A Minnesota Republican gubernatorial candidate suspended his campaign Monday after his 22-year-old daughter was stabbed to death in a domestic homicide, police say.
Hallie Marie Tobler died from multiple stab wounds Saturday night at her St. Cloud apartment. Police say her husband, Dylan Michael Tobler, 23, will face murder charges.
Jeff Johnson, Hallie’s father and a former Republican St. Cloud City Council member, announced through the Republican Party of Minnesota that he would suspend his campaign for governor.
“The Minnesota Republican Party is heartbroken by the tragic loss of Dr. Jeff Johnson’s daughter, who was killed in a violent crime Saturday night in St. Cloud,” the party said in a statement. “There are no words that can adequately express the sorrow we feel for Jeff and his family. The loss of a child is unimaginable, and our thoughts and prayers are with them as they grieve this devastating tragedy.”
St. Cloud police found Hallie dead inside her locked apartment with multiple stab wounds on Saturday. Dylan was also found at the scene with stab wounds that authorities believe were self-inflicted.
Dylan was hospitalized in stable condition and remains in police custody. He will be transported to Stearns County Jail upon release from the hospital to face homicide charges.
Court records show Dylan was convicted just weeks earlier on a disorderly conduct charge stemming from a June 2025 domestic violence incident. According to the complaint, Dylan had choked Hallie during a fight.
The original charge of misdemeanor disorderly conduct for fighting/brawling involving simple assault was dropped by prosecutors, who offered Dylan a plea agreement downgrading the charge to petty misdemeanor disorderly conduct. He pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a fine of $150. Petty misdemeanors are not considered crimes in Democrat-run Minnesota, so no jail time or probation was included.
Johnson had served on the St. Cloud City Council from 2010 to 2018. He announced his candidacy for governor last May, and said his goals were to eliminate rampant fraud and remove illegal immigrants from the state.
Johnson was a long shot candidate, and received just 139 votes in last week’s Republican caucus straw poll for governor. Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth led the caucus with 5,827 votes, followed by Kendall Qualls with 4,624 and MyPillow owner Mike Lindell with 3,235.