Julie Blaha wins state auditor race against GOP challenger Ryan Wilson
Note: Video above is from Oct. 24, 2022
MINNEAPOLIS -- Julie Blaha has won Minnesota's state auditor race over GOP challenger Ryan Wilson, after he conceded the race on Wednesday.
The Associated Press has not yet projected a winner, though Blaha leads with 47.5% of the vote to Wilson's 47.1%.
"I want to thank everyone that supported my candidacy for state auditor," Wilson said in a statement. "We put up a strong campaign, but came up just short of our goal."
The auditor's race, often a down-ballot issue, was in a dead heat according to a MinnPost poll in late October. The position oversees $60 billion in local government spending, including cities, counties, and school districts. The auditor also sits on the Minnesota Board of Investment, which oversees the retirement funds for state employees and other assets.
The Secretary of State's website shows Blaha leading Wilson by about 8,500 votes, with 100% of votes tallied. She claimed victory early Wednesday.
Blaha, the DFL incumbent, released the following statement Wednesday morning:
"I'm honored by Minnesotans' confidence in my leadership and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to continue to serve them. Our victory is a message that Minnesotans want their auditor to continue to focus on local government, to ultimately protect our freedom to make decisions in our own communities."
Blaha was a former union leader and educator who was elected to the statewide position in 2018. Wilson, a GOP challenger who founded a company that audits clinical trials for medical device companies, also said he volunteered as a poll watcher in 2020. The two didn't see eye-to-eye on the responsibilities of the state auditor position.
They sparred on the issue of the alleged fraud scheme by Feeding Our Future in which the nonprofit allegedly stole $250 million in child nutritional funds; Wilson said he would have "stopped this fraud sooner" but Blaha said she did everything within the power of her office. She argued it was the job of the legislative auditor, who oversees state agencies, to investigate misuse of public money.
MORE: View results of the 2022 Midterm elections here
Blaha said she was proud of her office for rooting out fraud and the work to fix "over $500 million in budget errors, which prohibits fraud in the first place." She also brought together local government officials and determined that aid was falling behind inflation.
Wilson said his top issue would be looking more closely at schools. He said he would ask the legislature to change state law to allow the auditor's office to conduct performance audits, which would analyze how school programs impact learning outcomes.
While Blaha said she believes the work of the state auditor should be done without "drama," Wilson said he would take a more proactive role in the position.
Two other candidates, Tim Davis of the Legal Marijuana Now Party, and Will Finn from Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis Party, also campaigned for the position.