Editorial counterpoint from Doug Wardlow: As attorney general, I'll stand with, fight for and defend the rights of all Minnesotans

My wife, Jenny, and I have three young children. I want them to grow up in a Minnesota where the streets are safe, the law is respected and the weakest among us are protected. That's the job of the attorney general, and that's why I am running.

I've spent my legal career fighting for our most important legal and constitutional rights. I've defended Minnesotans' rights when governments have tried to take their land without paying just compensation. I've fought for Americans' free-speech rights in cases across the country. I fought for the citizens of Belle Plaine when a Wisconsin-based special-interest group bullied the city into removing a memorial honoring veterans from the city's Veterans Park. And I've fought unfair steel dumping by Chinese state-owned steel producers, saving hundreds of jobs in the American steel industry and on Minnesota's Iron Range.

As attorney general, you'll be able to count on me to keep fighting — for your legal and constitutional rights, for your right to earn a living and for a Minnesota that is fair and safe.

I'll rebuild the criminal division of the office so that our prosecutors have the resources they need to do their jobs.

I'll marshal resources to prevent further, tragic loss of life to opioid addiction. I'll go after pharmaceutical companies that break our laws. And I'll go after the criminal enterprises that smuggle heroin from Mexico and synthetic opioids from China.

I'll work with law enforcement and our county attorneys to end human trafficking in Minnesota. My message to human traffickers is this: We will find you. We will shut you down. You will pay dearly for your crimes.

I'll prosecute welfare fraud, fight elder abuse, combat financial scammers who prey on senior citizens, protect consumers, enforce wage laws and work to make sure that state agencies stay within the bounds of the law.

Keith Ellison openly says that he will use the office of attorney general to sue the president and push a policy agenda. He has said that he may not enforce or defend laws if he thinks they are irrational or unworkable — even if they are constitutional. Recently, he even indicated that he might not defend laws that are passed by Republicans.

Minnesotans deserve an attorney general who will enforce the law, not play political games. The job of the attorney general shouldn't be political — after all, it is a law-enforcement office, not a policymaking position. We can do so much good for the people by taking politics out of the office and refocusing resources on making Minnesota fair and safe.

I'm also honored to have the endorsement of the Minneapolis police union. They stand with me because they know that I will help them stand up for law and order.

Public service requires public trust. This is particularly true with respect to the office of attorney general, the top legal and law-enforcement office in the state. As your attorney general, I will serve you, the people of our great state. You can count on me to stand with, fight for, defend and protect all Minnesotans.