We’ve all got time enough to cry

Yesterday afternoon, in “Does anyone really know what time it is? (Minnesota DFL edition),” I noted the rumors that Deputy DNC Chairman/Minnesota Fifth District Rep. Keith Ellison would leave his House seat to run for statewide office as Minnesota Attorney General. Ellison’s departure from Congress would create an opening for state representative Ilhan Omar, among others, to run for his seat in Congress. I thought what I heard about Ellison was solidly sourced, but I still find it hard to believe.

Last night Politico’s Isaac Dovere confirmed: “Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) is expected to make a last-minute entry into the race for Minnesota attorney general on Tuesday, according to two people familiar with his plans. … Ellison has been in Congress since 2007, and served as deputy chair of the [DNC] since last year, as a leader of the Bernie Sanders wing of the party. But he’s been chafing for months at both roles: being in the minority in Congress and being subsumed [sic] to DNC Chairman Tom Perez, who beat him for the top job. … [A]ttorneys general have taken on major significance within the Democratic resistance to the Trump administration, and Ellison is eager to be a leader in that fight.”

The deadline for filing arrives at 5:00 p.m. this afternoon. We will know before long.

Via Politico Playbook.

UPDATE: Star Tribune state politics reporter Patrick Coolican is not on board. He advises that Ellison is still debating the move and that former Attorney General Mike Hatch has filed to discourage him.

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