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Roughly 300 people filled the Mabel Community Center on the evening of January 13 for an event organized by the Fillmore and Houston County GOP groups, coming from communities in Fillmore and Houston Counties along with Decorah, Rochester, Winona and communities in the Twin Cities area.
After attendees participated in the Pledge of Allegiance and prayed during an invocation, they had a chance to hear what the future of Minnesota might look like under new leadership.
Mabel resident and business owner Gary Steuart introduced each of the speakers and special guests of the event, such as State Representative Greg Davids.
While the two county GOP groups invited a number of candidates for governor, scheduling conflicts made it impossible for every candidate to participate that evening.
Chris Madel
First up was Attorney Chris Madel, who recently announced his bid for governor. Madel has been a long-time supporter and attorney of Alpha News, working closely with Reporter Liz Collin on legal matters protecting the rights of their news organization to report the truth.
Madel said, “The Quality Learing Center has been open since 2018,” referencing a fraudulent daycare operation in Minnesota that filed as a business entity in March 2017. Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program granted $1.9 million to this daycare center in 2025, adding to a total of $10 million dating back to 2019 for this single facility. The Quality Learning Center closed effective January 6, 2026, following a media frenzy revolving around fraud.
He said, “If you’re looking for an agent of change, I’m your guy,” citing four priorities on his agenda.
First, Madel wants the state government to be transparent. “Fraud is done,” indicating he would prosecute people stealing our taxpayer dollars to the fullest extent of the law. Next, “we need to support law enforcement,” focusing on safer streets. Third, he talked about how we’ve fallen behind in education compared to other states, so that will be a priority. Lastly, he wants to focus on the cost of living and the importance of right-sizing our government.
Kendall Qualls
Residing in Medina, Minn., candidate Kendall Qualls shared his priorities if he is elected to be the next governor. He will focus on economic opportunity, taxes, public safety and education.
As a father of five children, married to his wife Sheila for over 40 years, he brings a wealth of life experience. Qualls is an Army veteran and a successful businessman who has worked his way up the corporate ladder in the healthcare field.
Qualls concluded that he wants “liberty, justice and freedom for all, and I plan on bringing it.”
Mike Lindell
When attendees showed up at the event, looking around at all of the candidates, they saw the “My Pillow Guy”, Mike Lindell, had a constant line of fans seeking pictures with him along with his signature on his autobiography he provided to attendees.
When it was time to step up to the microphone, Lindell gave attendees the same charisma as seen in his commercials. He shared that he would ban Sharia Law, stating it has already been banned in dozens of other states. Lindell would bring back the old Minnesota flag. He would focus on lowering taxes after reducing all of the fraud. He would make sure that blocking streets for protests would be treated as a crime. And, he would focus on securing the election process.
Peggy Bennett
A seasoned politician, serving as State Representative for District 23A, Bennett will be retiring after 12 years working with the state legislature while also seeking the opportunity to serve as Minnesota’s next governor.
“I’m here to tell you we have a lot in common. We need to lower crime. I’m a fixer. I promise solutions,” shared Bennett. She continued to share that she has the personality and skills to relate to many people with different backgrounds.
One of her top priorities would be to get rid of the Paid Family Medical Leave Act. “That bill will destroy small businesses,” she said.
“Get back to the basics of running this state,” Bennett emphasized. “I’m asking for your vote. There will be change.”
Phillip Parrish
Residing in Kenyon, Minn., Parrish has worn a few different hats over the years. He was a teacher and school administrator who transitioned into intelligence and public service. With experience in the Navy, he became a counter terrorism specialist. He shared that he was one of the original whistleblowers of the fraudulent daycare centers in the Twin Cities.
“If you want someone with a spine,” he’s the one you want running the state as governor.
Jeff Johnson
He’s a former St. Cloud city council member, serving from 2010 to 2018. He grew up in the Winona area on a dairy farm. Johnson later became an airplane mechanic. His primary concerns revolve around how he has witnessed cities like St. Cloud, Minneapolis, and Wilmar change for the worse. He has proposed a moratorium on refugee settlement in Minnesota. He supports legal immigration. He also feels the Minnesota government has a huge spending problem.
Patrick Knight
Knight has been married 23 years and has four children. He spent 20 years as a Marine, deployed to the Middle East. He was most recently the CEO of Good Sense Foods.
He believes in “faith, family and hard work. I love God, love my neighbor, and try to love my enemy.”
He wants to “get back to the fundamentals,” as he stated. Knight wants to make Minnesota affordable, improve the economy, fix education, improve public safety, and build a smaller more effective government.
Brad Kohler
A former UFC fighter turned small business owner, Kohler would put the smackdown on taxes. “No property taxes after you own your home,” and “Zero business taxes,” he offered the crowd as part of his plan. He also talked about how the pandemic crippled his business when the state went into shutdown mode and how he had to adapt.
Keynote Speaker – Liz Collin
Reporter Liz Collin talked about the work she does at Alpha News. Her interest in journalism began when she was in high school growing up in Worthington, Minn. Starting in 2002, her career took her to TV broadcast stations in Sioux Falls, S.D., Wichita, Kan., Pennsylvania, and eventually WCCO in Minnesota. After 15 years with WCCO, she left to join Alpha News in 2022. She left WCCO because she was bothered by the George Floyd riots on a personal and professional level. Collin felt the leftist radical movement had hijacked the media. Her husband was a police officer with the Minneapolis Police Department, so she saw how everything was handled in the Twin Cities from a different perspective. She didn’t like how she was told to report on these events when she knew the truth about what was happening.
“A lot of people ask me why we do what we do,” shared Collins.
She considers herself a lifelong reporter, “I’ve always enjoyed talking to people and sharing their stories. I enjoy conveying the truth.” Collin doesn’t feel people are getting the full story from mainstream media.
Since joining Alpha News, Liz Collin has published a book titled “They’re Lying. The Media, The Left and The Death of George Floyd.” In 2023, she released a documentary titled “The Fall of Minneapolis,” which has over 10 million views and is available for free viewing at www.thefallofminneapolis.com.
“People want to hear the truth.” She shared that she has talked to democrats who saw the movie, and it changed their perspective and they voted differently. “People are hungry for accurate information,” stating that rhetoric is not matching reality.
She concluded her presentation with questions from the audience and the event wrapped up by 8:30 pm.
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