Along the way Mr White has racked up a list of controversies.
Mr White has accused his critics of being in a “white liberal ivory tower” and argued that he is being attacked for holding conservative values.
Among them, Mr White says that he has accounted for most of his campaign funds and rejects charges of anti-Semitism.
Mr White won the endorsement of the state party at that meeting in May.
And Mr Jacobs, the politics professor, gives Mr White “no chance” of winning in November.
eighteen hours ago.
Michael Wendling.
The BBC News•@mwendling.
A Republican running for the US Senate from Minnesota has followed a circuitous route from athletics to politics, garnering the endorsement of fringe elements on the far right.
His fight to get into Congress is now very tough.
After receiving 38.5% of the vote in a field of eight candidates, former standout basketball player Royce White emerged victorious in the GOP primary on Tuesday.
Prior to receiving the state party delegates’ endorsement in May, he was considered an underdog. However, his extreme viewpoints and fierce rivalry from the sitting Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar make him an unlikely winner in the general election.
from politics to the judicial system.
Before playing basketball at Iowa State University, Mr. White, a native of Minnesota, was a standout player on two state championship teams in high school.
Despite his inability to travel due to a severe fear of flying, he was drafted in 2012 by the Houston Rockets.
After playing in just three games, he ultimately saw little action in the league. He then experimented with mixed martial arts and Big3, a 3-on-3 basketball league that rapper Ice Cube co-founded.
He gained a large following in the public eye due to his candor about his battles with mental health conditions, such as anxiety.
Negro Mr. White organized and led protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd in his home state; however, according to his website, these were not part of the broader nationwide Black Lives Matter rallies.
marginal perspectives.
Since then, Mr. White’s political stance has shifted more and more to the right, toward conspiracy theories.
He has been a regular guest on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast and has taken over as host on occasion while Bannon, the former chief strategist for Donald Trump, is incarcerated for contempt of Congress.
Mr. White attempted to run against liberal Democrat Ilhan Omar in the Minneapolis US House in 2022, but he was unsuccessful in getting past the Republican primary.
Mr. White has garnered a number of controversy along the way.
He has scribbled political phrases such as “Deep state,” “Alex Jones was right,” and “United States of the Federal Reserve” on his bald scalp while participating in Big3 games. The conspiracy theorist is currently an endorser on his campaign website.
In a complaint filed with the Federal Elections Commission, a watchdog group claimed that White’s House campaign had spent over $150,000 (£117,000) on his personal expenses, which included clothing, gym memberships, and bills from a strip club.
In addition to spreading conspiracy theories about “Jewish elites” and the coronavirus pandemic, he has also made controversial public remarks that have infuriated both inside and outside of his party, such as the claim that “women have become too mouthy.”.
After he made remarks about Jews and supported Kanye West during the primary, the Republican Jewish Coalition called him anti-Semitic and decided not to support him.
Mr. White claims that he is being attacked because he holds conservative values and has accused his detractors of living in a “white liberal ivory tower.”.
His campaign has posted a lengthy response to criticisms leveled against him, and the BBC contacted them for comment. Among them, Mr. White disputes accusations of anti-Semitism and claims to have accounted for the majority of his campaign funds.
Triumph of the underdog.
It was thought earlier this year that Mr. White had little chance of defeating businessman and veteran of the war Joe Fraser for the Republican Senate nomination.
Yet according to University of Minnesota political science professor Larry Jacobs, “his association with Bannon and his controversial statements created an explosion of enthusiasm and support for him at the Republican convention among the anti-establishment far-right.”.
At that May meeting, Mr. White was endorsed by the state party.
With the support of several well-known Minnesota Republicans, Mr. Fraser entered Tuesday’s primary despite briefly considering withdrawing from the contest. With slightly less than thirty percent of the vote, he was not able to secure the necessary backing from the establishment.
“I am committed to growing the base, bringing disenfranchised Democrats into the tent, and unifying all conservatives in Minnesota,” wrote Mr. White on X, celebrating his upset win. “.
However, he now confronts a formidable task in his attempt to unseat Ms. Klobuchar, a well-liked Democrat who received more than 60% of the vote to win her most recent reelection.
His label as a far-right extremist came from the state Democratic Party.
Additionally, Mr. Jacobs, the professor of politics, believes Mr. White has “no chance” of winning in November.
“I don’t think Royce White will raise much money at all; Amy Klobuchar is popular even with Republicans and has $6 million in the bank,” he says. “Royce White does not have an advantage in any one area of this race. “.
He claims that the race is just another example of how Donald Trump and the Maga movement have taken over the Republican Party.
Mr. Jacobs cited JD Vance’s victory in the Ohio senate race in 2022 when he said, “Sometimes Trump has been able to get behind candidates who succeed.”. However, a lot of weak candidates also appear, capitalizing on the current chaos among the right wing. “.
