Minnesota GOP convention chair wishes someone ‘pushed back’ on Derek Chauvin moment of silence

The Minnesota Republican Party is facing backlash because a moment of silence was held at the state party convention for Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was convicted of murdering George Floyd. State Rep. Danny Nadeau (R-Rogers), who chaired the party convention on May 30, claimed his role in the controversy was procedural and that he wishes someone “pushed back” on it.

Nadeau told KARE 11 News that the motion for Chauvin’s moment of silence was made by a delegate later revealed to be Christopher Rocco, and that the motion was approved by a full body vote.

Nadeau said he believes the justice system worked in Chauvin’s case, and that he wishes someone stepped up to “push back” or call for clarity when Rocco made the motion. The Minnesota Reformer reported that Nadeau knew that Rocco’s motion was coming because he asked Nadeau about it before the convention began. Although Nadeau said he preferred Rocco did not make the motion, the Reformer published a recording of the moment of silence showing that Nadeau put it to a full vote instead of ruling it out of order. A majority of the crowd can be heard verbally voting in favor of Rocco’s motion.

Nadeau refused to say how he would have voted on the motion, but said that it was not out of order.

“As a co-chair, I have worked really hard to be nonpartisan in this. I don’t think that that matters,” Nadeau said. “This was not a party function. This was not on the agenda. This was not a planned thing. This was a motion brought by a delegate at that time.”

Rocco told KARE 11 that he brought the motion to “start a conversation about injustice” and argued Chauvin’s innocence has been “drowned out by the cult of the DFL” (the state’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party). He also called for Chauvin to receive a federal pardon and a retrial.

Chauvin — who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes while arresting him on suspicion that he possessed a counterfeit $20 bill — was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison in 2021 after a jury found him guilty of second and third-degree murder. Chauvin made multiple unsuccessful appeal attempts, including one with the Supreme Court of the United States.

Nadeau’s opponent responds

Nadeau has represented Minnesota House District 34A since 2023, which encompasses northwestern Minneapolis suburbs including Rogers, Champlin and Dayton. Nadeau is seeking a third term in office this November in a typically competitive district that he won narrowly by 2,041 votes in 2024.

Nadeau’s likely 2026 opponent is Jason Heaser, a criminal prosecutor working in the Minnesota Attorney General’s office and the only DFL candidate who has filed to run in the race. In an emailed statement to Heartland Signal, Heaser said Rocco’s motion “absolutely should have been ruled out of order,” and Nadeau’s “choice to proceed undermined the law and spotlighted harmful, racist conspiracy theories.”

“These actions do not reflect the values of the vast majority of families in Rogers, Champlin, Dayton, and across House District 34A,” Heaser said. “What happened at the convention reflects a growing disconnect between extreme state party politics and the day-to-day concerns of local families who are tired of division and outrage politics. It also reflects the growing inability of elected officials to push back against that extremism. Our neighbors want leaders who will stand up for their values and not just talk about them.”

Nadeau refused to comment on Heaser’s statement.

In a statement to KARE 11 on Monday, the Minnesota Republican Party defended Nadeau but also argued that Rocco’s motion did not reflect the views of the party.

“As convention chair, Danny’s [Nadeau] responsibility was to preside over the process and handle properly made motions from delegates. His role was procedural — not an endorsement of the motion or its subject matter,” the statement said. “A moment of silent prayer should not be mischaracterized as an official policy position, platform statement, or message from the Republican Party of Minnesota. It was a floor action taken by delegates, not leadership.”

In a radio interview with The Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar, Minnesota Republican Party Chair Alex Plechash said a lot of the delegates in attendance felt Chauvin was wrongly convicted, but he refused to say if he agreed with them.

“There are a lot of people, I think, that believe that Derek Chauvin was improperly convicted and not treated well, and those people wanted to have a moment of silence and recognition because they felt that way,” Plechash said.

On "The Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar," Minnesota GOP Party Chair Alex Plechash defended the state GOP convention holding a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who was convicted of the second-degree murder of George Floyd.

PLECHASH: "There… pic.twitter.com/ooIfUJY886

— Heartland Signal (@HeartlandSignal) June 2, 2026

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