Ellison's bid for top Democratic post caps 25-year rise

Updated: 3:55 p.m. | Posted: 2:40 p.m.

Minnesota Congressman Keith Ellison officially entered the race to head the Democratic National Committee Monday, as his party tries to recover from an awful election showing.

Just re-elected to a sixth term in Congress, Ellison's DNC bid has already gained support from key party figures here in Minnesota and in Washington. That includes Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, Amy Klobuchar and Harry Reid.

"This election cycle, we did not motivate enough people to the ballot box. We must champion the challenges of working families and give voters a reason to show up at the polls in 2018 and beyond," Ellison said in a statement announcing his run.

Sanders, the Vermont senator and former presidential candidate, hailed Ellison as a fighter.

"At a time when Republicans will control the White House, the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate and two-thirds of all statehouses, it is time for a fundamental rethinking about what the Democratic Party stands for and how it functions," Sanders said.

Over the past 25 years Ellison rose from a community activist and lawyer in Minneapolis to a national leader in his party.

Born and raised in Detroit, Ellison came to Minnesota partly to attend law school at the University of Minnesota.

He first came to public attention in the late 1980s as he spoke out against allegations of prevalent police brutality against minorities.

Ellison went on to practice law, taking on civil rights and criminal defense cases.

He entered politics when a north Minneapolis seat in the Minnesota House opened in 2002.

As one of very few black lawmakers in St. Paul, Ellison established himself quickly as a leading voice on social justice — speaking up about lead poisoning in urban households, fighting against proposals to make voter registration laws more strict and warning about law changes that sought to expand the availability of handgun permits.

When longtime U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo made a surprise but late decision to retire in 2006, Ellison capitalized.

As he announced his congressional candidacy a decade ago, he delivered a message that seems fitting in light of his latest political challenge.

"Minnesota is known to send people to Washington who call our nation to renewal, who call our nation to a better place and call our nation to peace, call our nation to economic prosperity for working people, call our nation to prosperity for seniors," he said.

In that race, Ellison pushed past more-established figures in local and state politics to grab the DFL Party's endorsement and later win a primary against the retiring congressman's trusted political aide. But he also had to contend with his past.

Ellison was vying to become the first Muslim member of Congress.

So naturally, there was intense focus on that aspect of his life. Opponents highlighted his law school writings that defended Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, whose group had been criticized as being anti-Semitic, anti-gay and anti-white.

Ellison said in 2006 he was never a member of the group and didn't embrace all of Farrakhan's teachings. He urged people to put his actions ahead of the writings and innuendo.

"My ideas about Minister Farrakhan have changed in a number of important ways," he said then. "Human beings are complex, we evolve. We ought to let each other evolve. We ought to let each other be better than they were today. If someone is the same as they were 16 years ago that would be the very definition of stuck in a rut, wouldn't it?

Fellow state Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, who is Jewish, came to Ellison's defense back then and stands ready to do so again if the Nation of Islam controversy is reignited.

"I think there was a campaign with some on the right wing to discredit him," Hornstein said. "That didn't go very far. So I'm pleased with that. He has strong support in the Jewish community."

Hornstein is enthusiastic about the possibility of Ellison leading their party. He calls Ellison "a happy warrior" who offers just what dispirited Democrats need.

"His energy is infectious," Hornstein said. "When he addresses an audience, I've never seen people as riveted on him and his message. He does it with humor. He does it with a positive attitude. And he has fun doing it."

Ellison has been one of the most liberal members of Congress. He's co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which is built around principles of economic justice, civil liberties, global peace and environmental protection.

He was an early backer of Sanders run for president, but got behind Hillary Clinton when Sanders dropped out.

But along the way he also warned about taking Donald Trump too lightly. On ABC's "This Week" more than a year ago, he was almost laughed off set for doing so. "You know, we had Jesse Ventura in Minnesota win the governorship," he said. "Nobody thought he was going to win. I'm telling you, stranger things have happened."

To become party chairman, Ellison will have to beat at least one other announced candidate — former party chairman Howard Dean — and possibly others. There's been no signal he'd leave Congress to do the job, meaning he'd be pulling double duty.

In announcing his run for the DNC job he said he wants to begin rebuilding the party now.

"It is not enough for Democrats to ask for voters' support every two years," he said. "We must be with them through every lost paycheck, every tuition hike, and every time they are the victim of a hate crime. When voters know what Democrats stand for, we can improve the lives of all Americans, no matter their race, religion or sexual orientation."