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Andy Dawkins, Long-Time Minnesota Democratic Legislator, Joins Green Party and Will be its Nominee for Attorney General

From Ballot Access News:

On June 3, Andy Dawkins, who was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor representative from St. Paul, Minnesota, for 15 years, said he is now a Green Party member and that he will be the party’s candidate for Attorney General this year. He submitted more than the required 2,000 signatures. If he gets 5%, the Green Party will regain its ballot-qualified status, which it lost in November 2004. See this story. He served in the legislature 1986-2002.

In 1994, while Dawkins was in the legislature, he said that he would like to be not only the DFL nominee, but the nominee of the New Party, a forerunner to the Working Families Party. When the New Party sued Minnesota to force the state to let two parties jointly nominate the same candidate, the party’s complaint mentioned that it wanted Dawkins to be on the November ballot both as the DFL nominee and the New Party nominee. Dawkins said in a declaration that he would accept both nominations, but he did not become a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit. The lawsuit won in the 8th circuit but then lost in the U.S. Supreme Court. Thanks to Jim Ivey for the link.

From the article cited:

A former Democratic state representative filed to run for Minnesota attorney general Tuesday as a Green Party candidate, saying voters aren’t content with the two established parties and are looking for a viable alternative to be the state’s lead lawyer.

Andy Dawkins, who represented a St. Paul district in the House for 15 years, said he’ll run on a message of limiting money in politics and combating policies that make personal data too readily available. He said he supports legalizing “sensible” use of recreational marijuana.

Dawkins, a lawyer for 35 years, wants to deny Democratic Attorney General Lori Swanson a third term. Minnesota Republicans have endorsed state Sen. Scott Newman, of Hutchinson. Brandan Borgos is running on the Independence Party ticket. Mary O’Connor is in the race for the Libertarian Party.