Lynne Torgerson announced her candidacy for Minnesota attorney general, joining a group of Republicans hoping to unseat incumbent Keith Ellison.
Torgerson is a veteran Minneapolis criminal defense and Second Amendment lawyer, who described COVID-19 restrictions and state lawsuits against businesses as “intrusive” while condemning the “destructive government lockdowns, lawsuits by [Keith Ellison] and unfair practices that threaten Minnesotans’ freedoms and rights.”
“I am running for Minnesota attorney general to protect our freedom and get things done,” Torgerson said. “I have seen how harsh, cruel and destructive government lockdowns have been. They are probably the most destructive acts by government against its own citizens in the history of the United States.”
Torgerson received her law degree from William Mitchell College of Law before starting her downtown Minneapolis firm in 1995.
She joins former state representative Dennis Smith, and attorney Doug Wardlow — who lost to Ellison by fewer than four percentage points in 2018 during a tough contest — as challengers.
Ellison was elected attorney general three years ago after representing Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District — now overseen by controversial Rep. Ilhan Omar — since 2007. He also is former Democratic National Committee deputy chair.
GOP candidates are attempting to tie the massive rise in violent crime, especially across the Twin Cities, to Democratic leadership, including Ellison. They also will likely focus on his duplicity on governmental lockdown restrictions and raise the attorney general’s handling of the George Floyd case.
“I will stand with and defend our law enforcement, not defund them,” Wardlow said in his campaign launch. “LAW & ORDER should not be controversial, but in 2021 it seems to be. That’s why Keith Ellison let criminals riot and burn down our cities. Enough is enough.”
A.J. Kaufman
A.J. Kaufman is an Alpha News columnist. His work has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Florida Sun-Sentinel, Indianapolis Star, Israel National News, Orange County Register, St. Cloud Times, Star-Tribune, and across AIM Media Midwest and the Internet. Kaufman previously worked as a school teacher and military historian.
