In a powerful interview that underscores the urgent need for principled leadership, Dr. Scott Jensen—the courageous Minnesota physician who stood firm during the COVID-19 pandemic—announces his 2026 gubernatorial campaign with a message that resonates far beyond state lines. His platform isn’t just about politics; it’s about restoring the fundamental social contract between government and citizens that was shattered during years of unprecedented overreach.
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The Physician Who Stood Up When Others Stood Down
During the darkest days of the pandemic, Dr. Jensen became a lightning rod for controversy simply by doing what physicians are supposed to do: question, analyze, and advocate for patients. When state health departments pressured doctors to alter death certificates and list COVID-19 as the cause of death “even if I believed it was a different cause of death,” Jensen raised his hand and said no.
“I simply raised my hand and said, ‘You’re asking me to change the way I have completed death certificates. I have been doing this for more than 30 years,'” Jensen explained. This act of professional integrity—standing up for medical ethics and informed consent—would cost him dearly in public vilification but earned him the respect of millions who witnessed their own rights being trampled.
Informed Consent: The Cornerstone of Both Medicine and Governance
Jensen is running for Minnesota governor in 2026 after losing to incumbent Tim Walz by nearly 8 percentage points in 2022. But this time, he’s armed with a clearer message and a state that’s witnessed the consequences of unchecked executive power.
At the heart of Jensen’s platform lies a principle that emerged from the Nuremberg trials: informed consent. “Informed consent is what bubbled up out of the Nuremberg trial and the Nuremberg code,” Jensen emphasizes. “Informed consent is obviously two words and they are each very powerful in their own right. First has to be information. Second has to be consent. That consent has to be voluntary. Otherwise it’s not consent.”
This principle, Jensen argues, was the most violated during the pandemic years. When executive orders closed businesses, shuttered schools for over a year, and forced elderly residents to die alone without family comfort, informed consent was “kicked out the door.” The result? A generation of poorly socialized children, destroyed small businesses, and a profound loss of trust in public health institutions.
Minnesota’s Fraud Crisis: Billions Stolen, Accountability Missing
Jensen doesn’t mince words about Minnesota’s current state. Under Governor Walz’s administration, Minnesota has become “the poster child for fraud,” with one to two billion dollars stolen from programs designed for children, the disabled, seniors, and daycare services.
“Virtually every initiative that seems to be going through human services, and some through the Department of Education, there’s been fraud involved,” Jensen states bluntly. “When someone frauds someone or something, they’re stealing.”
He contrasts this reality with what could have been: “If in North Minneapolis or in South St. Paul, we could have taken that one to two billion dollars of stolen money and put it to work creating safe neighborhoods, enterprise zones that worked and were sustainable, we could have changed the world.”
A Composite of America’s Greatest Leaders
When asked about his role models for governance, Jensen offers a thoughtful composite of three American icons:
Abraham Lincoln – The emancipator who fought for equality and stood firmly for fairness across all demographics, including his commitment to protecting women’s sports and privacy rights.
Teddy Roosevelt – Who understood that everyone must be treated fairly under the law with no free passes, while also recognizing the importance of protecting natural resources for future generations.
Ronald Reagan – Who was “unabashedly supportive of faith and family and freedom,” honored life, advocated for limited government and lower taxes, celebrated excellence wherever it appeared, and understood that “if you want peace, do it through strength, not by begging.”
The 2026 Platform: Accountability, Competence, and Compassion
Jensen’s campaign rests on three pillars that address Minnesotans’ kitchen-table concerns:
1. Accountability
“We want accountability because that’s the only way we’re going to have an affordable cost of living,” Jensen declares. No more tolerance for billion-dollar fraud schemes that steal from the vulnerable.
2. Competence Over Chaos
Minnesotans are tired of the chaos that characterized the Walz administration’s response to both the pandemic and the 2020 riots. They want leaders who can manage crises without trampling rights.
3. Compassion with Purpose
“If people find themselves down and out, we want some kind of a safety net to help them out. Not as a destination place, but as an opportunity or a ladder so they can climb out of that situation, dream dreams, get back to work and achieve those dreams.”
Government’s Proper Role: Protection, Not Overreach
Drawing on Reagan’s wisdom, Jensen argues that “the government’s role appropriately is to protect the people from government. But when government chooses to start trying to protect people from people, it’s overstepped its bounds.”
His platform centers on a simple but revolutionary promise: Less government, limited taxes, lower cost of living, and a clear message—”Leave me alone and let me live my life as much as is possible as long as I’m not doing something that prevents someone else from having the same privilege.”
This includes protecting personal privacy in homes, bedrooms, doctor’s offices, and churches—spaces where government has increasingly intruded under the guise of public health and safety.
The Social Contract Restored
Jensen’s vision extends beyond Minnesota to healing the broader social contract that was violated globally during the pandemic. “If we want to heal not just Minnesota and not just United States, but if we want to heal the human race after what we’ve gone through, I think we need to recognize the social contract exists across all nations borders. Truthfulness, trust, and if you will, genuine authenticity and intention has to be a part of that.”
The first step? Hope.
“I think without hope, I don’t have many patients that heal. With hope, I’ve seen patients miraculously heal when we thought that I might be giving a eulogy at their funeral in a year.”
Why This Election Matters
Minnesota is notable because since the adoption of four-year terms in 1962, no Minnesota governor has been elected to a third term. Yet Walz is seeking precisely that—a historic third term that would cement policies many Minnesotans believe have failed them.
Jensen’s challenge is clear: prevent Minnesotans from suffering “memory loss” about what they endured. “I think it’s so easy to forget what we went through,” he warns. The locked-down schools, isolated elderly, destroyed businesses, and coerced medical decisions cannot be forgotten if they are to be prevented from happening again.
A Renaissance for Patient Rights
Beyond governance, Jensen envisions a medical renaissance where informed consent returns to its rightful place. “I think patients are so equipped to get smart on a topic” thanks to the internet and AI, he notes. The days when physicians could dismiss patient research and demand blind obedience should end.
“If you encounter a physician who resents that the patient has already done some homework, if I were that patient, I’d go find another doctor,” Jensen advises. Instead, he champions shared decision-making where physicians present options and respect patient autonomy.
The Stakes for 2026
As Jensen puts it, Minnesotans want leaders who “focus on the issues that I talk about in my home with my family at the kitchen table.” They want:
- An economy that allows them to pay bills and achieve dreams
- Safe neighborhoods where children can play without fear
- Education focused on basics, not indoctrination
- The freedom to attend school board meetings without being called terrorists
- A government that respects their sovereignty over their families
The contrast with his opponent couldn’t be starker. Jensen describes Governor Walz as an “ambitious, polished politician” skilled at delivering “word salad”—talking for minutes while saying nothing substantive.
The Path Forward
Dr. Jensen closes with a personal challenge that extends to every citizen: “Today, I hope I’m a better version of me than I was yesterday. And tomorrow, I hope I do better than today.”
This philosophy of continuous improvement, grounded in faith, family, and freedom, represents not just a campaign slogan but a governing philosophy that prioritizes human dignity, personal responsibility, and limited government.
For Minnesotans exhausted by overreach, fraud, and chaos, Dr. Scott Jensen offers something increasingly rare in modern politics: a leader with the courage to stand alone when everyone else follows the crowd, the integrity to maintain professional ethics under pressure, and the wisdom to know that government serves best when it governs least.
The 2026 election will determine whether Minnesota chooses to continue down a path of expanding government control or returns to the principles of individual liberty, informed consent, and accountable governance that once made America—and Minnesota—exceptional.
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