Top state GOP lawmakers avoiding Trump event
When Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump arrives in Minneapolis Friday for a private campaign fundraiser, the state's two top Republican legislative leaders won't be there.
Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt and state Senate Minority Leader David Hann said they’re both skipping the event. They shared their plans with reporters Thursday during an unrelated news conference.
“I’m just not going. I’ve got better stuff to do,” Daudt, R-Zimmerman, said. “I’m just not engaged in the presidential race.”
Daudt, the state’s top elected Republican, stressed that his focus is on this year’s legislative contests and trying to retain majority control of the House.
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Hann, who’s working to gain Senate seats this fall, said he won’t attend the Trump event because he has a previous commitment. Hann, R-Eden Prairie, did not directly answer a question about whether he plans to vote for Trump. He instead took aim at Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
“I’m not supporting Hillary Clinton, I’ll tell you that,” Hann said. “I think for all the problems that Trump has, he’s not a criminal. I can’t support her.”
Asked to explain his “criminal” allegation, Hann would only say that Clinton has “done some things that have raised real questions.”
Daudt also stopped short of pledging to vote for Trump.
“I will be voting Republican in the fall,” Daudt said. “I’ll make that decision when I walk into the voting booth.”