Chris Madel, Who Quit the GOP Governor Race Over Metro Surge, Is Retained to Defend James O'Keefe Against Hennepin County Voting Charges

Chris Madel, the Minneapolis defense lawyer who ended his Republican run for governor on Jan. 26 over Operation Metro Surge, has been retained to defend James O’Keefe against the felony unlawful-voting and identity-theft charges Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty filed on Oct. 28 (see 2026-10-28–hennepin-county-attorney-charges-okeefe-higby-unlawful-voting-identity-theft-august-primary). The Minnesota Star Tribune reported it on Wed. Nov. 11, quoting Madel’s Tuesday statement. Cam Higby has hired a different lawyer, Ryan Garry.

Madel said he will argue that the charge violates the First Amendment and reflects selective prosecution by Moriarty, and called the case her “disgraceful attempt to turn her politics into a criminal conviction.” O’Keefe’s initial court appearance is set for Nov. 16 (MPR). The Hennepin County Attorney’s release lists O’Keefe’s case as 27-CR-26-28438.

What this adds: the first dated Madel development after his Jan. 26 exit that the timeline did not hold. The Star Tribune names him a “former Republican gubernatorial candidate”; it does not say whether he has rejoined the party or revised his view of the surge, and neither point is established here.