Keith Ellison (DFL): 2022 Election Guide
Welcome to WCCO.com's 2022 Election Guide!
We reached out to all Minnesota candidates running for U.S Congress this fall, as well as all statewide contests. Candidates were asked to provide a two-minute video discussing their platform as well as answer a set of political questions.
Above is the video Attorney General candidate Keith Ellison provided, and below are his answers to the questionnaire.
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In the wake of alleged fraud related to COVID relief funds, what needs to be done to continue investigating fraud of this kind and magnitude, and uncover just how much of it occurred?
In the last four years, my office has investigated or helped to investigate hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud - both public and private - on behalf of the people of Minnesota. I have taken on pharmaceutical companies and for-profit colleges who defrauded consumers and Medicaid fraud that stole from taxpayers. When the funds being defrauded are federal, as they are in the case of COVID relief funds, it is my duty to assist federal investigators and take their lead, and I will continue to do that..
What do you think is responsible for rising violent crime? What do you think should be done to combat violent crime?
In the last 3 ½ years, my office has protected Minnesotans' safety by prosecuting the most serious violent crimes: almost 50 cases of murder, manslaughter, criminal vehicular homicide, and sexual assault in 22 counties across the state, most of them in Greater Minnesota, including Aitkin, Carlton, and Cook counties.
We cannot have a serious conversation about public safety if we are not talking about the harms of gun violence in our communities. That is why I have led the way in combating illegal guns, holding gun manufacturers accountable, and working with local leaders in Minnesota to develop and implement efforts to reduce gun violence on our streets. I intervened in federal court to uphold sensible laws from other states, and I am taking on straw buyers who traffick guns into high-crime areas.
Do you believe Joe Biden is the legitimately elected President of the United States?
Yes. Protecting the integrity of Minnesota's elections is one of my top priorities. In 2020, I worked with the Secretary of State to ensure every eligible voter in Minnesota had equal and fair access to the ballot box, and I put out clear guidance for all Minnesotan voters about our rights to vote safely and without intimidation. After the election, I successfully defended against frivolous lawsuits to stop the winners of elections for Congress and the Legislature in Minnesota from taking the seats that they won.
In recent years the conversation has revolved around a wholesale re-envisioning of policing, with some calling for defunding police departments. What do you think the future of policing in Minnesota should be?
The Commissioner of Public Safety and I convened a working group from the criminal-justice system, philanthropy, academia, and community to determine how to reduce deadly-force encounters with law enforcement because we want everyone involved in encounters with police to get home safe at the end of the day. No other group like it exists anywhere in America.
We released 28 recommendations three months before the death of George Floyd, several of which have already been turned into reality.
Should the AG's criminal division be expanded to allow it to prosecute more criminal cases, or should the AG continue to play a supporting role to local county attorneys, and prosecute only those crimes that they are asked to by the counties?
Local county attorneys trust me to take over tough cases when they lack the resources to prosecute some of the most violent cases of violent crime. For three years, I've asked the legislature for resources to hire more prosecutors so we can hold more offenders accountable.
The nonpartisan Minnesota County Attorneys Association has strongly supported my request - but Republicans in the State Senate have shot it down each time.
Do you believe there should be laws enacted to put limits or ban automatic weapons sales in the U.S.?
Yes. Until we end the toxic unlimited availability of guns, we won't have real safety in our communities.
Last year, I joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general supporting California's gun law, which regulates the sale of long arms and semi-automatic rifles to individuals under 21.
Do you support the full legalization of marijuana? What are your thoughts on decriminalizing drug use?
I continue to support the legalization of marijuana for recreational use, which a large majority of Minnesotans also support and which has now already been enacted by the Minnesota legislature for some forms of cannabis.