January 4, 2007 - Today in Washington, three new members of the House from Minnesotan will be sworn into office. The three will bring diverse backgrounds and political ideologies to Congress. But Keith Ellison, Tim Walz and Michelle Bachman all say they'll keep the interests of Minnesotans in the forefront as they begin their careers in Congress. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik presents this profile on them.
November 7, 2006 - Election 2006: Keith Ellison's speech after victory over Alan Fine, Tammy Lee for the 5th Congressional District seat.
November 6, 2006 - In the last day of campaigning, all three candidates from Minnesota's 5th district were out in full force. Democrat Keith Ellison, Republic Alan Fine, and Independant Tammy Lee were all campaigning, hoping for a victory.
November 1, 2006 - In less than a week, voters in Minnesota's 5th district will elect a new representative to Congress for the first time in nearly three decades. MPR's Brandt Williams checks out all four campaigns.
September 15, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on the three major party candidates running for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District. DFL candidate Keith Ellison, Republican Alan Fine, and Independence Party member Tammy Lee met in their first debate since Tuesday's primary. Fine continued his criticism of Ellison for his past relationship with the Nation of Islam during the debate on Minnesota Public Radio News. Ellison said he's surprised by Fine's continued criticism and would prefer to focus on the issues. Lee stated the back and forth between the two candidates is an example of why the voters should send an independent to Washington.
September 13, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports that State Representative Keith Ellison has won the DFL nomination for Minnesota's Fifth Congressional seat. Ellison won a hard-fought primary contest against six other DFL candidates, including a former state senator and a former DFL Party chair. Ellison's victory makes him a heavy favorite to replace Congressman Martin Sabo, who is retiring from the seat. But Ellison's Republican opponent says he will continue to question Ellison's character, a campaign tactic that Ellison's DFL opponents used with little success.
September 12, 2006 - Raw audio of Keith Ellison victory speech in DFL primary for 5th district. (Speech was not broadcast)
August 24, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on four DFLers running in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District who debated at the Minnesota State Fair over health care, the war in Iraq, and public safety issues.
August 1, 2006 - Hennepin County Sheriff Pat McGowan, a Republican, endorsed former DFL Party Chair Mike Erlandson for Congress. Erlandson is one of seven Democrats running in Minnesota's Fifth District, which includes Minneapolis and several suburbs. McGowan says Erlandson is the best candidate because he has been a friend to law enforcement when he worked for Congressman Martin Sabo, who is retiring. McGowan also criticized Keith Ellison, the DFL endorsed candidate, for not working with law enforcement when he was a state legislator and for criticizing the police department when allegations of misconduct come up. Ellison called McGowan's criticism unfair. He says he's authored several bills dealing with public safety in the Legislature and is proud of his work to work against alleged police brutality.
July 24, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on the four DFLers seeking to replace retiring fifth district Congressman Martin Sabo. Keith Ellison, State Representative; Ember Reichgott Junge, former state senator; Mike Erlandson, former DFL Party chair; and Paul Ostrow, Minneapolis City Council member, appeared at an event hosted by KFAI Radio and Insight News. With less than two months before the September primary, the four DFLers agreed on several major national issues but tried to differentiate themselves based on their experience. The debate included topics of the war in Iraq, health care and poverty issues.