Keith Ellison

Ellison was born in Detroit, Michigan. He earned a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University in 1986 and a law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1990. His career experience includes working as an attorney.[6][7]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am Keith Ellison and have served as attorney general since Minnesotans first elected me in 2018. As the People’s Lawyer, my job is to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect.

Before becoming Attorney General, I represented Minnesotans in the U.S. House of Representatives for 12 years, during which I championed consumer, worker, environmental, and civil rights protections for all. Before entering Congress, I served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for four years. I practiced law as a criminal defense and civil rights attorney for 16 years, including five years as executive director of the Legal Rights Center.

I earned my law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1990 and am the father of four adult children.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Under my leadership, the Attorney General’s office has taken on the powerful on behalf of Minnesotans, lowering costs for Minnesotans by reducing the cost of insulin to $35, fighting price-gouging by greedy corporations, tackling medical debt, and holding opioid companies accountable for the deadly opioid epidemic.

I am protecting tenants from exploitation, keeping Minnesotans safe from scammers and abuse, standing up for student borrowers, and holding greedy corporations accountable for screwing over Minnesotans.I believe Minnesotans deserve to live with dignity, safety, and respect. When corporations hurt working families, my office steps in to hold them accountable. That’s why we took on the opioid industry for the death and destruction they created & built one of the nation’s strongest antitrust divisions.

When local prosecutors need help taking on complex crimes, our office steps in. But real safety takes more than prosecutions. We use our broad civil authority to ensure that corporations that make crime possible have to answer for their behavior.

Our children deserve a state where they can learn & grow. We ended school lunch shaming, sued Meta and TikTok for preying on Minnesota youth, & held JUUL accountable for marketing tobacco to kids.I have worked to protect Minnesotans from Donald Trump;s attacks on our communities, the programs we rely on, and the foundations of our democracy. We have filed over 50 lawsuits against the Trump administration, and recovered over $2 billion of funding owed to our state.

I’ve sued to block Trump’s unlawful tariffs that hiked prices on families and farmers. I’ve sued to protect trans youth from attempts to restrict their healthcare, and bully them from public life. I’ve sued to block the Trump administration from dismantling the Department of Education and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau.

When Trump abuses his power and threatens our freedoms, I stand up and fight back. No one is above the law, not even the president.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

It’s my job as Attorney General and the People’s Lawyer to help Minnesotans afford their lives and live with dignity, safety, and respect — especially when they have nowhere else to turn for help. That’s what I’ve done for Minnesotans since I first entered political life, and that’s what I’ll keep doing — because Minnesotans deserve a fair economy, and systems that invite all of us into the circle of compassion.

Keith Ellison did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

What would be your top three priorities, if elected?

A Fair Economy. As Attorney General, I will hold large corporations and the powerful accountable to ensure a level playing field for working families throughout Minnesota. This means taking on wage theft, fighting for higher wages, going after student loan scammers, protecting seniors from fraud, and working to keep more money in families’ pockets. Defending Civil and Human Rights. As a former civil rights attorney for 16 years, I know how important it is to defend the rights of every person, regardless of gender, race, sexuality, or religion, and to protect people from discrimination and harm. With attacks coming down from the Trump Administration, I will be a strong defender of women’s rights, from equal pay to reproductive rights. Affordable and Accessible Health Care. Every Minnesotan should have access to affordable and accessible health care. As Attorney General, I will fight to hold drug corporations accountable for price gouging and to protect health care access under the Affordable Care Act. I will hold drug companies accountable for their role in fueling the opioid crisis which has flooded our communities with addictive narcotics.[14][15]

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about? Why?

I am passionate about expanding opportunity and prosperity for working families. That includes expanding access to affordable and accessible health care; making sure our economy works for everyone, not just people at the top; fighting for equal pay and protecting women’s rights to make their own health care decisions; fighting for workers’ rights, and defending civil and human rights. As a dedicated public servant, I have always fought for working families to put the needs of the people ahead of the interests of those at top.Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many[15]

[the profile publisher] also asked the candidate a series of optional questions. Keith Ellison answered the following:

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow and why?

One of the people I look up to most is former Vice President Walter Mondale, who I am honored to have the support of in my campaign. In addition to serving as Vice President, Mondale authored the Fair Housing Act as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and previously served as Minnesota Attorney General. He is a strong example of what principled, progressive leadership can look like in the Attorney General’s office, to defend the human and civil rights of all.[15]

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else that best describes your political philosophy?

I would recommend everyone read The Conscience of a Liberal by former Senator Paul Wellstone. Wellstone, who tragically died while serving Minnesotans in the United States Senate, has been an inspiration to so many of us working towards One Minnesota that better serves the needs of all people in our state. His legacy is a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together to advocate for our values.[15]

What qualities do you possess that would make you a successful officeholder?

I have 16 years of experience as a civil rights attorney, including 5 years leading a public defense law firm. I also have the unique experience of having served in both the state legislature and U.S. Congress, where I gained a firsthand knowledge of how the law comes together, and the importance of having a strong Attorney General to enforce it. I have the experience and background necessary to be an effective fighter on behalf of all Minnesotans.[15]

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

An Attorney General should be the people’s lawyer. That means holding those in power accountable when they step on Minnesotans’ rights — whether that’s Monsanto telling a farmer how to raise their crops, Navient cheating student loan borrowers out of more money, or the federal government infringing upon health care, a woman’s right to choose, or the human and civil rights of all.[15]

What legacy would you like to leave?

I want to leave a legacy of a Minnesota that is fairer for everyone, a state where the interests of the people are put ahead of massive corporations and well-funded special interests. I want to bring our state together around issues that affect all Minnesotans, from wage theft, to the opioid crisis and student loans, and a fair economy for small businesses and working families.[15]

What qualities does this office possess that makes it a unique and important part of the state government and legal system?

The Attorney General’s office serves as the front line of defense for the people of Minnesota against bad actors; whether that’s polluters trying to dump waste in your community, special interests trying to limit your freedoms, or big pharmaceutical companies pushing opioids into our communities. When that happens, the Attorney General can stand up and fight back. The Attorney General also plays an important role working hand-in-hand with County Attorneys and law enforcement officers throughout our state, to help local communities tackle local problems.[15]

Attorney's general can represent their states in legal conflicts with the federal government. Do you consider this an important part of an attorney general's responsibilities?

The Attorney General’s job is to defend the rights and freedoms of Minnesotans. In the past two years, we have seen the current administration in Washington D.C. rip apart families, restrict access to health care for millions of Americans, threaten our free and open internet, attack our unions, and allow corporate special interests to roll over hard-working Americans. These are issues that directly affect the people of Minnesota, and as Attorney General, I will defend the rights of all against any threat, from the federal government to corporate special interests.[15]

Campaign website

Ellison's campaign website stated the following:

FAIRNESS FOR WORKERS

I am a champion for labor and workers’ rights, carrying the bill for a $15 minimum wage and leading the charge against wage theft at the federal level. As Attorney General, I will always be a friend to working men and women and their families. Period.

Wage Theft

While most employers pay workers what they earn and deserve, some do not pay workers their full pay for their hard work, cheating them out of overtime pay or the minimum wage. I will partner with the MN Department of Labor and Industry to enforce wage theft laws and hold offenders accountable by forcing them to repay any stolen wages, plus interest. Last month, the Supreme Court voted to take away workers' rights to file a class-action lawsuit for employment law violations. This decision tilts the playing field in favor of large companies and their armies of lawyers. As the People's Lawyer, I will level the field by filing cases on behalf of all workers who get cheated out of their hard-earned pay.

Health Care

Every American should have access to guaranteed, quality, affordable health care. That’s why I led the Medicare for All bill in Congress. It’s why as Attorney General I will fight to hold drug corporations accountable for price gouging and other dirty tricks to raise prices or keep generic-brand drugs off the market. In the midst of our nation’s opioid crisis, Attorneys General should lead the fight in taking on drug companies who have flooded our communities with narcotics, and ensure this continues to be treated as a public health crisis. This includes working in collaboration with tribes, whose communities have been hit particularly hard by this crisis. I will stand up for women’s reproductive freedom and access to abortion and contraception. I will also join my fellow Attorneys General nationwide in their fight to protect the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid from on-going legal attacks.

Workplace Safety

Minnesotans shouldn't have to choose between their health and safety and their paychecks. But that is exactly what the Trump administration has made them do by rolling back and delaying the rules that keep workers safe on the job. I will put a stop to multi-billion dollar companies taking shortcuts on worker health and safety just to squeeze a few extra dollars of profits. This is especially important in Greater Minnesota, because agricultural work, logging, fishing, and iron and steel work are some of the top 10 most dangerous and fatal jobs in the United States.

Union Rights and Employment Discrimination

If you’re working hard on your job, no matter who you are or what your background is, you should have an equal shot of getting hired and promoted. Things like your age, race, religion, nationality, disability status, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity should never be used against you. I will protect workers from employment discrimination. I will also protect workers who exercise their legal right to join together and fight for higher wages and better working conditions. With the Supreme Court poised to deliver a tough blow to state workers in the Janus v. AFSCME decision, state and local workers in Minnesota need an Attorney General with a long record of fighting for workers' collective bargaining rights. I have that record.

FAIR ECONOMY

Everyone wins—consumers, retirees, investors, workers and businesses—when we get rid of fraud and unfair competition. In Congress, I have passed laws to fight credit card abuse and to stand up for the rights of tenants and renters, and founded the Congressional Antitrust Caucus. As Attorney General, I stand up to companies that deceive Minnesotans and violate our antitrust laws.

Fair Student Loans

Americans who borrow money to get a better education deserve fair treatment when repaying those loans. A few big companies control this business and they are misleading consumers by steering them into programs that leave them on the hook for years of extra payments at a higher cost. For some former students, especially those who attended for-profit private trade schools, the loans were part of a fraud that left them owing money for a worthless degree. U. S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is siding with the fraudulent schools and the big lending companies. As Attorney General, I would side with consumers with student loans and fight for fairness and debt relief.

Fair Competition

Consumers and workers need a robust economy with businesses competing on a fair and level playing field, not an economy where more power is concentrated in the hands of fewer and fewer companies. Corporate concentration is killing small businesses. As Attorney General, I will work to crack down on the unfair competitive practices that stifle our economy by cheating workers and consumers. I will advocate for farmers throughout the state to stop supply and intermediary companies from violating antitrust laws that raise their costs and lower the prices they are paid. I will also fight employers who keep down wages by monopoly power even as profits improve, or who use anticompetitive practices like non-compete agreements to keep workers’ wages low.

Stop Predatory Lending and Financial Scams

No one should be subject to a loan with hidden and abusive terms when they need to fix their house or buy a car. All Minnesotans can agree it is wrong to use an internet solicitation to try circumventing our state protections and charge 500% interest on a payday loan. I have spent my career fighting against predatory lending and as Attorney General I will continue this work to stop predatory lenders who violate our consumer protection laws. As our state population ages, seniors are increasingly being targeted by scammers and crooks. As Attorney General, I will put a stop to the abhorrent exploitation of seniors. This type of behavior has no place in Minnesota.

Affordable and Fair Housing

When Minnesotans save their hard-earned money to buy a mobile home or a traditional home, the last thing they should be worried about is predatory and fraudulent mortgages. I’ll put a stop to mortgage fraud and abuse and fight back against lenders who trap senior citizens in reverse mortgages that erode their hard-earned home equity. I will also work to level the playing field between landlords and tenants and combat the eviction crisis that is putting too many Minnesota families out on the street. It’s been 50 years since Congress passed the Fair Housing Act under the co-authorship of Walter Mondale to eliminate discrimination in lending. But redlining is still alive and well and black and brown homeowners and renters are consistently charged more than whites. As Attorney General, I will sue lenders and landlords who violate fair housing laws.

CIVIL RIGHTS AND JUSTICE

As a former civil rights attorney for 16 years, I know the value of a good lawyer to protect the rights of all to be free from discrimination and harm.

Immigration justice

Minnesota has a proud immigrant tradition, from those seeking economic opportunity to those fleeing warfare. As Attorney General, I will fight efforts by the Trump Administration to remove protections from Dreamers - remarkable young people who through their educational and work opportunities are contributing to our economy and society. I will ensure that our immigration detention system is humane, and free from mistreatment. I will also stand up to the un-American, discriminatory Muslim Travel Ban. Our country is at its best when we welcome those fleeing horrendous conditions, not when we fan the flames of bigotry and division.

Criminal Justice and Gun Violence

Partnering with our Counties

County attorneys often look to the Attorney General for resources and assistance when prosecuting complex and high profile cases. As Attorney General, I will ensure that every county attorney has the support and expertise necessary to fairly enforce our criminal laws. This will include particular attention to combating the sex trafficking that is all too prevalent in Minnesota.

Collateral consequences

Minnesota’s comparatively low prison population is growing and we have one of the highest rates of people on probation and parole in the county. Minnesotans on probation and parole face barriers to education, employment, housing, and political participation that make it harder to complete their sentence and become a productive member of their community. And Minnesotans with a criminal conviction continue to face barriers to finding a job, stable housing, and being able to support their families long after they have served their time. As Attorney General, I will work with county attorneys and the state legislature to reduce our incarceration, probation and parole rates and enhance public safety by helping people get back on their feet and successfully reintegrate into their communities.

Gun Violence Prevention

Gun violence has disrupted the lives of Minnesotans of all ages and all walks of life across the state. I saw firsthand Washington’s failure to act on public demands to enact common sense gun safety solutions. As Attorney General, I will ensure that Minnesota is a leader in preventing gun violence by fighting for laws that require universal background checks for gun sales, a ban of the sale of assault weapons and large capacity magazines, and by keeping guns out of the hands of people who pose a risk to themselves or to others, including domestic violence offenders. I will also defend Minnesota’s laws by standing with the Attorneys General of 17 other states to fight bad federal legislation that will undermine our ability to establish and enforce our state gun safety measures.

Equal Access to Justice

We must ensure that every Minnesotan has equal access to justice. That starts by increasing support for our public defenders, a right secured in Gideon v. Wainwright by the advocacy of our own Walter Mondale when he was Minnesota’s Attorney General. As Attorney General, I will work with the Board of Public Defense and the legislature to ensure that every low-income Minnesotan accused of a crime has efficient and thorough legal counsel. I will also work to eliminate cash bail laws that prey on the poor and powerless in our system.

Climate Justice

Minnesota has been hit hard with increasingly frequent major floods from Duluth to Waseca. Climate change impacts the vulnerable the most - working people, people of color, and seniors. Yet the Trump Administration actively denies and suppresses climate change science and is reversing the progress made under President Obama to hold fossil fuel corporations accountable. As Attorney General, I will stand up to efforts to undermine the Clean Power Plan, which would improve Minnesotans’ health and our environment by transitioning to clean energy. We don’t have to choose between a robust economy and a clean environment; we can and must have both.

Minnesotans need the Office of the Attorney General to fight for them every day.

[15]

—Keith Ellison for attorney general[16]

The following issues were listed on Ellison's campaign website. For a full list of campaign themes, click here.

Economy: Keith is dedicated to creating more good jobs in America, expanding opportunity, and reducing income inequality. With millions unemployed and millions more under-employed, we must get America back to work. As Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus, Keith helped spearhead the Better Off Budget, which turns back the Republican austerity plan and creates 8.8 million jobs by 2017.

Energy and the Environment: Keith’s top environmental priority is to address the very serious challenge of climate change. He supports the EPA’s historic steps to limit carbon pollution from power plants, which produce 40% of U.S. carbon emissions. He also believes we must make strategic investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Education: Keith is deeply concerned about the skyrocketing cost of higher education, which is a proven pathway to grow the middle class. He believes the Federal Government must do more to make higher education affordable by expanding Pell grants and keeping the interest rates on student loans low. He also believes that we urgently need to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color by investing in our schools and teachers, supporting robust and universal early education, and promoting high expectations for academic success

Immigration: Keith supports comprehensive immigration reform that includes: a clear path to citizenship to those who are already in the U.S. working and paying taxes; expedited process for family reunification; and workable employment verification system with strict penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants.

Voting Rights: Keith supports the rights of all individuals to vote, free of undue burden or harassment. Minnesota has consistently led the nation in voter turnout, without evidence of fraud. This is made possible because of Minnesota’s election laws, which Keith believes should serve as a model for the rest of the country.

[15]

—Keith Ellison's campaign website, http://www.keithellison.org/issues

The policy positions below were highlighted on Ellison's campaign website.

Civil and Human Rights

Excerpt: "Keith supports the rights of all individuals to vote free of undue burden or harassment. Furthermore, he is also a tireless advocate for LGBT equality and the rights of workers to collectively bargain."[17]

Economy

Excerpt: "He believes that we need a tax system where the rich pay their share. As a member of the House Financial Service Committee, Keith authored legislation to protect borrowers from being penalized by lenders for defaulting or missing payments on other loans—an unfair practice known as Universal Default."[17]

Education, Housing, and Healthcare

Excerpt: "Keith believes that we must support children, families, teachers, and communities in the development of high quality educational opportunities. Keith has been a leading voice for safe and affordable housing for low-income Americans and seeks to ensure that our most vulnerable citizens can keep a roof over their heads."[17]

Energy and Environment

Excerpt: "Everyone has the right to drink clean water, breathe clean air, and eat food free of harmful toxins. For years, Keith has been actively involved in the environmental justice movement, which brings communities of color and low-income communities into the larger efforts of creating a cleaner world for our children and future generations."[17]

Immigration

Excerpt: "Keith supports comprehensive immigration reform such as the STRIVE Act that includes four components: a clear path to citizenship to those who are already in the U.S. working and paying taxes; expedited process for family reunification; workable employment verification system with strict penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants."[17]

Peace and Foreign Relations

Excerpt: "Keith firmly believes that peace should be a guiding principle in U.S. policy, both foreign and domestic. He is committed to fostering dialogue, engagement, and non-violent conflict resolution so we leave a safer world for our children and future generations."[17]

Veterans

Excerpt: "Every day, America’s men and women in uniform put their lives on the line to defend our freedoms. During his time in Congress, Keith has supported policies that ensure we provide our troops with the support they deserve after returning from duty."[17]