Navy SEAL Veteran Schwarze Sees GOP Senate Opening in Minnesota over Walz Fraud Scandal

A former Navy SEAL and Marine veteran running for U.S. Senate in Minnesota sees a chance for a statewide GOP victory this election cycle. Adam Schwarze told Fox News Digital that citizens feel widespread embarrassment over Democratic Gov. Tim Walz’s "stolen valor" handling of the massive fraud scandal in the state.

One of about half a dozen candidates for the GOP’s Senate nomination in Minnesota, Schwarze said the Democratic Party’s embrace of socialist policies in the state and nationwide means "the stakes cannot be higher." With no incumbent in the race, he called it a "20-year opportunity" for Republicans to flip the seat and decide control of the upper chamber.

Schwarze contrasted himself with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Minnesota’s No. 2 leader and the Democratic frontrunner for her party’s nomination. He said Flanagan has been tainted by her ties to Walz and the ongoing fraud crisis rocking the state.

"Everybody outside of Minneapolis is angered and embarrassed that Minnesota is internationally known for fraud," Schwarze said. "You can't even go outside the country and say you're from your state anymore because people are like, ‘What is wrong with your crazy state?’" He added that it "is going to really have a large effect in the voting in November."

Schwarze, who has 10 years as an infantry Marine and 11 years as a Navy SEAL officer, said he would be a strong matchup against Flanagan in the general election. "Navy SEALs are seven for seven in general elections," he said. "We don't miss the target."

He accused Flanagan of "openly running as a socialist." Flanagan, who is waging a progressive, anti-Trump campaign, has endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. She recently joined Sanders at a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour stop in Rochester, Minnesota.

At the rally, Flanagan described the political moment as a "fight for who this country belongs to, billionaires and corporations or the rest of us." She criticized the Trump-backed "one, big, beautiful bill," U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the conflict in Iran and the proposed White House ballroom. "They don’t give a damn about you," she said of the Trump administration. "This is just straight up corruption, period, full stop."

Schwarze said Flanagan’s rhetoric reflects the Democratic Party’s current state. "What's the Democrat agenda nationally right now? It's anti-Trump, pro-socialism," he said. "Now, they're going to run an open socialist candidate for the U.S. Senate. And I don't think it's going to work in Minnesota." He predicted that "nobody outside Minneapolis is going to vote for socialism."

Schwarze said Minnesotans’ aversion to socialism will block Democratic votes this year, but the fraud issue will push them toward change. "Fraud is everything. That's going to be the thing that takes back our state for people like me who are just patriotic people," he said.

On the campaign trail, Schwarze reported seeing up to twice the usual number of people registering Republican support at local caucuses across Minnesota, including in typical Democratic strongholds. "Minnesotans are a really proud people. We're farmers. We're laborers. We have businesses," he said. "What is throughout and known is just the anger and the embarrassment of being a Minnesotan in this time."

He criticized the Walz administration for trying to cover up the scandal or push a different narrative. "They're still trying to cover it up, or try to press for a different narrative on the story, take credit, which is what Walz does, right? Stolen Valor Walz, he loves to take credit, but not actually do the work."

Schwarze blamed Flanagan as well. "We don't know how many billions it truly is. But there's still been zero people fired from the Walz administration," he said. "And at the same time that Walz is now finally getting pushed aside by the establishment Democrats, they're also trying to elevate Peggy Flanagan to the United States Senate." He accused her of being "right there for the $9 to $19 billion in fraud" and said, "Being a military guy my whole life, you don't fail a mission and then get promoted."

Fox News Digital reached out to Walz and Flanagan for comment.