“And it turns out I was right.”īut being of service and being right sadly came came in response to several Minnesota Black men being killed by police. “The reason I left Congress is because I felt I could be of greater service as the state attorney general,” Ellison said in an interview with MinnPost. It wasn’t the safe decision, but for Ellison it was the only decision. Some speculated the thought was Smith would be able to win a statewide election, whereas selecting Ellison would be a risky move for the Democrats.īut in June 2018, after Attorney General Lori Swanson opted to run for governor instead of running for reelection, the next day Ellison announced he was seeking the office. Tina Smith to fill the vacant Senate seat. Al Franken announced he would be stepping down amid a harassment scandal, Ellison’s name emerged as one of the contenders to replace him, but in the end Gov. A rising star on the national stage, Ellison was deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee and vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Keith Ellison won it in 2006 and was reelected five times, widening the margin of victory to 69.1% in the 2016 general election. The seat has been firmly in Democratic hands since 1962. When it comes to job security, being a Democrat representing Minnesota’s 5 th Congressional District ranks at the top.
