Check out the website: https://lenspoliticalnotes.com Look at the recent Political Notes and Len’s Letters on the website.
Governor: Political Note #421 Chris Jones Arkansas, Political Note #402 Katie Hobbs Arizona, Political Note #432 Stacey Abrams Georgia, Political Note #358 Laura Kelly Kansas, Political Note #407 Janet Mills Maine, Political Note #381 Gretchen Whitmer Michigan, Political Note # 414 Steve Sisolak Nevada, Political Note #426 Josh Shapiro Pennsylvania, Political Note #431 Beto O’Rourke Texas, Political Note #366 Tony Evers Wisconsin
Attorney General: Political Note #441 Jen Jordan Georgia, Political Note #425 Chris Mann Kansas, Political Note #415 Dana Nessel Michigan, Political Note #442 Keith Ellison Minnesota, Political Note #360 Aaron Ford Nevada, Political Note #367 Josh Kaul Wisconsin
Secretary of State: Political Note #437 Reginald Bolding Arizona, Political Note #409 Bee Nguyen Georgia, Political Note #435 Jocelyn Benson Michigan, Political Note #436 Cisco Aguilar Nevada
January 29, 2022 Political Note #442 Keith Ellison Minnesota Attorney General
2022 General Election
Eight years ago, Keith Ellison https://keithellison.org wrote an autobiography. Not for his campaign. He was not running for President; not even for the Senate. A Congressman, the first Muslim ever elected to Congress, he was elected Minnesota’s Attorney General in 2018 and is running to be reelected in 2022.
Keith Ellison tells his family history in his memoir – “My Country, “Tis of Thee”. As he writes about his parents, the Detroit family recollection of their past is always present. He tells his readers the portrait of his mother’s ancestor, Augustine Metoyer, hangs in a Catholic Church built in the early nineteenth century in an isolated Louisiana area. That area is filled with Metoyer’s descendants. Clida Martinez, Keith Ellison’s mother grew up in a community of relatives.
Keith Ellison’s mother’s father (her grandfather) was part-Spanish, part Black. He was a descendant of a French merchant and a slave whose name and African tribe are still remembered – Coincoin of the Ewe people. Coincoin was freed and given some acres of land, the land where eventually Keith Ellison’s mother, an only child, was born. Clida Martinez was sent to the Holy Rosary Institute, a boarding school, for her education and her safety. The safety part had to do with her part-Spanish, part Black activist grandfather who was sought by the Klan. The education part moved her on to Xavier University in New Orleans where she studied medical technology. She met Leonard Ellison Sr., Keith Ellison’s father, when visiting a cousin at the University of Michigan.
Keith Ellison’s grandfather Zollie Ellison was born in Georgia. Zollie’s grandfather was born and died a slave; his father was born a slave. Zollie left Georgia hoping to work in a factory in Detroit. He earned and saved enough money to buy rental properties and to open a store. He was a tough man and a vulnerable one. He was tough enough to throw a man attempting to rob his store through a window. He was always vulnerable, despite his prosperity, because he never learned to read. His two sons would prosper more, but first they loved Detroit’s Black culture, its music, entertainment, and excitement.
Keith Ellison’s Uncle Bob became a dentist. His brother Leonard, Keith Ellison’s father, quit school at 15 to join the military. Discharged, he returned to finish high school, then went to Wayne State supported by the GI Bill. He went to the University of Michigan medical school and became a psychiatrist – a colorful one. He was a natty dresser, drove fancy cars, and had the help of his wife, who managed the practice, But he suffered a debilitating stroke. Keith Ellison’s mom went back to school, trained as a social worker, and worked for the Court system for 20 years after her husband’s stroke. She died recently of Covid leaving her husband and five sons – a doctor, three attorneys, and one more who was both a pastor and an attorney.
Keith Ellison was America’s first Muslim Congressman. Sixteen years ago, when he first ran for Congress he explained his conversion to Islam in a piece for the Star Tribune. Consider the emotions behind that tepid piece. Nineteen years old in the early 1980s, he was an angry young man, railing against racism and the unfairness of the social structure. His dad told him that “Any jackass can kick a barn down; it takes a carpenter to build it back up.”
Keith Ellison accepted the wisdom of his father’s advice, but found a different way to rebel. His mom was a leading figure in the local Catholic church. Keith Ellison admired and eventually converted to Islam. His generous mother’s response was to acknowledge that her children had different paths to spirituality. Rebellious as he may have been, he graduated from Wayne State and continued on to the University of Minnesota Law School where he became still another kind of convert. He became a Minnesotan.
In Minnesota, Keith Ellison worked as a litigator for a firm, became executive director for the non-profit Legal Rights Center, then returned to litigation for a different firm. In 2002, he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. While in the House, he brought an ethics complaint against a Republican House Member for falsifying history. That state rep had denied that homosexuals were persecuted by the Nazis.
Keith Ellison was elected to the US House of Representatives in 2006 despite being attacked for sloppy finances – campaign contributions not reported, cash balances that didn’t balance, and bookkeeping failures in his campaign spending report. In Congress, an ally of Barney Frank, he pressed for and eventually succeeded in prohibiting excessive credit card interest for people who had previously been through bankruptcy. While in Congress, he ran to be Chair of the Democratic National Committee, failed, but became Vice Chair.
In 2018, he announced plans to run for Attorney General in Minnesota. Again, during his candidacy, he faced controversy. He was accused of abusing a girlfriend. The accusation was never substantiated and his campaign continued to his election as the first Muslim to be elected to an American state-wide position. His website touts his tenure as Attorney General referring specifically to his seeking lower pharmaceutical prices, holding opioid producers accountable for the damage they’ve done, and protecting tenants, seniors, and students. He does not note a role in prosecuting the murder of George Floyd, though his office handled the prosecution.
Keith Ellison avoided attention in that murder trial, but has often gained attention because of his role as a Muslim. He complained of the post 9/11 focus on Muslims, comparing the attack on the Twin Towers to the Reichstag fire. That drew angry responses — he was claiming that GW Bush has planned the attack; he was comparing GW Bush to Hitler. Even when he minimized the issue of religion, he has been an advocate for Muslims. When Imams were removed from a plane to Arizona, he attempted to arrange a meeting between them and the airline executives. He has argued that religion should unite people rather than divide them, and has occasionally been a poster boy for the State Department.
In general, Keith Ellison has been able to deflect attacks based on his religion. His organizing efforts on behalf of the million-man march and student columns defending Farrakhan against claims of racism became accusations of decades-long association with the Nation of Islam. Keith Ellison responded saying he had been wrong not to denounce Farrakhan’s anti-Semitism which was evident then and is still evident. Accused of receiving donations from CAIR, Keith Ellison said he fully disclosed all donations and the donations he received were from individuals. CAIR, which describes a mission to enhance understanding of Islam and to advocate for mutual understanding, denied any association with terrorists.
Keith Ellison https://keithellison.org defeated Doug Wardlow in 2018. Wardlow, the attorney for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which currently asks new members to pledge to defend God-given rights including free speech, freedom of religion, the sanctity of life, parental rights, marriage and the family and to oppose the Biden administration’s effort to restrict liberties, is again seeking the Republican nomination. Three other candidates are seeking the nomination. Among them is Dennis Smith whose law license was suspended in November, 2021. Donald Trump has not yet picked a preferred candidate. Nevertheless, Minnesota is a battleground state and this office is a cultural and ideological battleground. Keith Ellison’s road to victory could well be more difficult in 2022 than it was in 2018 when he won 49% to 45%.
. Incumbents to defend for Governor, Attorney General, and Secretary of State
Arizona SofS Reginald Bolding (Open Democratic Seat) https://reginaldbolding.com
Kansas Gov Laura Kelly (Toss up) https://www.laurakellyforkansas.com
Maine Gov Janet Mills (Likely D) https://www.janetmills.com/
Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer (Lean D) https://www.gretchenwhitmer.com
Michigan AG Dana Nessel https://www.dananessel.com
Michigan SofS Jocelyn Benson https://votebenson.com
Minnesota Gov Tim Walz (Likely D) https://walzflanagan.org
Minnesota AG Keith Ellison https://keithellison.org
Minnesota SofS Steve Simon https://stevesimonmn.com
Nevada Gov Steve Sisolak (Likely D) https://stevesisolak.com
Nevada AG Aaron Ford https://www.fordfornevada.com
Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro https://joshshapiro.org (Open Democratic seat)
Wisconsin Gov Tony Evers (Lean D) https://tonyevers.com
Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul https://www.joshkaul.org
Wisconsin SofS Doug LaFollette https://www.facebook.com/sosdoug
Democrats who can flip Republican Governors or other state officers
Arizona Gov Secretary of State Katie Hobbs https://www.katiehobbs.org (Toss up)
Arkansas Gov African American Nuclear Engineer Chris Jones https://chrisforgovernor.com (Safe R says Cook)
Georgia Gov Ex State House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams (Lean R) https://staceyabrams.com
Georgia SofS State Rep Bee Nguyen https://www.beeforgeorgia.com
Georgia AG Jen Jordan https://jen4georgia.com
Kansas AG Chris Mann https://www.chrismannforkansas.com
Maryland AG. Congressman Anthony Brown. https://www.anthonybrown.com (Open Dem Seat)
Nevada SofS Cisco Aguilar http://www.cisconv.co
Texas Ex Congressman Beto O’Rourke https://betoorourke.com
In some states, we don’t know who the Democratic nominee will be
Florida Gov Ex Gov and Rep Charlie Crist, Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried, and State Sen Annette Taddeo are the principal competitors for the Democratic nomination (Lean R)
Ohio Gov Mayors John Cranley and Nan Whaley have announced for this seat where the Republican governor is facing a primary challenge (Likely R)
Maryland Gov I count eight candidates so far for this formerly Republican open seat (Lean D)
Organizations to support
The Democratic National Committee (DNC). https://democrats.org
The Democratic Senate Campaign Committee (DSCC) https://www.dscc.org
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) https://dccc.org
The Democratic Governors Association (DGA) https://democraticgovernors.org
The Democratic Attorneys General Association (DAGA) https://dems.ag
The Democratic Association of Secretaries of State (DASS) https://demsofstate.org
The Democratic (State) Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) https://dlcc.org
Fair Fight https://fairfight.com Stacey Abrams organization to support fair elections
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Support Democrats. Sadly, Republicans have become enemies of democracy. Even in Minnesota Republicans have demonstrated this condition.
