Former DFL Leader Supporting Trump

Stephen Wenzel served 28 years in the Minnesota House as a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, rising to become Chair of the Agriculture Committee for a total of 16 years. Now, he’s supporting Republican nominee Donald Trump for President of the United States.

“I think it’s incumbent upon us that this person who is flawed, the most corrupt candidate ever nominated for the presidency in American history, in Hillary Clinton, it’s important that she not be president,” Wenzel said.

Wenzel is still a political science professor at Central Lakes College in Brainerd, where he is also the Executive Director for the school’s Gordon Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government. It is his belief that Hillary Clinton’s actions while Secretary of State absolutely disqualify her from the presidency.

“She didn’t want her pay-for-play on the Clinton foundation and the deals she made with foreign governments to contribute to the Clinton Foundation to be accessible to the general public,” Wenzel said, “All of this in my opinion is a terrible lapse of judgment. We elect presidents based upon their capacity to make good judgements. She flunks that test by an overwhelming measure. She doesn’t belong in the presidency or in the White House, she belongs, quite frankly, in jail.”

Wenzel broke with the DFL some time ago, describing himself as having been an independent for around 16 years. It is the Democrats “insatiable appetite to spend,” that drove Wenzel away on economic issues, with Wenzel warning that if Obama era views of the economy continue the United States would enter a recession that would make the Great Depression look like a walk in the park. His view that the party is moving to extremism in support of  abortion that drove him away on the less fiscally concerned side of politics.

I have fought an entire lifetime in my legislative career to reverse Roe v. Wade,” Wenzel said, “I believe in the protection of human life at all stages and Hillary Clinton believes it is okay to kill babies including late term abortions including having taxpayer funded abortions. Those are things that are morally repugnant to me and violate my moral values.”

Wenzel also likes Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson as a whole, but cannot support the former Governor of New Mexico due to his support of abortion as well. While Wenzel has his issues with Trump, he sees him as the candidate best positioned to prevent Hillary Clinton from claiming the White House.

“We don’t need to recite them there’s been so many, when he says things that are not appropriate. I do think [recently] he’s exercised better discipline, he’s taken better advice,” Wenzel said, “I’m not enthusiastic about Donald Trump but in comparison with Hillary Clinton it’s easy to get enthused, because the alternative is so much worse.”

“I will be actively supporting Donald Trump,” Wenzel said, “I have already contributed to his campaign, and I will be working for his election and endorsing him.”

Anders Koskinen