Dear Students of Minnesota,
I am Phillip C Parrish, a retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander with 21 years of service in intelligence and counterterrorism, and I am running for Governor of Minnesota in 2026. As a whistleblower who exposed daycare fraud in our state, I have dedicated my life to fighting corruption and standing up for those who have been deceived and exploited. Today, I want you to know that I see you and I hear you—whether you’re a recent high school graduate buried under mounting debt, a working adult who returned to school for a better life only to face broken dreams, or a lifelong learner of any age trapped in a cycle of unpayable loans. Your struggles are real, and they are not your fault. The fraud must end now—not just the financial fraud that saddles you with predatory interest rates and ballooning balances, but the moral fraud that preys on your hopes and aspirations.
For too long, colleges and related organizations in Minnesota have made false and broken promises, luring you in with glossy marketing about “brighter futures,” high-paying jobs, and economic mobility, all while knowing that many programs lead to underemployment, low wages, and debt that accrues faster than you can repay it. This is not opportunity; it’s deception, and it mirrors the indentured servitude of old, chaining you to lenders and servicers who profit at your expense. These institutions have knowingly participated in a system where interest devours your payments, leaving principals untouched and futures derailed. It’s time to expose these lies and hold the perpetrators accountable.
When elected Governor, my administration will not offer bailouts or new government schemes that burden taxpayers or forgive debts at your fellow Minnesotans’ expense. Instead, we will empower you with a clear, legal path to recover your losses through civil litigation that targets the colleges, lenders, and affiliated entities responsible. We will direct the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to investigate widespread violations and support enforcement actions, drawing on proven precedents where the state has successfully sued for-profit schools for similar deceptions. For instance, in State v. Minnesota School of Business, Inc., the courts found that misleading statements about program outcomes violated state law, leading to debt cancellation and restitution for affected students. My administration will build on such cases by assisting students in filing class action lawsuits under the Minnesota Consumer Fraud Act (MCFA, Minn. Stat. § 325F.69), which prohibits fraud, false promises, misrepresentations, and deceptive practices in the sale of merchandise—including educational services. This law has been applied to hold schools accountable for untrue claims about job prospects and degree value, as seen in actions against institutions like Globe University, where fraudulent marketing led to millions in debt relief and refunds without taxpayer funds.
The most plausible path forward is through private rights of action enabled by Minnesota’s Private Attorney General Statute (Minn. Stat. § 8.31), which allows any injured person—including you—to sue for violations of consumer protection laws like the MCFA. Under this statute, you can seek damages, restitution (such as covering all interest payments induced by the fraud), costs, attorney’s fees, and equitable relief like contract rescission. My administration will help by creating a dedicated task force within the AG’s Office to provide free resources: guidance on gathering evidence (e.g., misleading admissions materials and loan documents), connecting you with pro bono attorneys experienced in these claims, and intervening in lawsuits to strengthen your cases. We’ll prioritize class actions to aggregate claims efficiently, ensuring common issues—like systemic misrepresentations about repayment feasibility—are addressed collectively. Remedies could include court-ordered funds from the institutions to pay off interest burdens directly, as in past AG settlements against deceptive lenders and schools. Additional claims could involve common-law fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of implied contracts in enrollment agreements, and unjust enrichment, all recoverable without proving individual reliance under the MCFA.
This approach holds the perpetrators—colleges and their partners—financially responsible through fines, settlements, and judgments, not taxpayers or students. We’ve seen it work: The AG has recovered millions from fraudulent student-loan schemes and for-profit educators, returning funds directly to victims. As Governor, I’ll ensure our state leads in transparency, requiring colleges to disclose real repayment data and barring predatory partnerships. Together, we’ll turn the page on this moral and financial betrayal, restoring your futures and Minnesota’s integrity.
Join me in this fight. Visit parrish4mn.com to learn more and get involved.
Sincerely,
Phillip C. Parrish
Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
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