This is the office that in some states is called the District Attorney; the County Attorneys in MN are the chief prosecutors for state-level crimes. The current Hennepin County Attorney, Mary Moriarty, is not running again. (In Ramsey County, John Choi is unopposed.)
On the ballot:
I wrote about both candidates during the primary. I noted that Anders Folk’s endorsements were a rogue’s gallery of my least favorite Minneapolis-area politicians, that he accepted the maximum campaign contribution from someone who prosecuted a case that was rife with gross misconduct, and made no commitment to maintaining the HCA’s Conviction Integrity Unit. Anders Folk is 100% the choice of the faction that would say with self-righteousness rather than irony that the law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike from sleeping under bridges. I noted that Cedrick Frazier, like Mary Moriarty, has worked as a public defender; he’s DFL-endorsed and also has endorsements from all the high-profile progressives; and his website includes an explicit commitment to continue reviewing wrongful convictions.
I do also want to talk about some of the other things I’ve learned about Anders Folk since the primary.
- He’s presented himself as the best person to prosecute ICE and yet he has also campaigned with MN House District 45A Republican Andrew Myers. Myers presents himself as a centrist, but skipped a vote (despite being in the building!) on a bill to rein in ICE agents that would, among other things, have required the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate shootings and uses of force involving federal agents.
Folk has been wooing Republicans since he got in the race. His text messages to suburban voters don’t mention prosecuting ICE. Why on earth would anyone trust him to prosecute the ICE agents who shot Minnesotans dead on the street last January?
2. Folk is a partner at Jones Day. While a lot of big law firms represent a lot of terrible people, Jones Day manages to stand out. Local lawyer Ryan D. Peterson made a video (shared on Bluesky) talking about Jones Day and why working for Jones Day is another reason not to trust Anders Folk: this is the law firm that “represented Experian for decades. This is a law firm and a company that’s made it their mission to trample on the rights of individual consumers.” They also immediately rehired their former partner Yaakov Roth, who spent a year doing things like defending Trump’s ballroom.
ETA 10/19 Some additional information on Jones Day, courtesy of a reader: “Jones Day is also the central case study of a recent book literally titled Servants of the Damned and just the blurb lists plenty more than Ryan covered, ‘Jones Day helped Trump fend off the Mueller investigation and challenged Obamacare. Its once and future lawyers defended Trump’s Muslim ban and border policies and handled his judicial nominations. The firm has for decades represented Big Tobacco in its fight to avoid liability for its products. Jones Day worked tirelessly for the Catholic Church as it tried to minimize its sexual-abuse scandals. And for Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, as it sought to protect its right to make and market its dangerously addictive drug. And for Fox News as it waged war against employees who were the victims of sexual harassment and retaliation. And for Russian oligarchs as their companies sought to expand internationally.'” Again: Folk is a partner. That means he doesn’t just work there, he’s one of the owners and shares in the decision making.
3. Ryan D. Peterson also has a video talking about Folk’s claims about his extensive prosecutorial experience. “I did a deep dive. And it doesn’t look like he has tried a criminal case to a jury since George W. Bush was president. That’s 2008. And even back then, I could only find like eight or nine cases that he was actually a prosecutor on.” In a response to the video, a lawyer and former prosecutor who lives in Hennepin County wrote a thoughtful thread talking about how all the best prosecutors she worked with have defense experience; also, the County Attorney is primarily a manager. (“The county attorney isn’t trying cases, they’re a manager. They set policy for the office. They manage a lineup of incredibly hard working attorneys who try the shit out of cases whether they win and lose. They have to liaise with all kinds of offices. […] As county attorney, Cedrick Frazier and Anders Folk probably won’t go into court frequently, but they will determine how DWI offers are made. They’ll be in the meetings with adult protection on crypto scams on seniors. They’ll deal with problem properties out in the burbs. They’ll meet with the head of the public defenders office when there are relationships that need building. They’ll manage treatment courts and help DV shelters with ongoing issues. If I’m choosing between a legislator with defense experience or a federal prosecutor who only ever worked for Republicans, I’m choosing the legislator every time. I don’t think Anders can build the relationships Frazier already has. Frazier has depth and breadth because of his legislative and defense experience.”)
4. Speaking of problem properties out in the burbs, a landlord group is aggressively fundraising for Folk.
5. There’s also the fact that Anders Folk worked as a Federal Prosecutor under Trump. I also find it concerning that he went to work as a Federal Prosecutor originally under the George W. Bush administration.
I would vote for Cedrick Frazier.
ETA: I got a comment (you can scroll down and read it if you want) from an Anders Folk supporter who wanted to complain about the fact that I nearly always back the progressive Democrat over the centrist. (“I’m concerned that you almost always favor the progressive candidate over the liberal candidate. […] I hope you’ll at least consider an alternative approach. Maybe start by just picking one future campaign and see if you can bring yourself to recommend a non-Team Progressive candidate?”) She said she tried to vote for “what was best for the electorate.”
I replied to her, but I wanted to add this to the main post. I am a progressive. I don’t hide my personal bias(es). And I do not think it is best for the electorate to have the sort of County Attorney who deals with high-profile murderers by finding some guy to blame it on, whether he did the crime or not. I do not think it is best for the electorate to have the sort of County Attorney who refuses to prosecute cops for anything short of literal murder committed on camera. Folk has very much campaigned on the idea that he’ll be more like Amy Klobuchar and Mike Freeman. “being more like Amy Klobuchar and Mike Freeman.” He’s made it absolutely clear that this is the kind of County Attorney he’d be. And that’s not remotely what I want!
And the fact that this IS apparently what so many of the local centrists want, or at least are willing to tolerate in exchange for someone who will be more aggressive about locking up 14-year-old car thieves — that right there is a great illustration of why I am not super interested in their opinions about which candidates would do a better job for Minneapolis and St. Paul.
(Vote for Cedrick Frazier for County Attorney, and vote for Amy Klobuchar for Governor because for all the many reasons I dislike Amy, she’ll be significantly better for the state than Lisa Demuth.)
ETA 10/26: Racket has a new story about Anders Folk; here’s a gift link. Among the things they note: “The New York Times reported that [Jones Day] has been ‘dedicated not just to helping Republicans win elections but to helping them achieve their political aims once in office.’ An analysis from the Columbia Journalism Review further reports that Folk’s firm has become the top choice for corporate executives seeking to counter labor unionization efforts within their workplaces, which explains why no labor unions have endorsed his County Attorney campaign.” Here’s a gift link to the 2022 NYT piece about Jones Day.
People have tried making the claim that the County Attorney isn’t a political office. Maybe in an ideal world it wouldn’t be a political office. But the Republican party has fully embraced its identity as the Cops Shouldn’t Ever Experience Consequences For Shooting Unarmed People (Especially Unarmed Black People) Party, so here we are. The policy choices made by the County Attorney have huge knock-on effects, especially around the force cops feel entitled to use at the drop of a hat. VOTE FOR CEDRICK FRAZIER.
This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.
I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.
