Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison (D.) is weighing a bid for governor after Tim Walz (D.) abruptly abandoned his reelection campaign amid a massive Somali-linked welfare fraud scandal that unfolded on his watch.
According to the Washington Free Beacon, a person familiar with Ellisons thinking told the Star Tribune that the left-wing prosecutor is actively considering entering the gubernatorial race. In the wake of Walzs decision to step aside, Ellison praised the embattled governor as a "remarkable leader" who left a "legacy to be damn proud of."
Ellisons apparent ambition comes as he faces intensifying scrutiny over his own role in the scandal, which has become a symbol of lax oversight and mismanagement in Minnesotas welfare bureaucracy. He has been sharply criticized for a December 2021 meeting with representatives from Feeding Our Future, a fraudulent charity run largely by Somali immigrants that looted a federal child nutrition program.
During that meeting, Ellison assured the group he was "here to help" and offered to intervene with state officials who were blocking their funding applications. Just nine days later, he accepted four campaign contributions totaling $10,000 from individuals tied to the scheme, raising serious ethical and political questions.
Once federal prosecutors began handing down indictments, Ellisons office issued a statement claiming it had worked "for two solid years" to hold Feeding Our Future accountable. Ellison would later concede he was unaware a federal investigation was already "in full swing" at the time of his meeting, even as that probe ultimately produced 78 indictments and exposed similar Somali-related fraud in other welfare programs.
Walzs retreat from the race followed polling that showed Minnesotans were deeply troubled by the explosion of fraud under Democratic leadership. A KSTP and Survey USA survey found that 79 percent of registered voters believe fraud in state programs is either the biggest or a major problem, and nearly 7 in 10 said Walz needed to "do more" to stop it.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D.) is also reportedly positioning herself for a gubernatorial run, underscoring the high political stakes for Democrats in the state. She met with Walz to confirm her interest in replacing him and reportedly registered a campaign domain name even before his public announcement that he would not seek reelection, setting up a potential clash among Democrats already dogged by scandal and public distrust.
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