Walter Hudson (Minnesota politician)

Walter Hudson is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2023. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Hudson represents District 30A in the northwestern Twin Cities metropolitan area, which includes the cities of St. Michael, Otsego, and Albertville, and parts of Hennepin and Wright Counties.

Early life, education and career
Hudson was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a Black father and a white mother. He received a bachelor's degree in information technology from the University of Phoenix. Hudson served on the Albertville planning commission and the city council from 2014 to 2021.

Hudson has a background in conservative talk radio and hosted the show Closing Argument with Walter Hudson. He has worked for the David Horowitz Freedom Center. He was vice chair of the Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota and active in Minnesota's Tea Party Patriot movement. He supported Mike McFadden's 2014 campaign for U.S. Senate.

Minnesota House of Representatives
Hudson was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2022. He first ran after redistricting and after four-term Republican incumbent Eric Lucero announced he would run for a seat in the Minnesota Senate.

Hudson serves on the Children and Families Finance and Policy and Public Safety Finance and Policy Committees.

Political positions
Hudson campaigned on promises to ban "the practice of critical race theory in public education", oppose "the sexualization of students via comprehensive sex ed", and abolish abortion. His campaign website claimed the 2020 election had questionable outcomes and said "our election system is fundamentally broken and deeply corrupt". Hudson is an anti-abortion activist and believes that women's right to abortion should be abolished. In 2022, he called for women who travel to other states to receive abortions to be arrested for murder.

Hudson has spoken at anti-vaccine rallies held by the organization Mask Off MN, and during a December 2022 meeting of the group he compared medical professionals recommending COVID-19 vaccines to slave owners.

In 2015, Hudson said that offenders released on parole should have the right to vote restored to them. In 2023, when a bill restoring the right to vote was before the House, he voted against the bill. During a House hearing, Hudson called on legislators to acknowledge the "widespread demonization" of law enforcement and was nearly called out of order for his conduct. In 2023, he opposed a bill that would set up a system to report incidents of discrimination, saying it would infringe on people's right to free speech. He supported legislation aimed at keeping Native American children in foster care in Native American homes.

Hudson opposed legislation creating a state board focused on youth restorative justice, saying it lacked a "well-defined definition" of restorative justice. He opposed the creation of a department focused on children and families, saying it would "replace love and intimacy with ideology and bureaucracy". In 2019, Hudson opposed Governor Tim Walz's proposal to increase the state tax on gasoline. In 2015, he advocated lifting the ban on Sunday liquor sales in the state.

Donald Trump
Hudson was a "Never Trump" Republican in 2016, saying Donald Trump's nomination would "have detrimental impacts on the Republican Party of Minnesota for cycles to come". In 2014, he advocated in support of Rand Paul, who was considering a 2016 presidential campaign. Since 2016, Hudson has supported Trump, saying he has "seen no evidence" that Trump is racist or has pushed racially discriminatory policies.

Personal life
Hudson lives in Albertville, Minnesota, with his wife, Carrie, and has two children.