A Republican gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota has suspended his campaign less than a year after launching it, following the murder of his 22-year-old daughter in a domestic stabbing that has stunned the state.
Jeff Johnson, a former St. Cloud city councilman who entered the 2026 governor’s race in March 2025, halted his campaign this week after his daughter, Hallie Marie Tobler, was killed Saturday night in St. Cloud, according to police.
The Republican Party of Minnesota said Monday that Johnson is suspending his campaign “out of respect for his family and the enormity of this loss.”
Johnson announced his run for governor nearly a year ago with a campaign video sharply critical of Minnesota’s political leadership, crime and spending.
“My fellow Minnesotans, I’m running for governor because I want to help you find your happy place,” Johnson said in that video. “And your happy place is not in a position of being continuously taxed to death. It’s not a position where we’re seeing over a half billion dollars of taxpayer fraud. It’s not in the position of watching unchecked violence, murders, and carjackings in Minneapolis. We could do so much better. It’s time for a change.”
Now, that message has been eclipsed by personal tragedy.
Hallie Tobler, 22, died from multiple stab wounds after police responded around 8:20 p.m. Saturday to a reported medical emergency at a residence in the 3100 block of 40th Avenue South, the St. Cloud Police Department said.
Officers found Tobler dead at the scene and her husband, Dylan Michael Tobler, 23, alive but suffering from life-threatening, self-inflicted injuries. Police identified him as the suspect in the killing.
Authorities said Sunday that Dylan Tobler remains hospitalized in stable condition and is in police custody. He will be transported to the Stearns County Jail once released from the hospital to face charges related to the homicide.
Court records show Dylan Tobler was convicted late last month of disorderly conduct, a charge reduced to a petty misdemeanor. The case stemmed from a June 2025 incident at the same residence.
According to the criminal complaint, police were called for a welfare check after Tobler left the home acting erratically and “wasn’t making any sense.” The victim, identified as his wife and referenced by the initials HMT, told officers that Tobler had “psychosis” and a history of “aggressive behavior.”
The complaint states Tobler choked the victim during that earlier incident. Officers noted broken glass and a shattered picture frame inside the home, and the victim said she believed Tobler was “having delusions” and that she was “alarmed” by his behavior.
Prosecutors later offered a plea deal downgrading the charge to a petty misdemeanor. Tobler pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a $150 fine. Under Minnesota law, petty misdemeanors are not considered crimes and carry no jail time or probation.
Johnson served on the St. Cloud City Council from 2010 to 2018 and built a local profile through his outspoken opposition to refugee resettlement. In 2017, he proposed a moratorium on refugee placements in the city, a measure that failed but drew statewide attention. He continued raising the issue at a Center for Immigration Studies panel in Washington in 2018.
He ran unsuccessfully for Stearns County commissioner in 2020, losing by about 400 votes, before launching his gubernatorial bid in 2025.
The 2026 governor’s race remains crowded on the Republican side. Phil Parrish has filed paperwork to run, while former Senate Minority Leader Zach Duckworth, former state GOP chair David Hann, former state senator and prior gubernatorial candidate Dr. Jeff Johnson, former congressional candidate Kendall Qualls and former attorney general candidate Jim Schultz have all expressed interest.
On the Democratic side, Gov. Tim Walz has publicly said he is considering another term but has not filed. Rep. Angie Craig has said she may run if Walz does not. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and former Rep. Dean Phillips have declined.
As of Monday, Walz had not publicly commented on Hallie Tobler’s death or issued condolences.
The general election is set for November 2026.
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