ST. PAUL – State Rep. Marion Rarick, R-Maple Lake, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, issued the following statement after Gov. Tim Walz appointed four new University of Minnesota Board of Regents members. The appointments come after the Legislature failed to fill four vacancies on the 12-member body overseeing the $5 billion University of Minnesota system. Rarick said at least two of Walz’s selections are major Democrat donors, raising serious pay-to-play concerns. Reports indicate one new regent, Samuel Heins, has contributed more than $664,000 to Democrat campaigns since 1989, including $17,300 to Walz's campaigns since 2008, and $6,600 to Harris in 2023.
“I’m deeply disappointed Democrats failed to fulfill their constitutional duty to select University of Minnesota Regents during the 2025 session,” Rarick said. “Not only did they neglect a responsibility they were elected to carry out, but last May 21 – two days after the regular session ended but before the special session occurred – the Democrat higher education chairs sent a secret letter to the governor informing him of their preferred picks for regents.
“This allowed Walz to hand-pick four regents, two of whom never went through the rigorous Regent Candidate Advisory Council process nor legislative vetting. I raised concerns long before last session’s end and confirmed with House staff that the election process was ready to move forward. Instead, Democrats stalled, giving the governor the opportunity to reward political allies rather than appoint candidates chosen through a fair, transparent process. Not one Republican-backed finalist was appointed despite a tied House. This is a blatant example of Democrats using partisan politics to override what’s best for all Minnesotans.”
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