Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen speaks, saying he will not concede the governorship to incumbent Gov. Tim Walz until all the votes are counted, during the Minnesota GOP Election Night Party Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, at a Hilton Doubletree in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Nicole Neri)

Controversial Minnesota Republican Scott Jensen has announced his second bid for governor after losing to incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) in 2022.

Walz defeated Jensen by 7.7% points (192,408 votes) during the 2022 midterm elections after a scandal-ridden campaign. Jensen followed suit with the larger Republican Party by casting doubt in Minnesota’s election results and pushing the repeatedly debunked narrative of school children using litter boxes in classrooms.

Despite being a practicing physician, Jensen, and his running mate Matt Birk displayed hostile opinions about access to reproductive rights, with Jensen calling for a sweeping abortion ban in Minnesota with no exceptions for rape. Jensen also railed against COVID-19 protocols, comparing them to the Nazi-era antisemitic aggression tactics and the Holocaust. His doubling down earned him scorn even from some conservatives.

Before running for governor, Jensen served in the Minnesota Senate from 2017-21, where he developed a reputation as an unpredictable legislator. He once broke with the GOP when he introduced a bill to expand universal background checks on firearms, a policy idea he later regretted when he was seeking the Republican nomination for governor.