Minnesota Rep. Hudson denies his support for overthrowing government after viral speech draws criticism

ST. PAUL — Minnesota Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, said this week that he does not support overthrowing the government after a clip of him speaking about tyranny at an event last week went viral.

In a video widely shared on X, formerly Twitter, Hudson discusses the Declaration of Independence and its references to a tyrannical government.

“One of the things you'll probably hear in November is references to the Declaration of Independence,” Hudson said to activists in the audience. “It is said that when a system of government becomes tyrannical, people not only have the right but also the obligation to change their form of government. There is nothing about waiting two years for the next election. There is nothing in it about waiting until the next Supreme Court justice retires or dies. Whenever we have the right and obligation to change it. That’s why I’m glad you guys are looking into it.”

Hudson spoke at a Faith & Freedom event in Princeton on Friday, October 18th. Faith & Freedom is a national conservative advocacy group; The Princeton event was one of the local activists' monthly gatherings.

In response to the clip, the Minnesota DFL called on the Minnesota GOP in a press release to reject Rep. Hudson's comments, saying he expressed support for overthrowing the government.

“The Minnesota Republican Party has embraced increasingly extreme rhetoric and lies about our elections for the sake of Donald Trump,” DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin said in the news release. “I call on Minnesota GOP Chairman David Hann to reject these comments and make clear that he rejects the lies that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump in Minnesota.” Defending the integrity of our democracy was pre-2020 a bipartisan issue, and it’s time we made it one again.”

Hudson told Forum News Service on Thursday that he believes his words were taken out of context. He said he was discussing plans for Faith & Freedom's next meeting in November and at no time did he discuss the events of January 6, 2021.

“The event began with a preview of their next meeting, which will take place in November, where they will have someone who will brief them on a process of how to use the common law to make a claim for redress of grievances, using an obscure process of legal notices and affidavits,” he said.

Hudson said Thursday he does not support what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump supporters rioted at the U.S. Capitol.

“The law has been broken and the people who have broken the law should be prosecuted,” Hudson said. “I think the concern about January 6th is a legitimate concern, and the concern about so-called election denial and the behavior that can be motivated by that is a legitimate concern.”

Hudson posted at least twice from his official X account on January 6, 2021: “We all know this is fraud” and mentioned “systematic election fraud.”

Asked about the tweets, Hudson told Forum News Service on Friday: “Biden won. But if you reduce it to the question of who won, you sidestep the concerns about how.”

While Hudson denied expressing support for overthrowing the government, other Republicans in Minnesota had mixed reactions to the Jan. 6 insurrection.

In January 2021, the Minnesota Legislature voted on a resolution condemning the January 6 insurrection. Hudson voted in favor, but eight Republican representatives voted against it, and Republican senators delayed passage of the resolution.

Other Minnesota lawmakers have disputed the legitimacy of the 2020 election results. In Congress, Republican Representatives Michelle Fischbach and the late Jim Hagedorn voted against certifying the election results in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Minnesota state Rep. Jeff Doseth, who is running as a Republican for House Seat 11A, has openly supported the “Stop the Steal” movement.

Hudson said he felt Democrats were using Jan. 6 to deflect Republican concerns about election security, pointing to ballots that were recently left unattended in a car outside Edina City Hall.

“There are no complaints from anyone about the conduct of elections that justify breaking the law or justifying what happened on January 6,” Hudson said. “However, in my opinion, it is a disservice to continually invoke this day to address people’s legitimate concerns about election administration.”

DFL Party Chairman Martin responded, saying he felt Republicans were not just making complaints about election administration but were “lying,” that Minnesota's elections were not secure and that the election went to former President Donald Trump Trump was stolen.

“Minnesota has the best-run elections in the country, and judges appointed by presidents of both parties – including Donald Trump – have unanimously ruled that there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in this country,” Martin said. “It is unfortunate that these types of conspiracy theories have now been adopted into the mainstream by Minnesota GOP leaders like Walter Hudson – they do a disservice to our democracy and their own supporters.”