Including endorsements from leaders in 42 counties across Minnesota and Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association District 5, with sheriffs representing 15 counties in southwest Minnesota
PLYMOUTH, Minn. – October 27, 2022 – Jim Schultz, Republican nominee for Minnesota Attorney General, today announced historic support from Minnesota’s law enforcement community, with endorsements from 42 county public safety officials, including one county attorney and 41 county sheriffs, and Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association District 5, with sheriffs representing 15 counties in southwest Minnesota. In total these county public safety officials have served almost 4,500,000 Minnesotans or nearly 80% of the state’s residents. Schultz’s announcement comes after Keith Ellison falsely claimed over the weekend that he doesn’t “know anybody who thinks we should defund the police,” making this statement two days after campaigning with notorious defund-the-police activists Cori Bush and Ilhan Omar. FACT CHECK: here
“While Keith Ellison desperately tries to run away from his dangerous defund-the-police record, public safety officials from across Minnesota are endorsing our campaign in historic numbers,” said Schultz.“In 12 days, the voters of Minnesota are going to hold Keith Ellison accountable for his extremely reckless embrace of the defund-the-police movement that has created skyrocketing violent crime in our communities.”
Despite serving as Attorney General for nearly four years, Keith Ellison, who backed the 2021 Minneapolis charter amendment focused on defunding the police and supported ending bail for 19 felony crimes in Hennepin County amid skyrocketing violent crime, has zero endorsements from sheriffs or law enforcement organizations in Minnesota.
“I’m endorsing Jim Schultz because Minnesotans deserve an Attorney General who has credibility and the trust of Minnesota’s law enforcement community to restore public safety and end skyrocketing violent crime in our communities,” said Traverse County Attorney Matt Franzese. “Jim has my full confidence and trust.”
In their endorsement of Schultz, the 42 public safety officials, including one county attorney and 41 county sheriffs, and the 15-county Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association District 5 join former U.S. Attorney Thomas B. Heffelfinger and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, the National Troopers Coalition, and the Ramsey County Deputies’ Federation.
Full list of county public safety officials who have endorsed Schultz: Attorney Matt Franzese (TraverseCounty), Sheriffs James Stuart (Anoka County), Daniel Guida (Aitkin County), Todd Glander (Becker County), Ernest Beitel (Beltrami County), Troy Heck (Benton County), Tom Burch (Cass County), Mark Empting (Clay County), Scott Goddard (Crow Wing County), Tim Leslie (Dakota County), Scott Rose (Dodge County), Kurt Freitag (Freeborn County), Mark Haberer (Grant County), Victor Williams (ItascaCounty), Shawn Haken (Jackson County), Eric Holien (Kandiyohi County), Mark Wilwant (KittsonCounty), Allen Anderson (Lac qui Parle County), Brett Mason (Le Sueur County), Chad Meester (LincolnCounty), Tim Langenfeld (McLeod County), Josh Guenther (Mahnomen County), Jason Boman (MarshallCounty), Brian Cruze (Meeker County), Shawn Larsen (Morrison County), Jeremy Thorton (NormanCounty), Kevin Torgerson (Olmsted County), Jeffrey Nelson (Pine County), James Tadman (Polk County), Bob Fletcher (Ramsey County), Mitch Bernstein (Red Lake County), Scott Hable (Renville County), Patrick Nienaber (Sibley County), Steve Soyka (Stearns County), Jason Dingman (Stevens County), Rodney Bartsh (Wabasha County), Michael Carr (Wadena County), Brad Milbrath (Wasceca County), Dan Starry (Washington County), and Sean Deringer (Wright County), Bill Flaten (Yellow Medicine County), and Rich Stanek (Hennepin County (2006 – 2018))
Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association District Map here
