Showing posts with label Keith Ellison Minnesota Attorney General. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Keith Ellison Minnesota Attorney General. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 07, 2018

Keith Ellison wins attorney general race in Minnesota

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) narrowly defeated Republican Doug Wardlow to become Minnesota’s next attorney general, after a bitter campaign rocked by allegations of abuse from the congressman’s ex-girlfriend. With 94 percent of precincts reporting, Ellison led Wardlow, a former state legislator, by more than 100,000 votes.

“We never thought this was in the bag, and it was a dog fight from the very beginning,” Ellison told supporters in Minneapolis. “There were challenges along the way and you know, we just kept on pushing.”

Ellison, the first Muslim to win election to statewide office, jumped into the race just five months ago, after incumbent Lori Swanson launched an unsuccessful campaign for governor. A leader of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Ellison said he could become a crusading attorney general, using the office to challenge the Trump administration in court, take on big business, and protect women’s rights.

Ellison’s win appeared to be part of a sweep for Minnesota Democrats, who easily held onto the governor’s office, won every statewide race, and flipped the state House.

[SOURCE: WASHINGTON POST]

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Keith Ellison wins Minnesota Attorney General nomination

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison won the Democratic Farmer Labor Party primary for Minnesota attorney general Tuesday and will face Republican Doug Wardlow in the November election.

Five Democrats were competing to be their party’s pick in the primary, which came days after an allegation of domestic violence emerged against Ellison. He has denied his ex-girlfriend’s claim, and went on to a decisive victory.

“We had a very unexpected event at the end of this campaign that happened,” Ellison told supporters at Nomad World Pub in Minneapolis. “I want to assure you that it is not true and we are going to keep on fighting all the way.”

The Democrats had a short but fiercely contested primary race. Attorney General Lori Swanson announced in June she would run for governor instead of seeking re-election, leaving two months for candidates to distinguish themselves. Ellison was competing with state Rep. Debra Hilstrom, former Ramsey County Attorney Tom Foley, former state Commerce Commissioner Mike Rothman and Minneapolis attorney and DFL endorsee Matt Pelikan.

The election of Minnesota’s next chief legal officer landed in the spotlight with Ellison in the race and an increased focus by Democrats on using the office to challenge President Donald Trump.

Ellison has been one of the most outspoken candidates on fighting Trump administration policies. He has represented Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District, which includes Minneapolis and some western suburbs, for 12 years and previously served in the Legislature. He is deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee and was the first Muslim member of Congress.

[SOURCE: STAR TRIBUNE]