A high-stakes, down-ballot contest on the November election ballot is generating larger-than-usual attention.
Soft-on-crime Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is not running for a second term as chief prosecutor. And thanks to the quirks of county-election laws, two Democrats advanced from the August primary to face one another in next month’s general election.
Cedrick Frazier is a three-term state representative from suburban New Hope.
Anders Folk is a former career federal prosecutor. He served for most of 2021 as Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, appointed by Pres. Joe Biden.
To this observer, the race is playing out in much the same way that municipal races played out last year in Minneapolis and St. Paul: pitting the far-left wing of the Democratic party against the more moderate Democratic wing. Last year, where possible, I mapped out the two sides competing in Minneapolis city races.
In my presentation below, the far-left is on the left, with moderates on the right:
Using topology above, it’s clear that Folk is the more moderate of the two candidates: he has received endorsements from Mayor Frey, in addition to backing from Council Members Rainville, Vetaw, Warren and Shaffer.
For his part, Frazier has received an endorsement from CAIR Minnesota,
Oddly enough, the CAIR endorsement is not among the endorsements listed on Frazier’s campaign website, which includes, among others, the far-left dark money group Faith In Minnesota.
As a reminder, Frazier is a sitting state legislator, while Folk is a private citizen. So it’s not surprising that Frazier enjoys the support of many currently serving Democratic politicians, most prominently Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D, MPLS), Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, and Attorney General Keith Ellison. I would also call attention to Frazier’s endorsement by fellow state Rep. Samantha Sencer-Mura (D, MPLS) who is, in turn, endorsed by the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (TC DSA).
I would call two other Frazier endorsements to your attention, both big-city, out-of-state prosecutors:
The Wall Street Journal reported last week,
Philadelphia’s DA, the Dean of Progressive Prosecutors, Has His Own Legal Trouble:
Allegations of a flawed murder review, an angry rant about ‘Nazis,’ and warnings of ‘consequences’ are rocking the office of District Attorney Larry Krasner
Meanwhile, in Austin, TX, local FOX-7 reported last week,
Texas lawmakers review performance of DA Jose Garza:
Families of murder victims and public safety advocates are calling on lawmakers to utilize Texas law to look unto removing Travis County District Attorney Jose Garza.
So much drama. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported earlier today (Tuesday) on the Hennepin County Attorney race and a candidate debate under the headline,
Candidates for Hennepin County attorney clash over Trump’s policies, Moriarty’s legacy
In the next-to-last paragraph of the story, the Star Tribune notes,
The Working Families Party out of Brooklyn, New York has spent more than $200,000 on Frazier’s campaign. Frazier said that organization is focused on improving the lives of the working class and he sought their support.
Frazier is the only Minnesota candidate endorsed by New York’s Working Families this election cycle. In Michigan, the party is endorsing U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed (D), among others.
The campaign finance website Open Secrets reports that in the 2024 election cycle, Working Families received more than $2 million in donations from the Open Democracy PAC, funded by New York financier George Soros.
Folk reports individual endorsements from his successor, former U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger and Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt, among others,
In the August primary, Frazier and Folk received 35 and 22 percent of the vote, respectively, in a five-way race. As neither gained anything close to a majority, each will need reach voters beyond their base to prevail next month.
