Jensen Drops Out of GOP Governor’s Race, Running for State Auditor

(Learfield News/Victoria, MN) — Former state Senator and 2022 Republican nominee Scott Jensen is dropping out of the 2026 race for governor.

Jensen finished a distant fourth in the GOP gubernatorial straw poll at last Tuesday’s precinct caucuses with 6.4 percent of the vote.

Jensen says in a campaign video that he’s instead running for the Office of State Auditor.

He’ll face state Representative Elliot Engen of Lino Lakes and Nate George of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Tribal Gaming Regulatory Authority in the Republican primary for state auditor.