Former NBA player Royce White will face incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar after winning the Republican nomination on Tuesday. The Associated Press confirmed.
With 90% of the votes cast, White was leading with 38.7% of the vote, well ahead of her main rival, Joe Fraser, with 29.3%. Klobuchar won her own primary with more than 90% of the vote.
The general election race will be considered one of the safest seats for Democrats in the country, if turnout figures in the primary are any indication. Even though Klobuchar ran without serious challengers, Democrats turned out roughly 50% more than Republicans in their primary.
White’s own actions make him a divisive candidate at best. He has a history of extreme rhetoric, such as anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and calling the women “too big mouth” as well as direct insults — and made headlines earlier this year when It was revealed that he used campaign funds from a failed 2022 congressional bid on an all-nude strip club and limousine services.He too Has a history of lawsuits for late child support payments.
Despite that baggage, White received the endorsement of the Minnesota Republican Party in May. He also has a group of far-right allies including former Donald Trump strategist Steve Bannon, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and InfoWars host Alex Jones. Fraser had the support of more moderate Republican voices, but the fact that neither of them surpassed 40% of the vote in the race could indicate that voters did not see them as compelling options.
Before all this, White was a mercurial presence in the basketball world. He was a legitimately good player at Iowa State after transferring from Minnesota (where he played He was suspended for a shoplifting incident at the Mall of America) and joined the Houston Rockets as the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft.
His NBA career quickly spiraled out of control, however. He didn’t play a single minute for the Rockets and clashed with the team over adjustments to his anxiety and fear of flying. He was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers a year after being drafted, was waived before the season and landed with the Sacramento Kings on a 10-day contract.
White played on an NBA court for nine minutes in three games with the Kings in 2013-14. He found more success in other leagues, including Canada’s NBL and the Big 3. At one point, he also tried his hand at a career in MMA.
The 33-year-old used his NBA experience to become an advocate for greater support for mental health and then gained further attention by leading several protests in Minnesota following the killing of George Floyd.
White isn’t the only athlete on the Senate ballot this year, as former Los Angeles Dodgers star Steve Garvey is the Republican nominee in California against Adam Schiff. Like White, he has a slim chance of winning.