A third Democrat has entered the race for Hennepin County attorney, following Mary Moriarty’s announcement in August that she won’t seek reelection next year.
In attorney Matt Pelikan’s official launch video on Wednesday, the DFLer positioned himself as a “common-sense” alternative to two other Democrats — Hao Nguyen and Rep. Cedrick Frazier.
“Every politician says they care about safety,” Pelikan said. “Every lawyer says they care about justice. But what good is that when people say they feel like the streets aren’t safe; the system is rigged.”
A longtime resident of downtown Minneapolis and current partner at Madel PA law firm, Pelikan first expressed interest in the county attorney’s office this summer, just hours after Moriarty announced she would not seek reelection next year.
Pelikan emphasized that two of his top priorities as Hennepin County attorney will be to “confront gun violence head on” and “get serious about prosecuting violent crime.”
“I believe progressives must prove that we can deliver safe communities, or progress itself is at risk. That’s what this campaign is about,” Pelikan wrote.
He also stressed the “need to support law enforcement when all they are doing is trying to keep us safe and when criminals break the law, we need to hold them accountable. Even when they are cops.”
This isn’t Pelikan’s first attempt at elected office. In 2018, he received the DFL endorsement for attorney general over incumbent Lori Swanson. He was ultimately defeated by Keith Ellison in a five-person DFL primary.
Pelikan’s legal career includes more than a decade as a private practice litigator, and stints working for various Democrat-affiliated organizations and campaigns, including Mark Dayton’s and Paul Wellstone’s U.S. Senate campaigns. In 2016 he worked as an attorney for the “Voter Protection department” of Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, according to his attorney bio.
Hank Long
Hank Long is a journalism and communications professional whose writing career includes coverage of the Minnesota legislature, city and county governments and the commercial real estate industry. Hank received his undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, where he studied journalism, and his law degree at the University of St. Thomas. The Minnesota native lives in the Twin Cities with his wife and four children. His dream is to be around when the Vikings win the Super Bowl.
