Leading Minnesota Democrats skip campaigning against policing question

WASHINGTON – Three of Minnesota's leading Democrats oppose the Minneapolis ballot question that could replace the city's Police Department with a new public safety agency, but they aren't campaigning against it.

More than a year after George Floyd died at the hands of Minneapolis police, the divide over Question 2 has torn through established partisan political lines. With polls closing Tuesday, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and Gov. Tim Walz have made their opposition clear but appear to be staying away from actively campaigning to defeat the measure.

The ballot question is a complicated one for Democratic politicians, said Kathryn Pearson, a University of Minnesota political science professor. It's a rare local measure that has attracted statewide and national attention.

"They would just as soon not get involved in Minneapolis politics and be out front on an issue that's, no matter what position they take, guaranteed to upset some of their supporters," Pearson said. "If they were to be actively campaigning, it would also really highlight the divide within the Democratic Party."

Read more: https://www.startribune.com/leading-minnesota-democrats-skip-campaigning-against-policing-question/600111795/