Former Washington Co. Judge Launches Bid For MN Attorney General

STILLWATER, MN — Former Washington County Judge Tad Jude joined the race for Minnesota Attorney General on Monday, a month after hanging up his robe and calling time on his career on the bench.

Jude has three decades of experience in public service. He served for 16 years as a state lawmaker after he was the youngest person ever elected to the legislature in 1972.

He also served as a commissioner on the Hennepin County board before being elected to the Minnesota Tenth Judicial District in 2010. Jude stepped down at the end of 2021 after 10 years as a judge.

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Though he was “born and raised a Democrat” and served as a Democratic state lawmaker for more than a decade, Jude said he is seeking the GOP’s nomination for Minnesota attorney general in 2022 because “Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey would not recognize the Democrat Party of today.”

“Our story isn't about politics or whether you're a Democrat or Republican,” Jude said in his campaign-announcement video. “Our story is about all Minnesotans who deserve safe homes, neighborhoods and streets, rather than violence, carjackings, thefts or armed robberies.”

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Jude’s video included pictures of his family and his career in public service before cutting to headlines showing incumbent Attorney General Keith Ellison’s support for an amendment to replace the Minneapolis Police Department after former officer Derek Chauvin killed George Floyd in May 2020.

“Keith Ellison is a hyper-partisan politician who has used the office to push his radical agenda,” Jude said, claiming the DFL incumbent attorney general is “supporting radical leftists who believe in a revolving door for repeat criminals.”

Jude said he will work to “restore integrity and justice to a broken system,” with his campaign to focus on public safety and increased oversight of nonprofits. He has also pledged to fight vaccine passports, which he called “un-American.”

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Former state Reps. Dennis Smith and Doug Warlow and attorneys Jim Schultz and Lynne Torgerson are also running for the Republican Party’s nomination to challenge Ellison in the Nov. 8 general election.