A southwestern Minnesota man whose passionate support for President Donald Trump took him to dozens of political events around the country and recently to the White House was killed in a highway crash while returning from a political celebration in Florida.
Randal J. Thom, 60, of Lakefield died in a collision shortly before 4:30 p.m. Monday on Hwy. 169 north of St. Peter, the State Patrol said. Thom was driving his minivan south and hit a pickup truck that also was heading south, the patrol said.
Evidence of recent alcohol use by Thom was detected at the scene, according to the patrol. Thom was not wearing a seat belt, the patrol added.
The other driver, James A. Mollenhauer, 67, of nearby Le Sueur, survived his injuries and was taken to a Mankato hospital.
Thom was the unofficial ringleader of "Front Row Joes," a group that travels the country to Trump rallies starting during the 2016 presidential campaign.
He's been to dozens of Trump gatherings, 23 alone in 2016, earning himself national media attention on CBS News and from as far away as Australia. He would usually show up a half-day early to claim a good spot.
Thom's representative in the U.S. House, Republican Jim Hagedorn, said in a Facebook posting that "Randal loved America, Donald J. Trump and was always so very kind to me." He added that he and his wife, GOP state chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan, were "so lucky to have been friends with Randal, to have received his unwavering support during our campaigns and be in the presence of his energy and enthusiasm."
Marthamae Kottschade said she and Thom were among roughly 50 Minnesotans who attended a gathering in support of law enforcement on the White House grounds on Oct. 10. It was at that event where the president, recovering from COVID-19, appeared on the balcony and removed his mask.
