By Phillip C. Parrish, LCDR USN (Ret.), Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
August 31, 2025 – As a retired U.S. Navy intelligence officer with over 21 years combating threats in counterterrorism, information warfare, and cybersecurity, and as your candidate for Governor in 2026, I stand firm in my commitment to expose and dismantle the digital and physical manipulations eroding our freedoms. Building on my April 2025 open letter to Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Tim Walz, where I warned against unlawful digital suppression and pledged forensic audits to uncover coordinated attacks on my campaign’s online presence—including blacklisting, bot-driven harassment, shadowbanning, and platform collusion—I now extend that vigilance to the very heart of our state’s traditions: the Minnesota State Fair. And in the spirit of my August 2025 declaration in “The Digital Reckoning,” where I called out cyber suppressors and their puppet masters for wielding tools like DNS tampering, DDoS attacks, algorithmic shadowbanning, and malware to control narratives, I issue this stark reminder: The shadows are lengthening, but so is our resolve.
To the black hats—those malicious actors skulking in the digital underbelly, whether state-sponsored hackers, foreign proxies, or domestic operatives deploying military-grade tech to scan, scrape, and disrupt communications—I see you. With my intelligence expertise, I can track your signatures: the call delays, dropped connections, stream interruptions, and scrambled data that betray your interference. I will remember every anomaly, every thwarted post, every silenced voice. And when I take office, there will be accountability—no mercy for those who weaponize technology to suppress Minnesotans. We’ll follow your IP trails, dissect your command-and-control servers, and drag your paymasters—be they foreign governments like Russia or China, or elite insiders clinging to power—into the unforgiving light of justice.
Attorney General Ellison and Governor Walz, consider this a direct escalation of my prior warnings. If any resources under your purview—state agencies, private allies, or covert intermediaries—are complicit in these tactics, whether through collusion with tech platforms to throttle conservative voices or enabling surveillance that chills free speech, know that my administration will deploy every tool: subpoenas, asset freezes, National Guard activations for cyber defense, and federal referrals to the FBI and CISA. Minnesota’s 2024 and 2025 cybersecurity laws, including enhanced incident reporting and the Consumer Data Privacy Act, empower us to hunt you down and shut you out. This isn’t rhetoric; it’s a promise forged in my naval service, where I exposed and neutralized threats just like these.
Yet, amid these shadows, I extend my deepest gratitude to our dedicated law enforcement officers—the men and women of the State Fair Police Department, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, and the 66 agencies providing 24/7 coverage at the fair. Your visible presence, from tactical teams in strategic locations to plainclothes operatives ensuring public safety, is commendable. In a crowd of over 2 million, your layered security—metal detectors, surveillance cameras, drones, and robot dogs—stands as a bulwark against real threats. Thank you for your tireless work protecting families and upholding order.
And to the white hats—those ethical guardians in cybersecurity and intelligence circles, using your skills to defend our digital frontiers—your efforts are heroic. Whether you’re manning intrusion detection systems, setting honeypots to lure in bad actors, or analyzing behavioral patterns to flag anomalies, you embody the true spirit of protection. In my administration, we’ll amplify your role, investing in threat-hunting teams and fostering partnerships to safeguard Minnesota’s sovereignty without overreach.
Minnesotans, as you enjoy the final days of the 2025 State Fair—ending tomorrow, September 1—be aware: What I’ve observed firsthand, drawing on my Navy intelligence training, points to an unprecedented level of tech monitoring and surveillance. Cell phones are being scanned and scraped through military-grade data collection tools, evidenced by unnatural anomalies like delayed calls, interrupted streams, and scrambled data—symptoms far beyond mere network overload from the crowds. Plainclothes officers and tactical gear in key spots suggest focused operations, potentially for protection but raising alarms about broader tracking. This isn’t paranoia; it’s pattern recognition from years in the field. Our fairgrounds, a symbol of community joy, are now laced with layers of digital oversight—cameras feeding command centers, potential IMSI-catchers mimicking cell towers, and endpoint monitoring that could capture your every move.
Why is this happening? What exactly is going on beneath the surface of fried foods and Ferris wheels? Who is being tracked—political candidates like myself, everyday families, or anyone deemed a “threat” by unseen algorithms? Why isn’t our public media—local outlets, broadcasters, and journalists—doing more to inform the public, investigating these intrusions instead of glossing over them? How bad is the criminal activity in Minnesota that justifies such invasive measures, from cyberattacks prompting National Guard activations to disinformation campaigns flooding our elections? Are foreign powers or domestic elites pulling the strings, using the fair as a testing ground for mass data harvesting? And if it’s for our safety, why the secrecy—why not transparency to build trust rather than breed suspicion? These questions demand answers, Minnesotans. Ask them loudly, at town halls, in letters to your representatives, and on social media. Demand forensic audits of these operations; insist on accountability for any overreach.
This surveillance isn’t isolated—it’s part of the broader assault I detailed in my prior writings: the federal visa bans on foreign censors, EU’s Digital Services Act stifling global speech, and state-level censorship bills. Minnesota isn’t immune; our cities have endured hacks, and my campaign has faced throttling on X, echoing patterns where truth is buried to protect the powerful. But we the people hold the power. Join me in reclaiming our digital and physical spaces. Visit parrish4mn.com to support a transparent, secure Minnesota where freedom thrives, unfiltered and unafraid.
For truth, accountability, and a stronger Minnesota,
Phillip C. Parrish
LCDR USN (Ret.)
Candidate for Governor of Minnesota 2026
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