones. It remembers who spoke plainly when doing so carried risk and who hid behind process, loyalty, or selective storytelling when it mattered most.
Minnesotans are not whispering. They are showing up. They are speaking plainly. They are demanding to be seen and heard as human beings, not collateral damage in a political strategy.
The least an elected representative can do is meet that moment with honesty.
The least Rep. Hudson can do is not be a coward.
I launched On The Record to create space for this kind of deeper analysis — unscripted, subscriber-first, and brutally honest.
👇 Here’s how you can help:
💬 Leave a comment – What stood out? What needs more attention?
📣 Share this post – Help grow our community.
🔒 Become a paid subscriber – Support thoughtful, independent political analysis.
Well said, Michael. I have not seen the video, nor do I think I need to see it. Moral clarity is necessary at this moment, thank you for providing it.
This is why it's so important that you have made personal integrity and commitment to honesty, even when it's professionally and personally difficult, your brand. Walter has made exaggeration, lies, and division his brand. I don't need to see his video to know who I believe.