Progressive Mary Moriarty Won’t Seek Re-Election As Hennepin County Attorney

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced Wednesday she will not run for re-election in 2026, ending a polarizing term that has drawn both national attention and sharp criticism from law enforcement groups and political leaders.

Moriarty, who was elected in 2022 and took office in January 2023 on a progressive platform, said in a brief statement that she plans to spend her final 17 months in office focused on "creating enduring change" in the criminal justice system.

The announcement follows a series of high-profile controversies during her tenure.

In 2023, Moriarty charged State Patrol Trooper Ryan Londregan with murder in the shooting of Ricky Cobb II. She dropped the charges in June 2024, after spending $578,000 in taxpayer funds to hire a private Washington, D.C., law firm to assist with the case.

The prosecution drew intense backlash from police groups, including the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, which filed an ethics complaint against Moriarty in July.

She also clashed with fellow Democrats in early 2023 after offering plea deals to two teenagers charged in the murder of Zaria McKeever. Gov. Tim Walz stripped the case from her office and reassigned it to Attorney General Keith Ellison, who called her approach inappropriate and far outside community expectations.

Moriarty has defended her decisions as aligned with her campaign promises to pursue justice reform, prioritize rehabilitation, and challenge traditional "tough-on-crime" approaches she believes have failed communities.

This is a breaking news story.