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MDE IN THE NEWS: ROLL CALL: ELLISON MAY BE IN SOME TROUBLE

By Michael B. Brodkorb | June 27, 2006

This is a great article.  Keith Ellison is in deep trouble.   

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Minn. Party Designee May Be in Some Trouble

Roll Call Staff

June 27, 2006

A few weeks ago, Minnesota state Rep. Keith Ellison’s (D) prospects of becoming the first Muslim ever to serve in Congress looked strong.

As he moved toward the Sept. 12 Democratic primary, Ellison had garnered high- profile endorsements from the state Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party as well as from the Minnesota AFL-CIO and other key unions.

But that was before two conservative Web logs began to do a little digging on Ellison’s background. What they found — Ellison’s ties to Louis Farrakhan’s Nation of Islam and his public defense of radicals who were later convicted of murder — has made many Democrats in the Minneapolis-based 5th district a bit nervous.

Ellison now has fallen behind two other Democratic candidates in fundraising, and he recently replaced his campaign manager. Political analysts are saying DFL officials should have done a better job vetting the candidates before they endorsed Ellison.

"This is a classic example of liberal moral relativism," said Sarah Janacek, Republican editor of the Politics in Minnesota newsletter. She added that the Ellison endorsement shows the DFL is dominated by the far-left wing of the party. "A lot of people are willing to gloss over his past because he’s black."

Ellison's primary opponents are benefiting from his troubles — on the financial front at least — and the primary is becoming increasingly difficult to call.

Because Rep. Martin Sabo (D-Minn.) did not announce his retirement until late March, most of the contenders for his job have not had to submit campaign finance reports.

But former state Sen. Ember Reichgott Junge, who ran a failed race for attorney general in 1998, said she has raised more than $175,000. Mike Erlandson, Sabo’s recently departed chief of staff and the former state Democratic Party chairman, has raised more than $120,000. Ellison has raised about $100,000.

"Ellison’s candidacy has taken a step back,” said Michael Brodkorb, a Republican operative who runs the MinnesotaDemocratsExposed.com blog. "He's going to have to do a great deal to overcome the concerns people have over his past.”

Brodkorb nevertheless said Ellison had a "very strong legislative record" and was "a very intoxicating candidate."

Also running in the Democratic race are Jon Olson, president of the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, Minneapolis City Councilman Paul Ostrow, and peace activist Erik Thompson. The winner of the primary is almost certain to be the district’s next Congressman in such a heavily Democratic area.

Ellison said he is increasingly frustrated about the extent to which the allegations about his past have distracted attention from the substance of his campaign.

Ellison dismissed the allegations as "not legitimate" and "meaningless."

"I’ve introduced more bills than any other Democrat. Does anyone want to talk about that?" Ellison asked. "I've gotten bills passed while in the minority, that’s something that’s not supposed to happen. Does anyone want to talk about that? I've worked to increase penalties for people stealing gas. Does anyone want to know about that?"

But critics say questions about his past need to be answered, particularly those about his relationship with the Nation of Islam.

In law school, Ellison wrote an opinion piece defending Louis Farrakhan and also helped bring a speaker to the campus for a lecture titled: “Zionism: White Supremacy, Imperialism or Both?”

Ellison also has been criticized for a speech he made at a fundraiser for Sara Jane Olsen, a member of the radical Symbionese Liberation Army in the 1970s who changed identities and hid out in Minnesota for many years, living as a suburban mom, before pleading guilty to several violent acts.

"I think, just like the people who want to come together and lock up Sara, we need to come together and free Sara," Ellison said in 2000.

Ellison also spoke in support of Assata Shakur, a former Black Panther who was convicted of murdering a New Jersey state police officer and a fellow activist.

Ellison said he was advocating for a fair trial and that he does not and did not support criminal activities.

"At the time I was the director of the Legal Rights Center. Indigent defense was what I did every day," he said. "These people were accused of something bad. I didn’t know what their actions were, but before the trial, I'm like, 'Hey, let’s give them a fair trial'"

Ellison said the scrutiny of his past actions is diverting attention from his liberal message.

"It’s distracting," he said. "It’s forcing me to address issues that don’t have anything to do with what’s going on [in people’s lives] today."

Political analysts say Ellison’s troubles have opened up the race for his challengers.

"The whole campaign has been devoted to Ellison explaining his past relation to Farrakhan," said Doug Grow, a political columnist for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. "He's in a defensive posture."

Barry Casselman, a Minneapolis-based political analyst, said, however, that he still thinks Ellison is the favorite given his high-profile endorsements by the DFL, the AFL-CIO and other key interest groups. But he conceded that "it’s turning out to be a real contest."

Ellison, the most liberal of the leading candidates, is running on a platform of peace, universal health care and renewable energy. He said he sees his base as minorities, liberals, labor unions and people who oppose the war in Iraq.

"I don’t think the DFL endorsement guarantees anything," he said. "But with a hard-working candidate and a hard-working campaign, we’re going to energize and electrify the base. Then you’ve got a winning ticket."

But his opponents are conceding nothing.

Junge, who served in the state Senate for 18 years, is hoping to get women to the polls and sees the suburbs as her natural base of support. She has been endorsed by the Minnesota Women’s Campaign Fund.

"I'm just a better candidate," she said. "I have the ability to raise the funds to win."

Erlandson is also optimistic about his chances. He recently brought in popular former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-Maine) for a campaign event and has been endorsed by his old boss, Sabo.

He says he hopes newspapers and blogs will continue to scrutinize the candidates.

"I would hope before the campaign is over that all the newspapers that cover the campaign will vet all the candidates," he said. "If they do that, that’s good for me and for my campaign."

Janacek predicted that the DFL stalwarts will support Erlandson, not Ellison. Junge’s base is in the suburbs, she said, while Ellison has the support of the liberal wing of the party.

"It’s a completely open race," she said. "There's no question about that." Source: Roll Call, June 27, 2006

Topics: Keith Ellison, Michael Brodkorb | 2 Comments »