Minnesota Republican lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Brian Nicholson, left, and GOP gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls, right, in an undated campaign photo (Photo via Kendall Qualls on Facebook)

On Tuesday, Republican Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls announced that businessman Brian Nicholson will be his running mate in the race, where Nicholson gave the wrong answer about how old he is.

During a press conference, Nicholson told reporters that he has never held elected office and hasn’t been involved in party politics. Nicholson also declined to immediately give basic details about his employment and business interests, but he said he is 38 years old.

According to the Minnesota Reformer, Qualls campaign later said that Nicholson misspoke and is actually 48 years old. Qualls also said that he only met Nicholson on the campaign trail in October, and that his new running mate is an “unconventional pick.”

Qualls, who unsuccessfully ran for governor in 2022 and for the U.S. House in 2020, finished second in a Republican primary straw poll in February behind Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring), who is the likely frontrunner in the race.

After incumbent Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) announced that he would not seek a third term, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D) joined the race in January and immediately became the frontrunner on the Democratic side.

There are currently 10 candidates on the Republican ticket for the Aug. 11 primary, including MyPillow CEO and election denier Mike Lindell.