Royce White, a former NBA player known for his outspoken and controversial views, is now running as a Republican candidate for the US Senate in Minnesota.
Despite a promising start in basketball, where he averaged 13.4 points and 9.3 rebounds during his season at Iowa State University, White's professional career was derailed by mental health issues. Selected 16th overall in the 2012 NBA draft, White played only three games with the Sacramento Kings, totaling nine minutes on the court without scoring a single point. His struggles with anxiety, particularly a phobia of flying, kept him away from the league, and he eventually faded from professional basketball.
Now 33, White has shifted his focus to politics, securing a victory in the Minnesota Republican primary against Navy veteran Joe Fraser. He will face incumbent Senator Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat who has held the seat since 2007 and is considered a strong contender.
White's campaign is built on populist rhetoric, as evidenced by the aggressive language on his candidacy website, where he accuses the government of corruption, distorting reality, and creating chaos to divide the American people. He specifically targets Klobuchar, claiming she is complicit in this corruption and must be replaced.
White's campaign has not been without controversy. He has been accused of anti-Semitism by the Republican Jewish Coalition, made disparaging remarks about women, supported conspiracy theories, and faced criticism for spending campaign funds at a strip club during a failed congressional run in 2022. Additionally, White, a father of four, has been involved in legal disputes over unpaid child support.
Despite these issues, White has received backing from the Minnesota Republican Party and support from far-right groups, including some led by former Trump associates. He believes he can broaden the Republican base in Minnesota by attracting African-American voters. However, his chances of unseating Klobuchar remain slim, given the stronghold she has on the seat.
White’s journey from the NBA to politics is marked by his activism, particularly in the wake of George Floyd's murder in Minnesota, which fuelled the Black Lives Matter movement. He also participated in the Big3 basketball league, using his platform to promote political messages. Now, as the first Senate candidate born in the 1990s, White faces a challenging campaign in his bid for political office.
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