Minnesota GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen took a "lock him up" message on the campaign trail recently, suggesting that Secretary of State Steve Simon deserved imprisonment for his management of the state's election system.

Speaking April 23 at the Minnesota Third Congressional District Republican organizing convention in Plymouth, Jensen sparked loud cheers from the crowd when he warned that "the hammer's coming down" on Simon, a DFLer.

"We are not voter suppressors. We have a simple attitude: Make sure that every ballot in the box belongs there. Make sure that it's easy to vote, hard to cheat, and if you cheat, you're going to jail," Jensen said. "And Steve Simon, you maybe better check out to see if you look good in stripes, because you've gotten away with too much, too long under [Minnesota Attorney General Keith] Ellison, and the hammer's coming down."

The Star Tribune obtained audio of Jensen's remarks, which included his endorsement of a longtime Republican priority to pass new voter ID restrictions in Minnesota.

But the Chaska physician and former state Senator also appeared to single out Simon's involvement in a 2020 court-approved consent decree that relaxed the state's witness signature requirement for mail-in absentee voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Republicans accused Simon of circumventing the Legislature to change election laws. Ellison, also a Democrat, has also been targeted because his office typically represents Minnesota's statewide officeholders in legal matters.

Simon, in a statement to the Star Tribune, called Jensen's remarks "bizarre and irresponsible" and described the speech as "a cynical attempt to use extreme conspiracy theories to radicalize political supporters."
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