Ron Schutz Challenges Keith Ellison in Tight Minnesota Attorney General Race

The Minnesota Attorney General Race Narrows as Schutz Challenges Ellison

For the first time in six decades, Minnesota voters face a decision that could break a generations-long political streak. On Tuesday, Minnesotans head to the ballot box to choose between incumbent Democrat Keith Ellison and Republican challenger Ron Schutz for the state’s attorney general, according to reporting by CBS News. While recent polling gives Ellison a slight edge, the matchup has remained razor-thin for weeks, setting up a high-stakes showdown over public safety, fraud enforcement, and federal litigation.

If successful, Schutz would become Minnesota’s first Republican attorney general since 1971. The challenger brings more than four decades of legal experience to the race, including a four-year stint in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps where he served as a defense lawyer and prosecutor with the 7th Infantry Division. Recognized on Forbes’ list of America’s Top 100 Lawyers in 2024 and 2025, Schutz spent 39 years as an attorney and partner at the national law firm Robins Kaplan. His platform centers on combating fraud, strengthening consumer protections, cracking down on crime, supporting law enforcement, and advocating for policies that restrict transgender women from participating in girls’ and women’s sports.

Minnesota has seen some of the largest fraud scandals in the country, and where has Keith Ellison been? This weekend, he's at a no kings protest instead of holding fraudsters accountable. Minnesotans deserve better. #HoldThemAccountable #MinnesotaFraud

— https://x.com/RonforMNAG/status/2037977473397244227

On the other side of the ballot, Ellison is seeking his third term after first winning the office in 2018. Before his election as attorney general, Ellison spent 12 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, building a legislative record focused on consumer, worker, environmental, and civil rights protections. Earning his law degree from the University of Minnesota in 1990, Ellison spent 16 years as a criminal defense and civil rights attorney, which included five years leading the Legal Rights Center as executive director. His campaign highlights ongoing efforts to lower family costs, improve gun safety and public safety, tackle fraud, and actively challenge the Trump administration.

Clashing Records on Fraud and Federal Lawsuits

The campaign trail has brought sharp disagreements over how the incumbent office has handled major state vulnerabilities, particularly fraud. Schutz has sharply criticized the current administration’s record, pointing specifically to the massive $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal. He contends that many Medicaid fraud cases handled under Ellison have fallen short of actual accountability.

“With stays of adjudication, there is no conviction; there are 214 of those cases that they looked at where there was no conviction,” Schutz said during the campaign.

A spokesperson for Ellison strongly disputed that claim, noting that Ellison’s Medicaid unit has successfully secured 340 Medicaid fraud convictions over seven years. Just weeks before the election, Ellison’s office secured an $18.5 million settlement against a Minnesota firm named Partners in Nutrition.

Ron Schutz Challenges Keith Ellison in Tight Minnesota Attorney General Race — Photo: cbsnews.com

Federal litigation has also sparked intense debate between the two candidates. Ellison has joined fellow Democratic attorneys general in suing the Trump administration more than 73 times. He estimates those legal challenges successfully preserved over $7.3 billion in federal funding for Minnesota after cuts by the White House. Out of those challenges, Ellison reports a 90% success rate or preliminary injunctions in 45 cases, with six losses and 20 lawsuits still active.

Schutz remains skeptical of out-of-state legal coordination. He questions why the office joins multi-state lawsuits initiated elsewhere, asking publicly why state resources are tied to litigation spearheaded by officials in other jurisdictions like California.

The Scope of Criminal Prosecutions Statewide

Beyond civil litigation and fraud, the candidates diverge on the operational focus of the attorney general’s office. Schutz advocates for making the agency a larger, more direct participant in criminal prosecutions across the state.

Minnesota Attorney General Debate: Keith Ellison vs. Ron Schutz | Full Debate

Under Ellison, the office has stepped into high-profile local prosecutions when requested or required, including the landmark criminal trial of Derek Chauvin and the 2022 murder case of Zaria McKeever. The latter case gained widespread attention after Gov. Tim Walz removed the prosecution from Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty because her office planned to handle the shooter in juvenile court.

With final votes being cast on Tuesday, the remaining question is whether voter concerns over economic pressures, public safety, and fraud enforcement will be enough to alter Minnesota’s long-standing political geography.