Ellison, busy but restless, juggles congressional seat with political duties
Despite the elevated profile, the six-term congressman from
Ellison has also seen the downside of being a national political player, as he once again faced scrutiny for associations with a controversial religious figure.
"Of course," Ellison said, asked if he was frustrated in the House. "We're in the minority and we have a particularly obstructionist majority."
Still, Ellison said he is running for re-election in 2018 to the
The demands of his
Ellison is also lead House sponsor of Medicare for All -- the single-payer health insurance legislation that
But Ellison's interest in other political jobs surfaced several times in recent months. In addition to vying for the appointment to the
"It's been the state attorneys general that have been protecting Americans' rights in the Trump era," Ellison said, pointing to the work of Swanson and others who have fought Trump's ban on new immigrants from certain Muslim nations, tried to enforce protections for undocumented youth under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, sued pharmaceutical companies amid the opioid crisis and made efforts to protect net neutrality following federal deregulation.
Soon after Ellison's interest became public, Swanson opted out of the governor's race and announced a re-election bid.
That interest is telling, a
"The congressman has repeatedly said his agenda is to resist the president and his goals for a brighter future for all Americans. ... His restlessness in
Frustrating task
Ellison's own desire to push back against Trump is harder in a town where
"I think there are people like Keith who go to
The
Ellison, who visited the district on Lamb's behalf, said there's always a tension between chasing "the hot race" and building the foundation of the party at the grass-roots level. He visited
Pennsylvania
In February, Ellison met with Democratic leaders in
"For a long time, the South has not been noticed because we were voting Republican and so they just kind of crossed [it] off. ... He's someone who believes that all 50 states are players," said
Old controversy
Along with the higher national profile that comes with his party job, Ellison recently once again found himself fielding questions about associations with minister
In March, Ellison -- the first Muslim elected to the
"A huge number of Black men from all across America came to
In a 2016 interview posted on Facebook, Farrakhan says at one point that Ellison and another congressman, Rep.
Carson later admitted meeting with Farrakhan. Ellison, in his Medium post, denies it. He said he and Farrakhan had a "brief, chance encounter in
While Ellison has at least considered alternatives to staying in his House seat, one fellow House Democrat said sticking around could also bring benefits.
The two top
After acknowledging the difficulties of being in the legislative minority, Ellison noted that it's a "tremendously great time" to be a progressive Democratic lawmaker, and he reiterated his commitment to the job.
"I think this is an awesome job and I feel honored to have it. ... If my plans change, you'll be the first to know."
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