Statement from Phillip C. Parrish, Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
For Immediate Release: April 27, 2025
Minnesotans deserve leadership grounded in integrity, not hypocrisy. As a candidate for Governor in 2026, I am committed to servant leadership that prioritizes the needs of our people over partisan games. That’s why I must call out Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (MNDFL) for their blatant double standards and abuses of power, which undermine the very principles they claim to defend.
In a recent post, Flanagan accused President Trump of acting like a king, using government power to bully, ignoring court orders, and seeking total control. Yet, her own record—and that of the MNDFL under Governor Tim Walz—reveals a troubling pattern of the same behaviors she condemns. This hypocrisy cannot go unanswered.
Let’s look at the facts. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Walz-Flanagan administration held emergency powers for 18 months—far longer than necessary for what was, at most, a three-month crisis. This unprecedented overreach centralized authority in the executive branch, sidelining legislative oversight and eroding democratic checks and balances. Flanagan, as Walz’s deputy, stood by these actions, even as Minnesotans protested the consolidation of power in St. Paul. If that’s not a quest for control, what is?
Worse still, the MNDFL turned neighbor against neighbor with their so-called “snitch line,” encouraging Minnesotans to report each other for violating lockdown orders. Small business owners who defied these mandates to feed their families faced fines and arrests, all under the guise of public safety. This wasn’t leadership—it was bullying, plain and simple. Flanagan supported these measures, yet now she dares to accuse others of using government power to intimidate. The hypocrisy is staggering.
Flanagan also claims Trump ignores court orders, but where was her outrage when her own party’s leaders did the same? Nationally, Democrats like President Biden pushed forward with student loan forgiveness schemes after the Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional, circumventing the judiciary to impose their will. Here in Minnesota, the Walz-Flanagan administration faced lawsuits over their prolonged emergency powers, yet Flanagan never once acknowledged her party’s role in undermining the rule of law. She condemns Trump’s alleged actions while giving her own side a free pass—partisan games at their worst.
As Lieutenant Governor, Flanagan has been complicit in an administration that prioritizes power over principle. The MNDFL’s policies have suppressed dissent, punished small businesses, and eroded trust in our institutions, all while Flanagan lectures others on democracy. Minnesotans see through this double standard. They know that true leadership means holding yourself to the same standards you demand of others—not pointing fingers to distract from your own failures.
My campaign for Governor is built on a promise to restore integrity to Minnesota’s government. That means tackling white-collar crime and money laundering head-on, as I’ve pledged, but it also means ending the kind of partisan overreach the MNDFL has normalized. We cannot rebuild Minnesota on strong foundations while leaders like Flanagan and Walz cling to power through fear and division.
I call on Lieutenant Governor Flanagan to stop the hypocrisy, own up to the MNDFL’s abuses of power, and join me in a commitment to servant leadership that puts Minnesotans first. Together, we can address poverty, homelessness, and fraud—not with heavy-handed mandates, but with practical solutions that come from listening to the people on the ground, the real experts. Minnesotans deserve better than the MNDFL’s empty rhetoric. In 2026, I will deliver the honest, accountable leadership our state needs.
Phillip C. Parrish
Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
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