Raw audio of Keith Ellison victory speech in DFL primary for 5th district.
(Speech was not broadcast)
Raw audio of Keith Ellison victory speech in DFL primary for 5th district.
(Speech was not broadcast)
[CHEERING] KEITH ELLISON: I want you to know that we had-- I want you to know that we had enormous turnout-- record turnout--
AUDIENCE: All right!
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KEITH ELLISON: One of the things we wanted to do in the beginning of this campaign-- at the very beginning of this campaign, back in March--
AUDIENCE: Yes.
AUDIENCE: --when the great Martin Sabo-- and I want y'all to give him a hand now.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
When the great Martin Sabo-- the great Martin Sabo, when he decided to take his retirement, as he richly deserved to do--
AUDIENCE: Yeah.
AUDIENCE: Yeah.
KEITH ELLISON: Yes, he did.
AUDIENCE: Yes.
AUDIENCE: Yeah.
AUDIENCE: Woo!
KEITH ELLISON: We said from the very beginning, when we decided to run, that we wanted to increase voter turnout.
AUDIENCE: All right.
AUDIENCE: That's right!
KEITH ELLISON: And we did.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
We said, we wanted to reach into the communities and empower communities that have not had a voice in the electoral process.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
And we did. We said, we wanted to affirmatively and deliberately reach out to that diverse communities, and include all God's children, each one of us. And we did.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
In this election, we had people who say, Shalom.
AUDIENCE: Shalom.
KEITH ELLISON: We had people who say, asalaam alaikum.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
We had people who say all the words of greeting to each other in peace, because peace must be--
ALL: The guiding principle of our nation.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KEITH ELLISON: We brought it together. all? Ages, all colors, all faiths. We brought them together. One and all.
AUDIENCE: Yes.
KEITH ELLISON: And, let's be honest, we faced some tough days, didn't we?
[CHEERING, AFFIRMING]
But guess what? We never got negative.
AUDIENCE: All right.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
And we proved-- and we proved-- And we proved-- And we-- we.
AUDIENCE: That's right.
AUDIENCE: We.
KEITH ELLISON: We.
AUDIENCE: We!
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KEITH ELLISON: We proved--
AUDIENCE: We proved.
KEITH ELLISON: That you can win an election--
AUDIENCE: Yes.
AUDIENCE: Oh, yeah.
KEITH ELLISON: --by going positive and staying positive.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
We know that negative campaigning has its effect.
AUDIENCE: Yes.
AUDIENCE: Yes.
KEITH ELLISON: We know it can work.
AUDIENCE: Yes.
KEITH ELLISON: But it does not lift our dignity up.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: It doesn't lift the debate up.
AUDIENCE: That's right.
KEITH ELLISON: We know it can be effective, but it doesn't enhance our humanity.
AUDIENCE: That's right.
KEITH ELLISON: It does not build bridges, it builds walls.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: And so we say, we're about being positive, we're about bringing people together. We're about love, y'all.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Don't be afraid to say it. Don't be afraid to say it. Don't be afraid to say it. Love. Love. Love.
ALL: Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Love. Yeah!
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KEITH ELLISON: Now, let me say this. Let me say this. We got a lot of work ahead.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: But I want you to know that I got a call a little while ago. And it was a very classy thing for Mike Erlandson to do, to give us a call. Us a call.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: And he congratulated us--
AUDIENCE: Yes! Thank you!
KEITH ELLISON: --on the campaign that we ran.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: And I congratulated him back on your behalf. And we got a call from Ember--
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: --who ran a classy campaign. And on your behalf, I congratulated her right back.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING] Thank you.
KEITH ELLISON: I asked them-- I said, look, we got a statewide election to win and only a few weeks.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: And as we exploded the electorate and we boosted up the turnout--
AUDIENCE: Yes, you did.
KEITH ELLISON: --we're going to need all of that plus more--
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: --to win in November. But let the word go out that the Fifth Congressional District is here to turn it out.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
We include everybody. We want a better tomorrow.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Let me tell you-- I'm going to tell you, from day one, from March 17th till this moment, we said we were running on a peace agenda.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: And we mean that.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: We said we were running on universal single payer. We mean that.
AUDIENCE: [CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KEITH ELLISON: We say that a caring nation provides for all of its people, when it comes to health care.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: We said, our seniors matter.
AUDIENCE: Carry the agenda. Yes, sir.
KEITH ELLISON: We said, our kids matter. Yeah
KEITH ELLISON: We said, all of our people matter. Yeah
KEITH ELLISON: We said, we will not let our countrymen and women sit on a roof in New Orleans. We care. We come to their aid.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
So no more--
AUDIENCE: No more.
KEITH ELLISON: No more do we tolerate an ownership society in which you are on your own.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
You're not on your own.
AUDIENCE: Carry your agenda.
AUDIENCE: We are with you.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: We do this thing together, y'all.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: And we don't let nobody break us apart.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: And we accept you as you are.
AUDIENCE: Yeah.
KEITH ELLISON: You are here. You are our own.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: And we love you, and we're going to show it through our caring, through our public policies, through our outreach, through our fellowship, through everything that we do. And you know what?
AUDIENCE: What?
KEITH ELLISON: [LAUGHS]
[LAUGHTER]
AUDIENCE: Keep coming.
KEITH ELLISON: Keep coming.
AUDIENCE: We love you too, man
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
AUDIENCE: We love you, too.
ALL: Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith! Keith!
AUDIENCE: Keep coming, baby.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
KEITH ELLISON: So let me say this. Let me say this.
AUDIENCE: Keep saying.
KEITH ELLISON: I'm going to let y'all go ahead and have a great party. But I just want to say-- and I'm going to tell you this, thanking people is dangerous business.
AUDIENCE: That's right.
KEITH ELLISON: And let me tell you why it's dangerous.
AUDIENCE: You forget someone.
KEITH ELLISON: Because everybody--
AUDIENCE: Counts.
KEITH ELLISON: --helped do this.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE]
Everyone helped do this.
AUDIENCE: [AFFIRMING]
KEITH ELLISON: Everyone helped do this, and so it's dangerous to thank folks. But I hope you will let me say, there are a few people I gotta-- I just gotta Thank them first of all.
AUDIENCE: Go ahead.
KEITH ELLISON: First of all, we're going to thank God.
[CHEERING, APPLAUSE] Amen.
KEITH ELLISON: And then we're going to
REPORTER 1: State representative Keith Ellison, who is the winner of the DFL primary in Minnesota's fifth congressional district, defeating a strong field. Mike Mulcahy.
REPORTER 2: Absolutely, Gary. And the latest numbers we have from Hennepin County-- this is with 99% of the vote counted in Hennepin County-- Keith Ellison had 43%; Mike Erlandson, just about 30%; and Ember Reichgott Junge, 20%. Paul Astros, Minneapolis City Council member, had 5%.
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