Tad Jude Ends Minnesota AG Bid, Enters Hennepin County Attorney Race

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — Former Washington County judge Tad Jude has thrown his hat into the race to be the next Hennepin County attorney after calling an end to his campaign for Minnesota attorney general.

Jude filed signatures to run for Hennepin County attorney ahead of the May 31 deadline but did not file as a candidate for attorney general, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.

Jude filed to run for Hennepin County attorney using what appears to be a P.O. box at the Maple Grove Post Office, 13500 Grove Dr.

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Candidates must maintain residence in the district they are seeking to represent for at least 30 days prior to the election, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office.

Jude stepped down at the end of 2021 after a decade as a Washington County-based judge for Minnesota’s Tenth Judicial District.

Jude served for 16 years as a DFL state lawmaker after he was the youngest person ever elected to the legislature in 1972.

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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 sought 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."

Jude joins six other candidates in the race, according to MPR News:

• Minnesota House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler
• Mary Moriarty, former Hennepin County chief public defender
• Paul Ostrow, former Minneapolis City Council member
• Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Saraswati Singh
• Martha Holton Dimick, former judge
• Jarvis Jones, former Minnesota Bar Association president