MINNEAPOLIS —When Donald Trump’s longtime ally Steve Bannon surrendered in a federal prison in Connecticut, he asked an unconventional U.S. Senate candidate from Minnesota to stand by him.

Royce White, who is running for the Republican Party’s nomination to challenge Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar in next week’s primary, put his arm around Bannon last month and praised him as “an American hero.”

White’s friends include conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and his past social media comments have been condemned as misogynistic, homophobic, anti-Semitic and abusive. His legal and financial troubles include unpaid child support and questionable campaign spending. As first reported by The Daily Beast, the potentially illegal spending included $1,200 spent at a Florida strip club after he lost a 2022 race for Congress.

But White surprised the Minnesota political world when, with Bannon’s support, he secured the support of the state Republican Party to run against Klobuchar in May. He still needs a primary victory on Tuesday and is overwhelmingly underdog against Klobuchar in November.

But his surprise win in a state with a history of electing unconventional candidates — wrestler Jesse Ventura for governor and comedian Al Franken for senator — ensured the race wasn’t as dull as expected.

His journey from basketball player to politician, whose NBA career was cut short by mental health issues, is a sign of the growing power of the populist wing of the GOP that Bannon helped build. White has been a frequent guest on Bannon’s “War Room.”

It’s also about the current state of the Minnesota Republican Party. It’s a state that has long been reliably Democratic in presidential politics, but Trump has vowed to run there this year. Vice President Kamala Harris’s choice of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday further complicates the state’s political landscape, and the GOP has yet to prove it’s ready to be competitive in statewide races there. Still, Trump’s shadow looms over everything, sometimes in ways that amplify the voices of extremists who embrace him and bring those figures to the forefront.

“Please Call Me Crazy” is the name of White’s podcast. He is also a heavy poster on social media and recently called himself “the new gold standard of American hard-hitting, tough, nationalist populism.”

His targets include the Federal Reserve, which he says is run by “Jewish elites,” the national debt, the border, LGBTQ+ activists, mainstream media and his critics. He argues that as a black man, he can help broaden the party’s base by appealing to voters of color in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area and others disillusioned with establishment politics.

White kept a low profile when he came in second in the GOP primary to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar in 2022. So he admitted in an interview that he was as surprised as anyone when he won the first-ballot endorsement at his state party’s convention in May. He beat a more traditional Republican primary candidate, U.S. Navy veteran Joe Fraser. White credits Bannon’s endorsement and his own pitch for convincing delegates that he would be the strongest advocate for the pro-Trump “America First MAGA” movement.

University of Minnesota political scientist Larry Jacobs said White’s endorsement was a “shocking example” of how easily the process can be manipulated when turnout is low. The convention was poorly attended and many delegates did not know much about Fraser and were impressed by White’s “energy and charisma.”

“Royce is clearly not ready to be a U.S. senator and candidate,” Jacobs said. “His past record is disgraceful and he will be an easy target for Amy Klobuchar.”

White’s record has come under a lot of scrutiny since his confirmation. The Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in June alleging that White illegally used congressional campaign funds to pay more than $157,000 in personal expenses, saying it “appears to have misappropriated donor money for his own benefit.”

White denies any improper spending. He filed a petition last month saying he reimbursed his campaign for “unauthorized expenses,” including a visit to a strip club. He tweeted that he enjoyed the food there. He acknowledged he owes child support.

As a basketball player, White led Hopkins High School to the 2009 state championship. A theft arrest hastened his departure from the University of Minnesota, but he starred at Iowa State and was selected by Houston in the first round of the 2012 NBA draft. He had an anxiety disorder, including a fear of flying, and never played for the Rockets. His only NBA appearances were three minutes in three games with Sacramento in 2014. Now, he says he flies when necessary and wouldn’t be a problem if he were selected.

He returned to the game in Big3, a 3-on-3 league co-founded by Ice Cube. It was Big3 co-founder Jeff Kwatinetz who introduced White to Bannon.

White also befriended Infowars host Jones, who is owed millions of dollars over false claims that the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax. White said Jones acknowledged some of the things he said were mistakes, but he was still a fan.

“He’s brave enough to say things that most people wouldn’t say,” White said.

With more than $6 million in campaign cash, Klobuchar will have a huge financial advantage over both Republican candidates.

Klobuchar spokesman Ben Hill did not mention her rivals while praising the senator’s legislative accomplishments in forcing pharmaceutical companies to negotiate drug prices and providing assistance to military veterans. “Senator Klobuchar is focused on her job in the Senate and getting results for Minnesotans,” Hill said in an email.

Fraser said in an interview that White’s confrontational style and message would not appeal to moderates and independents. He said he offered a more mainstream approach, emphasizing fiscal conservatism, a strong defense, world leadership and small government. White’s alliances bother Fraser.

“Bannon is Bannon, but I think what’s really uncouth is his support for Alex Jones,” Fraser said.

Fraser highlights her 26 years in the Navy, where she served as an intelligence officer. Her service included a combat tour in Iraq. She and her husband, also a Navy veteran, relocated to Minnesota because of her in-laws. She said her frustrations with the Biden administration and its “terrible foreign policy and ineffective national policy” led her to politics.

Michael Brodkorb, a former vice chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, said White’s support shows that the process is broken and that part of the problem is Republicans like him who no longer attend conventions.

“If Royce White wins the primary, you’ll see an active Republican coalition supporting Amy Klobuchar proudly and loudly,” Brodkorb predicted.

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Associated Press writer Susan Haigh in Danbury, Connecticut, contributed to this report.