Engen Drops Auditor Bid, Files for Minnesota House Re‑election

Overview

• Engen, who filed Tuesday, June 2, did not submit paperwork to run for state auditor before the deadline and instead filed to seek re‑election to the Minnesota House in District 36A.
• His reelection filing sets up an August GOP primary against the party‑endorsed candidate Sebastian Stoss.
• The filing follows Engen’s March 27 traffic stop, when police say he failed sobriety tests, registered a .13 blood alcohol reading, was cited for speeding, and was charged with two misdemeanor DWI offenses.
• Engen faces an arraignment scheduled for June 26 and was the subject of an April House ethics committee review, with House Speaker Lisa Demuth saying she will consider further consequences as the legal process moves forward.
• The state auditor’s office oversees roughly $60 billion in local spending, a role that has grown politically prominent after fraud allegations and the creation of a state Office of Inspector General, which helps explain why control of that race mattered to both parties.