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Minnesota Attorney General

Provides legal services to state government; represents the state in court cases; enforces laws concerning charitable organizations; protects public rights.

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    Keith Ellison
    (DFL)

  • Candidate picture

    David J.S. Madgett
    (DFL)

Biographical Information

Why are you the best candidate for this position? (750 characters)

If elected, what will your top three priorities be and why? (500 characters)

What is the Attorney General’s role in protecting Minnesotans through enforcing state laws and the constitution? (500 characters)

What policies will you pursue to promote social and racial justice in our state and local communities? (500 characters)

Are there any criminal justice reforms you would prioritize for Minnesota? (500 characters)

What role does the Attorney General’s office play in gun violence prevention? (500 characters)

Campaign Website http://keithellison.org
telephone 6123058723
Campaign Twitter Handle @keithellison
Campaign Email campaign@keithellison.org
Minnesota is in an unprecedented moment. The Trump administration is targeting our state, ripping our families apart, and terrorizing our communities. Defending our state and Constitution as Attorney General is the most important thing I’ve done in my career. As the People’s Lawyer, I believe it’s my job to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect. We’ve lowered the cost of insulin to $35, eased the burden of medical debt, and held companies accountable for the deadly opioid epidemic. We’ve also protected tenants and workers from exploitation and stood up for our trans neighbors. I’ll continue to take on powerful interests on behalf of Minnesotans while defending our state from the Trump administration.
I’ll keep helping Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect. My office has secured over 340 convictions for Medicaid Fraud, won over $90 million in judgments and recoveries, and passed bipartisan legislation to hire more prosecutors and investigators in my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and give it more authority to subpoena any organization suspected of defrauding our healthcare system. We’re also working to defend Minnesotans from Trump’s overreach and lawlessness.
My role as Attorney General is to enforce Minnesota’s laws and defend the State of Minnesota against actions that violate the State’s rights under the Constitution and applicable federal law. That’s why I’ve filed over 70 lawsuits against the Trump administration, recovering more than $4.3 billion in funding owed to Minnesota’s schools, law enforcement, disaster preparedness programs, public health research, infrastructure repair, and more. No one is above the law, not even the President.
I’m committed to defending Minnesotans of all backgrounds from discrimination, including our vulnerable communities. Whether it’s winning numerous times in court in defense of transgender athletes’ participation in school sports or prevailing at trial against a defendant who targeted Muslim homebuyers in his contract for deed scheme, no one should be left out of our circle of compassion. We must offer an alternative, inclusive vision of Minnesota where everybody counts and everybody matters.
As Attorney General, I launched our first-ever prosecutor-initiated expungement program to help Minnesotans seal their records and get a fresh start, hosting expungement clinics across the state as part of our Clean Slate Tour. I also started a Conviction Review Unit to review the convictions of people who may, in fact, be innocent, because the only people who benefit from a wrongful conviction are the perpetrators. I plan to carry forward the spirit of these accomplishments if reelected.
My office has a responsibility to help prevent gun violence and keep illegal guns off our streets. That’s why I took Fleet Farm to court for ignoring clear warning signs and selling guns to straw buyers that put the lives of Minnesotans at risk, and sued Glock for making and selling handguns that can easily be converted into machine guns. I also introduced legislation this past session to prohibit the creation, possession, and sale of ghost guns.
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