GOP Attorney General Candidate Announces Plan to Be Tough on Violent Criminals

(KNSI) — The Republican candidate running for Minnesota Attorney General says he’ll make sure criminals serve their time if elected in November.

Jim Schultz says he decided to run after seeing how elected officials, like current Attorney General Keith Ellison, vilified the police and supported defunding them.

Schultz says violent crime is out of hand, and he has plans to reign it in.

“It starts by supporting law enforcement. Ensuring that we’re aggressively prosecuting crime. Ensuring that if you commit a crime in the state of Minnesota that you’re going to be appropriately punished. And for a serious crime, you’re going to spend a serious amount of time in prison. Right now, it’s a revolving door and that’s absolutely unacceptable.”

Schultz says prosecutors and judges are letting violent criminals walk away with a slap on the wrist.

“If judges are failing to uphold their constitutional oath, they’re going to be hearing from me. They’ve got to know that they’re going to have a light shone on them if they fail to do their job. And we’re not asking for them to do anything other than follow the law and that’s what I’ll insist upon as the Attorney General.”

A recent crime report released by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension showed violent crime was up more than 21% in 2021 compared to 2020. St. Cloud also recorded a record number of homicides at five, the fourth most in the state.

Schultz grew up in South Haven near Annandale and has spent his career as a lawyer in the private sector.

Schultz will take on Attorney General Keith Ellison in November.

Ellison was the lead on the prosecution team that tried and convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in connection to the death of George Floyd in May of 2020. He was also in charge of suing businesses that opened the doors for in-person service during the COVID-19 lockdowns. One of them was Kris Schiffler, owner of six Shady’s Bar and Grill locations around central Minnesota. He was set to open the Shady’s in Albany but didn’t on the advice of his lawyer after Ellison filed a restraining order to stop him.

Ellison, a Democrat, is expected to be backed by U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter III, and Minnesota Farmers’ Union President Gary Wertish.

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KNSI News Director Jennifer Lewerenz contributed to this story.

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