The Editorial Board was mistaken not to endorse a candidate. As former AGs, we know that Ellison is well-prepared for the job, and Doug Wardlow is unsuited for it.
The Star Tribune Editorial Board erred in its decision not to endorse in the Minnesota attorney general’s race (“Two deeply flawed AG candidates,” Nov. 2). As two former Minnesota attorneys general, we can say with confidence that Keith Ellison is well-prepared to fulfill the important duties of this essential constitutional office and is the only reasonable choice for Minnesota voters in this election.
The board did get it right when it concluded that Doug Wardlow is unsuited for office. His pledge to politically purge “42 Democratic attorneys right off the bat,” and install a loyalty test for newly hired lawyers, is singularly disqualifying. The Minnesota attorney general should be concerned only with hiring the best attorneys to serve the people of Minnesota, not those eager to serve a political agenda. We were heartened to see Keith Ellison pledge this week to support civil service reforms in the Attorney General’s Office, to ensure that the political purge Wardlow has promised cannot occur under any future attorney general.
A deeper examination of Wardlow’s record and agenda makes clear that he is out of step with the priorities of this office, and of the people of Minnesota. One of the most important duties of the office is to protect Minnesota consumers, yet Wardlow has pledged to side with large corporations over individuals’ rights. And he has refused to support lawsuits against the opioid manufacturers who, like the cigarette companies that the Attorney General’s Office previously brought to account, have made millions off addiction and death in our state.
Skip Humphrey served as Minnesota attorney general from 1983 to 1999. Walter Mondale is a former vice president and served as Minnesota attorney general from 1960 to 1964. Both are Democrats.