Minnesota State Capitol. Courtesy of Minnesota House Public Information Services.
Cal Warwas is the Republican candidate in Minnesota House district 7B, an Iron Range swing seat that opened up when DFL Rep. Dave Lislegard announced his retirement earlier this year. He’s running against Lorrie Janatopoulos, a former director at the Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Warwas is a third-generation miner and union member, something of a rarity in a Republican Party that’s traditionally been hostile to union interests. His primary pitch to voters is that he’s running to “restore balance to state government,” so that lawmakers from both parties “can discuss and negotiate issues important to all people groups in our state.”
But that message of moderation is undercut by years of social media posts espousing far-right views, a Reformer review found. Among other things, Warwas repeatedly suggested climate change is a “hoax,” used derogatory language against LGBTQ people, and approvingly shared posts asking why the term “white pride” — a slogan espoused by various white supremacist groups — is considered racist.
Climate denial
Warwas has repeatedly suggested climate change is a hoax or a scam. In 2019 he shared a Twitter post by a climate denier, adding “I’ve said this for years: lying to kids, making climate ‘science’ a de facto public religion, then using that collective voice to sway public opinion and votes so elite socialists can take away our freedoms.” He included the hashtag #climatehoax.
Warwas also criticized Gov. Tim Walz’s creation of a climate subcabinet, saying “This is #virtuesignaling on a state level, can you say hoax?” On Facebook, he has approvingly shared posts claiming climate concerns are “simply another way to control people,” that “climate ‘experts have been wrong for 50 years,” that climate change is a “lefty scam,” and that “Global warming is a hoax. The real goal is communism.”
The average global temperature has increased by about 2 degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. Minnesota’s St. Louis county, where district 7B is located, has warmed even faster and is one of the fastest-warming regions of the country.
About 7 in 10 residents of the county accept that global warming is happening, and more than half agree with the scientific consensus that the warming is mainly caused by human activities, according to survey estimates by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.
“When passively mentioning the ‘hoax’ of Climate Change on ‘X’ [formerly known as Twitter], I’m not saying the weather hasn’t changed, but that certain efforts to end or slow the demise of our planet are, in fact, just another type of industry and a way to collect ratepayer and taxpayer money,” Warwas said in response to a Reformer inquiry.
Anti-LGBTQ views
In 2021, Warwas criticized Walz for “actively promoting the alphabet lifestyle as normal and healthy” and referred to lesbian soccer star Megan Rapinoe as a “little boy.”
On several occasions he targeted transgender people in his posts. He has said “a man is still a man, even if he calls himself a woman”; called a transgender woman “a dude, masquerading as a girl”; and mocked United States assistant secretary for health Rachel Levine as a “man in a dress” and called her “mentally deranged.”
He has said encouraging children “to become something they are not” is “evil.”
“A man who asks us to participate in his delusion should not be celebrated as some brave pioneer to be honored and revered,” Warwas told the Reformer. “Treating all people kindly and respectfully is something I strive for, but demand for lifestyle acceptance by the ‘trans’ community has escalated into something that is truly harmful to society.”
Warwas also called the PBS children’s show Arthur “harmful to children” after an episode featured a male rat named Mr. Ratburn marrying an aardvark chocolatier named Patrick.
“No new episodes of Arthur will be shared on our television,” Warwas said.
“White pride”
“White pride” is a slogan often used by modern white supremacist groups to make their message more palatable to wider audiences. It appears in the motto of the neo-Nazi internet website Stormfront, and often crops up at white supremacist rallies.
The Reformer found no evidence Warwas is affiliated with any such groups. However, on three separate occasions he approvingly shared Facebook memes asking why “white pride” is considered racist when other phrases, like “Black pride” and “Mexican pride,” are not.
“That’s what I say,” he posted about the meme in 2018. The following year he posted it on the same date, remarking “Still a great question!” He also posted about it in 2017.
“I’ve never heard of Stormfront until you mentioned that site,” Warwas said when asked whether he was aware of the embrace of the phrase by white supremacists. “I abhor all forms of racism and feel that the recent trend in our culture to make everything about race has been extremely unhelpful in easing racial tensions where they do exist.”