The 2020 dust has barely settled, but the campaign to lead the Minnesota Republican Party into the next election is already picking up.
State Sen. Mark Koran, R-North Branch, recently jumped into the race for state GOP chair. Jennifer Carnahan, the current party chair, has not yet said whether she plans to run for another two-year term.
Koran said the party, which has won only one statewide contest since 2006, "needs direction and overhaul" before 2022, when Republicans will try to take down Gov. Tim Walz.
"We need to build credibility that the party has a plan and will build on it," he said. "We need to get back to the roots of our party, give our activities and volunteers the tools to be successful and assemble an honest and dependable team to carry out the plan."
Other familiar names have been mentioned as party leader prospects, most notably Kevin Poindexter. He's a former executive director of the state party and he managed President Donald Trump's presidential campaign in the state last year.
Following Trump's Minnesota loss, Carnahan alleged "abnormalities" in the state's election results but offered no evidence or follow-up.
Koran has said he'd remain in the state Legislature if he wins, avoiding a vacancy and a special election to fill his seat.
Republican activists will meet to elect a party chair sometime early next year.
