Keith Ellison to leave Congress and run for attorney general in Minnesota

[Donkees]

By John Wagner

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a congressman since 2007 and deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee, made a late-hour entry into the attorney general’s race in Minnesota on Tuesday.

Ellison announced his candidacy on the final day of filing and one day after the Democratic incumbent, Lori Swanson, announced that she would run for governor, opening up the attorney general’s race.

Ellison, a high-profile supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in the 2016 presidential race, was the runner-up in the race for the DNC chairmanship last year. The winner, Tom Perez, a former Obama administration official, named Ellison deputy chairman in his first act as a way to unite the establishment and progressive wings of the party.

In a statement Tuesday, Ellison, who was the first Muslim elected to Congress, said he would continue a tradition of fighting for his constituents if elected to the new post.

“Our Pledge of Allegiance promises an America with liberty and justice for all — no exceptions,” Ellison said. “But too often, Minnesota’s working families and the most vulnerable among us are taken advantage of or are targets of discrimination. I am running to be the People’s Lawyer to hold those in power accountable and to protect and defend all Minnesotans.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/keith-ellison-to-leave-congress-and-run-for-attorney-general-in-minnesota/2018/06/05/b7ecefd4-68e9-11e8-bf8c-f9ed2e672adf_story.html

[Hortensis]

1. Ouch! I hope this is good for the DFL, liberals, etc.

Last edited Tue Jun 5, 2018, 05:36 PM - Edit history (1)

I'm sure he'd make a good state AG, but this turns more than just his congressional seat, which is supposed to be solidly Democratic, upside down.

“I decided this morning the right thing to do is not seek comfort in security and to do what I think the dictates of my conscious are telling me, which is to get out and fight for consumers, particularly in a national environment where people feel very vulnerable,” said Ellison,"

"Conscience" can be a very self-ish word, which is no doubt why people doing this kind of thing fall back on it to predictably. It's not exactly following through on prior commitments, after all, but one gossipy site says he's not been happy in either role, as a congressman or as DNC co-chair.

A site stated 8 hours ago that Ellison would leave his DNC position, but another reported 2 hours ago that he's said he will keep his position as #2 at the DNC.

[scarletwoman]

2. As a Minnesotan, I'm not really sure yet how I feel about this.

I'm not in his Congressional district, so this doesn't affect me directly. At least it's probably a pretty safe seat for the DFL, being in a diverse, and politically active, and politically liberal part of Minneapolis, so finding a replacement who can win may not be much of a problem.

I can totally believe that he's frustrated and fed up with being part of the minority party in the House, considering what's been going on since first the Teapublicans and then the Trumpians took control.

I'm sure he'd be a fine AG. It just makes me a little sad to see him giving up his seat in Congress. Like, maybe there isn't actually any hope on the national level...

[Donkees]

3. ''More surprises came at the end of the day when Kim Ellison, the ex-wife of Keith Ellison, ...

More surprises came at the end of the day when Kim Ellison, the ex-wife of Keith Ellison, put in the paperwork to run for her ex-husband's congressional seat... "
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2018/06/05/minnesota-filing-deadline-politics

[spanone]

4. Wow...now that's interesting....