Ex-NBA Player Royce White Wins GOP Senate Primary in Minnesota

Conservative U.S. Senate nominee and former NBA player Royce White defeated Navy veteran Joe Fraser in Minnesota’s primary election for the Republican nomination on Tuesday and will challenge Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November.

Former Sacramento Kings forward Royce White received 38% of the vote to Fraser’s 29% in Minnesota

With more than three-quarters of the votes counted Tuesday night, White had garnered 38% of the vote to Fraser’s 29%, according to The New York Times, via the Associated Press.

“I thank every Minnesotan who voted in tonight’s primary election,” White wrote on X. “I’m deeply honored to have your support during this critical time in our nation’s history. For many years, Republicans have talked about expanding our tent and focusing on the Twin Cities Metro.

I thank every Minnesotan who voted in tonight’s primary election. I’m deeply honored to have your support during this critical time in our nation’s history.

For many years, Republicans have talked about expanding our tent and focusing on the Twin Cities Metro. I am committed to… pic.twitter.com/T6I0E4DoTD

— Royce White 🇺🇸 (@Highway_30) August 14, 2024

“I am committed to growing the base, bringing disenfranchised democrats into the tent, and unifying all conservatives in Minnesota. By doing this, we will deliver a victory for President Trump this November. Together we will bring the battle to unseat Amy Klobuchar.”

White, 33, was a first-round pick by the Houston Rockets in the 2012 NBA draft. The 6-foot-8, 260-pounder was a power forward out of Iowa State. However, he never played for Houston, citing mental health issues and refusing to fly to road games with the team.

Klobuchar won the election in 2016 by 24 percentage points

During his rookie season, Royce White disclosed his Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), which is mainly triggered by a fear of flying. He signed multiple 10-day contacts with the Sacramento Kings in 2013, playing in three games, but he was eventually let go before playing overseas for several years.

White has also played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and the Reno Bighorns of the NBA G League. From 2016 to 2018, he played for the London Lightning of the NBL Canada, winning a championship and an MVP award.

As a player, White was also an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness in sports. Although the Minneapolis native considered a future in mixed martial arts, he lost his only professional fight in 2021.

White ran and lost in the GOP primary for a U.S. House seat in 2022. He argues that as a Black candidate, he can broaden the party’s base by appealing to voters of color in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Though, he now faces long odds to win against Klobuchar, who has served as a senator since 2007. Klobuchar last won the general election in 2016 by 24 percentage points.