Daughter of Minnesota Governor Candidate Fatally Stabbed

A Minnesota gubernatorial candidate has halted his campaign after his daughter was fatally stabbed in St. Cloud, Minnesota Public Radio reports. Police say 22-year-old Hallie Marie Tobler was found dead with multiple stab wounds in a locked apartment Saturday night. Inside with her was her 23-year-old husband, who had life-threatening injuries that investigators believe were self-inflicted. Authorities say evidence points to him as the person responsible for Tobler's death; he was listed in stable condition Sunday at St. Cloud Hospital and is in police custody. Charges are pending, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting with the case.

Tobler was the daughter of Jeff Johnson, a former St. Cloud City Council member running for the Republican nomination for governor in 2026. The Republican Party of Minnesota said it was "heartbroken" that Johnson's daughter "was killed in a violent crime," CBS News reports. The party announced that Johnson has suspended his campaign "out of respect for his family and the enormity of this loss."

Johnson was one of several Republicans seeking the nomination and finished well behind in a recent precinct caucus straw poll. Other GOP contenders, including Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth and state Reps. Peggy Bennett and Kristin Robbins, issued statements offering condolences and asking Minnesotans to keep the Johnson family in their thoughts. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, widely considered the Democrat frontrunner in the race, also offered her sympathies. People identifies Tobler's husband as Dylan Michael Tobler.