Keith Ellison Soundly Wins Re-Election In 5th District
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Congressman Keith Ellison will remain in office after winning his re-election bid for the fifth time Tuesday.
Ellison soundly defeated Republican challenger Frank Drake.
Minnesota's 5th Congressional District includes all of Minneapolis and several of its suburbs. The district is considered Minnesota's most liberal.
Ellison made history during his first election in 2006 when he became the first Muslim-American elected to Congress, and the first person of color to represent Minnesota.
Throughout his career, Ellison has been a strong supporter of progressive causes, appearing at protests in support of a $15 minimum wage and for police accountability in the shootings of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile.
Ellison was one of the earliest, and most vocal, members of Congress to endorse Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary. He eventually threw his support behind Hillary Clinton.
Dennis Schuller, of the Legal Marijuana Now party, earned less than 10 percent of the vote in Tuesday's election with roughly three-quarters of precincts reporting. A Republican hasn't represented Minnesota's 5th District since 1963.