Keith Ellison Weighing Bid To Be Minnesota Attorney General

Two days ago, the Minnesota Democratic Party had an established order, in which candidates moved up through the ranks in an orderly, predictable fashion. Today, chaos reigns.

The drama began Saturday, when Lori Swanson, Minnesota’s attorney general since 2006, lost her party’s endorsement for re-election to a relatively unknown progressive. On Monday, Swanson announced that, rather than continue on to a statewide primary for the attorney general position, she’d be jumping into the governor’s race, with Rep. Rick Nolan as her running mate for lieutenant governor. With the deadline to file for the gubernatorial race on Tuesday, Swanson’s move has already triggered a high-speed game of musical chairs in the state’s politics. Among other things, the end result could be Rep. Keith Ellison vacating his seat in the U.S. House.

Before Swanson’s announcement, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, as the Minnesota Democrats are known, was already facing a crowded gubernatorial race. This weekend, the state party announced it would be endorsing Erin Murphy, the former majority leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives, for the state’s highest office. Some party insiders fear Murphy may be too liberal for the purple state, a fear amplified by her selection of Erin Maye Quade, a 32-year-old, first-term state house member from the progressive Twin Cities area, as a running mate.

Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz, who did not win the endorsement but is considered a strong primary challenger, also announced yesterday that he still planned to compete for the nomination in August. Walz is generally considered more moderate than Murphy. Swanson, who will likely run to Walz’s right, will now make it a three-way contest. On Monday afternoon, current Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton endorsed Murphy to succeed him.

That leaves the attorney general contest open, and on Monday, sources close to Ellison told The Intercept that the congressperson was seriously considering jumping into the race. Ellison, the No. 2 at the Democratic National Committee, did not return a call for comment. Three other Democratic candidates dropped out of the running in early February to clear the field for Swanson, leaving her alone with a 36-year-old newcomer who graduated law school in 2012, but they may reconsider now that the field is open again.

From a conventional perspective, state attorney general is a step down from member of Congress, but Ellison is not a conventional politician. And the statewide position could set him up for run for Senate if a position opens up.

https:// theintercept.com/2018/06/04/keith-ellison-minnesota-ag/