Mary Moriarty, the polarizing progressive prosecutor who runs the largest public law office in the state, announced Wednesday that she will not seek a second term in 2026.
Elected Hennepin County attorney in 2022, her tenure has been marked by various controversies, including her failed prosecution of State Trooper Ryan Londregan and her leniency toward violent criminals.
Most recently, she declined to charge a state employee who was accused of vandalizing multiple Tesla vehicles. Her office is also under investigation by the Department of Justice over a policy that directs prosecutors to consider race in plea deals.
“As I have weighed whether I wanted to spend the last year and a half of my term focused primarily on campaigning or continuing to transform this office, the choice became clear. I want to focus on running the office, rather than running for office,” Moriarty said in a statement.
A press release listed a series of her “accomplishments to date,” including devoting “more resources to preventing violence before it starts,” supporting the “exonerations of two wrongfully convicted men,” launching “expungement clinics,” and more.
State Rep. Cedrick Frazier — a Moriarty supporter — and attorney Matt Pelikan have expressed interest in running to succeed Moriarty.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
