Keith Ellison wins after accusations of abuse

Minnesota has not elected Republican Attorney General for more than 40 years. Keith Ellison – prominent member of the Democratic Congress and number 2 of the Democratic National Committee – puts this series to the test.

Rocked by accusations of spousal abuse, Ellison is lagging behind the former legislator of the Republican state of Minnesota, Doug Wardlow, according to a survey conducted this week. And although each candidate has identified the other as being too far from the general public to be the most senior law enforcement official in the state, in reality the race revolves around Ellison and what voters make allegations of misconduct to which he is confronted.

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The result could have consequences far beyond the state as the country's attorneys general played a crucial role in fighting many of Donald Trump's policies in court. Democratic Attorneys General have taken legal action to end Trump's travel ban to several Muslim-majority countries, as well as his policy of separation of the family from undocumented immigrants.

Ellison said he would join the chorus of Democratic attorneys general to challenge policies that he would deem unconstitutional, while Wardlow pleaded for Trump and disapproved of the fact that the AG's office should be used to influence political decisions.

According to most accounts, this race should be a gift for Ellison, who drew national attention as the first Muslim member of Congress and had the chance to become president of the DNC in the 2017 elections before Be appointed vice president of the party. Wardlow, on the other hand, is a Republican with a soft voice and a blue state that most Minnesota have never heard of.

But allegations of physical and psychological abuse by Ellison's ex-girlfriend over the summer turned the race into a fierce battle. An MPR News / Star Tribune Minnesota poll conducted between October 15 and October 17 showed Ellison to be 7 points behind, although 56% of respondents do not know who Wardlow is. These results reflect a decisive turning point compared to September, when a poll conducted by the same media outlets gave Ellison 5 points ahead of him.

These figures suggest that the election has become a "referendum on Keith Ellison," said Minnesota Republican strategist Ben Golnik, who is not involved in the race.

Karen Monahan, Ellison's ex-girlfriend, accused the congressman of physical and psychological abuse a few days before the state primary in August. Ellison vehemently denied these accusations, and the state's Labor Democrat-Farmer Party hired a law firm to conduct an investigation, which revealed that the charges were unfounded.

But Monahan continued to talk about the alleged abuses, and Republicans have target Democrat candidates across the state to associate with Ellison.

Wardlow campaign director Billy Grant said it was hypocritical for Democrats in Minnesota to stand up as survivors of sexual assault if they did not denounce Ellison. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Min.) Played a pivotal role in questioning Judge Kavanaugh in the Supreme Court during his tumultuous confirmation hearing, and the Minnesota Democrats quickly overturned Sen's candidacy. Al Franken (D-Min.) Following allegations that he would fumble women when he was comedian.

"They refuse to cancel the endorsements. They are always campaigning with him, "said Grant. "But with Kavanaugh audiences, it's the complete opposite. So I think people only see the blatant hypocrisy in all of this, and it's really a matter of power for them. "

Monahan worked for Democratic causes for most of her adult life, and her lawyer, Andrew Parker, said she was not committed to running for the Attorney General.

DFL Senior Advisor Charlene Briner wrote in an e-mail: "The DFL has initiated the investigation of the allegations on a voluntary basis because we believe that all allegations of abuse or physical or sexual assault warrant a full and thorough investigation. "

Ellison is not the only one to question himself about alleged misdeeds from his past.

Wardlow accepted money from donors who ran a for-profit university that had been successfully prosecuted for fraud; he said Wednesday that he would return the gift. Republican hope has also collaborated with the Christian Advocacy Alliance, a non-profit organization, which has been described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as an anti-LGBT hate group.

Both candidates accused each other of being too radical for Minnesota. In a debate this week, which Grant described as "one of the toughest debates so far on Minnesota television," Wardlow has described Ellison as a radical leftist in Washington who would challenge in the courts any policy to which he would oppose. Ellison retorted that Wardlow wanted to purge the office of the Attorney General of Democrats and "implement the Trump program".

During the debate, Wardlow reflected on policy issues, stating that the Attorney General should be non-partisan and that he would not be indebted to any political party. But the state legislature often consults the Attorney General's office for advice, and Wardlow has given conservative views during his tenure in the legislature. He spoke out against the Affordable Care Act and supported a right to work law that critics say would undermine unions.

Democratic agent Sarah Walker was skeptical. Wardlow could be as neutral as he says. At a fundraiser on October 8, Wardlow was surprised to say that he would "immediately fire 42 Democrat lawyers" and add Republicans to the bureau. Wardlow said his remarks had been taken out of context and that he would not use political parties as a "litmus test", but Democrats were far from convinced.

"He sat in the legislature for two years and he was one of the most partisan lawmakers," Walker said. "It's impossible for me to believe that he's not going to have a very clear agenda."

Jeff Blodgett, longtime strategist for the Democratic Party of Minnesota, said that without the allegations of abuse, the race would not even be close. But Blodgett said the race discussion was more moved to the unsavory parts of Wardlow's past last week, which meant that Ellison could return to the lead.

"Keith's got beaten up with Karen Monahan's charge, and that dominates the story in the race," Blodgett said. "When that happens, the situation is pretty difficult."

Although Minnesota is a solid democratic field, Republicans are optimistic. Trump has only lost the state in 2016, and Republicans are hopeful of overthrowing two democratically controlled House seats mid-way through.

Melody Hoffman, a feminist activist who has supported Ellison in the past, said the charges had interrupted him. Hoffman said that she would probably have volunteered for Ellison in this election, as she has done regularly for the DFL in the past, but that she stays out of the race. She stated that she is split between voting for someone who, she says, has caused emotional harm to another woman and voting for a candidate who is openly supporting policies that, in her view, are harmful to women.

"If I know that someone is an abuser, whether he's racist or homophobic, whatever, I will not vote for them," Hoffman said. "It's only one of my core values."