Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison was abruptly interrupted by protesters during a rally speech when they accused him of shutting down the Conviction Review Unit—a program that overturned three wrongful convictions in five years. Ellison attributed the unit’s closure to insufficient funding from the Trump administration, but demonstrators demanded accountability for his decision.
Ellison appeared stunned and angered by the interruption, quickly concluding his remarks before rushing offstage. Earlier, he described the upcoming primary contest between far-left candidate Peggy Flanagan and Rep. Angie Craig as “truly a fight of the money versus the many.”
Financial disclosures reveal a stark disparity: Flanagan has $1.56 million in cash on hand for the period ending June 30, while Craig holds over $5 million—more than three times the amount. The protest videos went viral on YouTube and X shortly after Ellison’s remarks.
Flanagan is seeking the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nomination to challenge Craig, who has represented Minnesota since 2019. Craig is the state’s first openly LGBTQ+ member of Congress and the first lesbian mother in Congress. She has received endorsements from establishment Democrats, including former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
The primaries for both parties are scheduled for August 11.
