Minnesota GOP-endorsed U.S. Senate candidate didn't vote for his own 2022 campaign

As he runs for U.S. Senate, Royce White is asking Minnesota voters to do something he has repeatedly failed to do himself: cast a ballot.

The big picture: White, the state Republican Party's endorsed candidate, did not vote in most recent Minnesota elections — including the 2022 primary he ran in — an Axios review of voting records found.

Why it matters: White's unorthodox candidacy has been dogged by questions about his behavior and fitness for office since he secured in May the backing of GOP delegates over his August primary opponent, Navy veteran Joe Fraser.

• White, a professional basketball player and former Black Lives Matter protester , has faced scrutiny over past legal and financial issues , including unusual campaign spending during a 2022 congressional run, as well as a history of politically controversial and vulgar statements .

Zoom in: White's voter file, provided to Axios by the Minnesota Secretary of State in response to a public records request, shows he has voted here just once: in the 2020 general election.

Between the lines: That means he didn't cast a ballot for himself in his own failed campaign to be the GOP's nominee against Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar in 2022.

• It also contradicts his 2022 statement to the Washington Post that he had never voted.

What he's saying: White declined a request for comment via his campaign.

• "Royce White will not provide a response as Axios does not engage in journalism but rather seeks to promote an agenda harmful to our state and nation," an emailed statement read.

A Minnesota Republican Party spokesperson did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The fine print: The state records only cover voting in Minnesota elections. But public records available via LexisNexis do not show him being registered elsewhere, either.

• White's campaign did not provide a response to a question about whether he has registered or voted in other states.

The other side: White's primary opponent, Fraser, also has a short history of casting ballots in Minnesota: only in the 2023 general and this year's presidential primary, per his voting record.

• A spokesperson for Fraser said he voted consistently while living in other places, including abroad while serving in the Navy. He registered in Minnesota in 2021 after moving here.
• Public records available via LexisNexis show he previously voted in Virginia and Texas in 2016 and 2020.

What's next: White and Fraser will compete in the August primary to be the GOP's nominee against U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November.

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