The latest poll taken in Minnesota indicates a shocking upset may be about to take place: in the race for state attorney general, Democrat U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, formerly the Deputy Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is losing to Republican Doug Wardlow, who leads by seven percentage points, 43%-36%.
The Star Tribune/MPR News Minnesota Poll that showed Wardlow with a significant lead reflected a massive change since September, when the same poll found Ellison with a five-point lead, 41%-36%.
The latest poll found GOP voters solidly behind Wardlow, while Democrats were uneasy about supporting Ellison, who has been facing accusations of sexual abuse from his former girlfriend. Ellison led Wardlow in the latest poll in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, but the rest of the state preferred Wardlow.
Among voters aged 18-34, Wardlow’s support more than doubled, a shift from September, when Ellison held a commanding lead among those voters.
As far as voters’ feelings about the sexual abuse accusations from Karen Monahan, Ellison’s former girlfriend, the Star Tribune reported, “Nearly half of the poll participants said they were not sure whether they believe what Monahan said. Just less than a third said they did believe her, up from a month ago, while about a fifth did not believe her. About half of Republicans said they believe Monahan, compared with 13 percent of Democrats and a third of independent voters.”
Ellison’s stock among women has dropped precipitously; women barely preferred Ellison to Wardlow, 39%-38%; in September Ellison had led with women 46%-30%. Men clearly preferred Wardlow.
Wardlow has worked as legal counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has fought for religious liberty for Americans on numerous fronts. He served in the Minnesota state House from 201-2013.
Ellison’s history is chock-full of issues that are problematic: in 2007 he compared former President George W. Bush to Adolf Hitler, saying of the 9/11 attacks: “It’s almost like the Reichstag fire, kind of reminds me of that. After the Reichstag was burned, they blamed the Communists for it, and it put the leader [Hitler] of that country in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted.”
Ellison has been slammed for his association with anti-Semite and racist Louis Farrakhan; as recently as Sunday in his debate with Wardlow he tried to downplay any association with Farrakhan, which flies in the face of facts. Ellison has also implied that having national borders is an “injustice.”
Unlike Ellison, Wardlow is a tough conservative on illegal immigration. He stated during an interview, “Sanctuary city policies are very dangerous. They put Minnesotans at risk; they undermine public safety. I think it’s very important that the attorney general work with federal law enforcement to make sure Minnesotans are safe by enforcing our immigration laws. That’s exactly what I would do.” When the interviewer mentioned Minneapolis and St. Paul’s laws that prevent public employees from asking about someone’s immigration status and asked Wardlow if he would strike down those laws, he answered, “I think those laws should be struck down; I would look for ways to put pressure on those cities to change those policies that are making Minnesotans less safe.”