Republican who compared Dems to drunks busted for driving drunk: report

A Minnesota state lawmaker who recently compared Democrats to drunks has been arrested for drunken driving.

State Rep. Elliott Engen, who is currently running for Minnesota state auditor, helped found a chapter of the right-wing youth organization Turning Point USA at Hamlin University before being elected to the legislature, where he has made fraud and wasteful spending a main focus of his agenda.

He recently posted to X, “The DFL [Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party] has been drunk at the wheel in protecting taxpayer dollars from systemic fraud.” His comments were likely a sly allusion to DFL state auditor candidate Dan Wolgamott, who was himself arrested on suspicion of drunk driving in 2023.

This week, however, it was Engen who allegedly got caught drunk at the wheel.

A Friday press release by the White Bear Lake Police Department stated that "On March 27, 2026, at approximately 1:51 am, the White Bear Lake Police Department conducted a traffic stop near the intersection of 4th Street and Otter Lake Road in White Bear Lake for observed traffic violations, including speeding, expired registration, and an inoperable headlight. The driver, a 27 year-old male identified as Minnesota State Representative Elliot Engen, was arrested for suspicion of driving while impaired. Engen was transported to the White Bear Lake Police Department, where a breath test indicated a blood alcohol concentration of 0.13."

Engen spent the early morning at the Ramsey County jail and was released a few hours later on charges of driving under the influence and driving while intoxicated, which are two separate offenses under Minnesota state law.

Social media posts appear to suggest that on Thursday, Engen was spotted drinking as early as 2:30 p.m., and had a fundraiser three hours after that.