Meet the ‘pro-police’ Minnesota GOP lawmakers who use social media to make fun of cops

GOP lawmakers and candidates from Minnesota who claim to be pro-law enforcement still love to make fun of the police and the U.S. Army online, including comparing police to pigs and babies and using the phrase “homo military.”

Despite waves of protests against police brutality across the country the past few years and growing distrust of U.S. law enforcement, the idea of “defunding the police” remains unpopular among most Americans, according to a Pew Research Center poll conducted last October. Many Republican lawmakers and candidates have since touted their support of law enforcement to boost their popularity among voters, and the Minnesota GOP is no different.

But the same people still love to bash cops and the military online.

Republican Rep. John Heinrich of District 35A used his experience as a military police officer in the U.S. Marine Corps to promote his campaign for Minnesota’s House of Representatives, which he is running for again in November. That didn’t stop him from posting about the “gay military” on Facebook.

“I would like the record to show that I served prior to homo military. thanks all !” Heinrich posted the day after “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ― a measure that banned gay and lesbian service members ― was repealed.

Aaron Henning, a Republican candidate for House District 14B in the Minnesota House this November, advocates for “safe communities” on his website: “I will be a proud supporter of our law enforcement and first responders, and make sure they have the resources necessary to keep Central Minnesota families safe. 

He also took to Facebook multiple times in 2012 to complain about the cops who ate at the restaurant he ran, saying in December 2012 it “smells like bacon.”

Screenshots from Aaron Henning’s personal Facebook account

Stephen Lowell, a Republican candidate for Minnesota Senate District 52, said in a speech in July that people need to “grow teeth” by “voting with a ballot before we have to vote with bullets,” comparing the voter turnout needed to the number of people who protested in the Twin Cities after George Floyd’s murder by the Minneapolis police in 2020. 

“We have to vote just like they’re throwing Molotovs up in Uptown. We have to vote just like they burned down buildings,” he said. “We have to vote as hard as they went out and did that.”

His website voices his concern for violent crime in Minnesota, advocating for self defense by citizens while police departments are improved over time. “The people of our great state can arm and defend themselves in real time dramatically reducing the crushing burden on our hobbled police departments,” his website reads. “This will essentially ‘stop the bleeding’ while legislative and enforcement issues are slowly fixed at the top.”

He also retweeted a meme comparing police to babies.

Screenshots from Stephen Lowell’s Twitter

When asked to confirm if he did share this post, Lowell replied: “Do you understand what a retweet is? Those are not my tweets. Those were made by a different account I do not own or control. I retweeted them.”

Lowell also told Heartland Signal that criticizing law enforcement, as they are the “enforcement arm” of the government, is “on par with [his] positions.”

“Though the police will always exist in one format or another and society always benefits from a proper amount of order, demonstrated threats to society will always need to be removed to protect the general public,” he said. “I am thankful for those departments and individuals who refuse unconstitutional orders/laws and those who do serve with integrity. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for criticism.”

Don Raleigh, a Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives running for reelection to represent District 38A, went for a ride-along with the Blaine Police Department and posted on his blog that the cops in Blaine are “our protectors, our civil servants … true professionals in every way.” An Army veteran, he vows to “get back to the rule of law where we hold the criminals accountable” on his website.

Despite that, Raleigh is linked to a series of web comics posted online depicting the murder of various people, including military members, by guns.

Though Andrew Wagner, director of Public Affairs for the Minnesota House Republican Caucus, told Heartland Signal that the cartoons were drawn by Raleigh’s brother, the comics were posted on MyGun.com, Raleigh’s former business website for training people in concealed carry. 

On that website, Raleigh also had some bullet points listed as a “Gun Refresher Course” that read: “A gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone” and “911 – government sponsored Dial a Prayer.”

Raleigh also recently came under fire for appearing on the membership list of the Oath Keepers, a violent, far-right anti-government group that works to recruit army veterans and former law enforcement officers. He told the Minnesota Reformer that he signed up years ago in the course of conducting “market research” for a company that connects veterans with business opportunities.