Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison of Minnesota is in a dead heat with Republican challenger Jim Schultz in his effort to be re-elected, according to a series of polls on the race.
In a poll conducted in October, Ellison and Schultz were tied, each receiving the support of 47% of respondents, with 5% unsure of how they would vote, according to Embold Research, which conducted the survey for MinnPost. The race between both candidates has largely been tied over the last several months, with some polls suggesting that Schultz may narrowly win.
In June, a separate MinnPost poll, showed Ellison slightly trailing Schultz by 1 percentage point, within the margin of error of 2.6 percentage points, making the race a statistical tie between both candidates. Polling in the state’s AG race is very sparse.
🚨 NEW AD! 🚨
It’s a simple question: Do you trust Keith Ellison to keep you and your family safe? pic.twitter.com/7HGbcvaRSR
— Jim Schultz for Attorney General (@JimForMN) October 3, 2022
The polling data, however, poses a significant danger to Democrats in Minnesota, who have won all state-wide elections since 2006 and where President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump in 2020 by a 7% margin. In 2022, the state has a Cook Political Voting Index score of D+1.
Ellison, a former U.S. Representative for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District until 2019, is a left-wing candidate and close ally of Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and supported his two presidential campaigns. Ellison was Sanders’ endorsee in his 2017 campaign to be elected Chair of the Democratic National Committee, which he ultimately lost to former Labor Secretary Tom Perez.
Schultz, a 36-year-old lawyer for a Minnesota firm, has focused his campaign on Ellison’s job performance in 2020, where he oversaw the prosecution of former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin for the death of George Floyd in an arrest attempt. Though Schultz has not opposed Chauvin’s prosecution, he has derided Ellison for what he calls his “crazy anti-police ideology.” (RELATED: AG Keith Ellison Faces Lawsuit Accusing Him Of Coordinating With Bloomberg On Anti-Exxon Crusade)
In a debate between the candidates on Oct. 23, Schultz said that he was running to reverse Ellison’s “policies that led to an increase in crime in at-risk communities.” During 2020, Minneapolis faced frequent rioting following national news coverage of Floyd’s death, amounting to an estimated $1 billion in damages.
Ellison, for his part, has accused Schultz of exploiting the law and order situation in the state for his political advantages.
“He’s trying to demagogue crime, Willie Horton-style,” Ellison said, adding that Schultz had “never tried a case or stepped in a courtroom in his life,” during the debate.
The Morris poll surveyed 1,585 likely general election votes and had a margin of error of 2.6%. Neither Ellison’s nor Schultz’s campaigns have responded to a request for comment.
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