Cedrick Frazier claims victory in Hennepin County attorney race

Minnesota DFL state Rep. Cedrick Frazier has declared victory in the Hennepin County attorney race.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Frazier had 51% to former Acting U.S. Attorney Anders Folk's 49%.

Frazier is poised to succeed Mary Moriarty, who did not seek reelection after more than three years in the job. 

In a release, Frazier said he'll become the state's first-ever African American county attorney in its 168-year history. 

"This victory is a mandate, and the people have sent a crystal clear message: we need forward-looking change, and we will not return to a failed status quo. The people have demanded a better approach, and we have a responsibility to deliver that," Frazier said. 

The race centered on whether the office has been too easy on violent crime under Moriarty, whose tenure was marked by controversy over sentencing practices and the local investigation of federal agents' actions during Operation Metro Surge. Frazier finished first in the August primary, 36% to Folk's 23%. 

Folk argued that the office had been too lenient on sentencing. He pointed to the 2022 murder of Zaria McKeever, a case in which Moriarty faced extreme backlash for offering plea deals to two teens, including the shooter. Gov. Tim Walz later removed the case from Hennepin County and gave it to Attorney General Keith Ellison. 

Folk accused Frazier of supporting Moriarty's decision and of being a Moriarty staffer. Frazier said his only work for her was chairing her transition team, and that he held no official role in her campaign or administration. 

Frazier, who has said he grew up in a violent Chicago neighborhood, said he understood the McKeever family's anger. He campaigned on giving victims more focus, including a proposed victims and survivors advisory council. He said voters told him their cases often feel like they are just being processed. 

The two candidates agreed on some issues. Both supported Moriarty's investigation into federal agents' conduct during Operation Metro Surge, and both said the county needs to replace the Hennepin County Home School, a juvenile correctional facility that closed in 2021.