Royce White Is Running for Congress in Minnesota

The former college basketball star hopes to win Representative Ilhan Omar’s seat.

Former college basketball star Royce White is running for Congress, he announced Tuesday. 

White, 30, is running for Minnesota’s fifth congressional U.S. representative seat, currently held by Democrat Ilhan Omar. The former Iowa State player is running as a Republican, one of three vying to square off against her. 

In a two-minute-and-20-second clip, White announced his candidacy, using video montages of analysts commenting on his character as well as voice-over from him.

You can watch White’s full campaign video here.

“Ten years ago, I took on the NBA and the establishment,” he said in his video monologue. “I said that mental health was one of the greatest issues we face. And I was willing to give up my dream to fight for people I have never met. I took the lead when others wouldn’t. 

“My name is Royce White. I am a fifth-generation Minnesotan and a product of the Twin Cities. But first and foremost, I am an American.”

White went on to discuss his views on the United States.

”I’m running for Congress because our leaders have sold us out,” he said. ”We have to fight for freedom, we have to protect our communities. We have to restore what it means to be an American citizen.”

He took an anti-globalist stance and spoke out against the handling of the pandemic and the vaccine, overlaying his voice-over with pictures of Omar, Bill Gates, Barack Obama and Anthony Fauci, among others.

White is a former college basketball standout who played for Iowa State in the 2011–12 season. He posted one of the best seasons in school history, leading the team in scoring (13.4), rebounds (9.3) and assists (5.0). 

He declared for the NBA and was drafted 16th by the Rockets. The forward played only one season in the league, notching three games for the Kings. White was very vocal about his anxiety and mental health in general during his time in the NBA, putting him at odds with the organization. 

He then went on to play professional basketball in Canada for two years. White also played in the Big3, a three-on-three basketball league. He had a brief stint in MMA, losing his debut in December 2021 against Daiqwon Buckley via unanimous decision. 

White has been politically active in the past, specifically in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter protests after the murder of George Floyd. White has also worked closely with Steve Bannon, former White House chief strategist under Donald Trump. 

Omar was sworn into office in 2019 and won reelection in November ’20.