Though his name was out there a few months ago, Republican Chris Fields made it official on Tuesday—he's running against incumbent Keith Ellison in Minnesota's Fifth Congressional District in 2012. Fields joins Lynne Torgerson as a Republican challenger to Ellison, a Democrat. It will be an uphill battle for both challengers in the generally liberal district—Ellison won with 68 percent of the vote in 2010, and with 71 percent of the vote in 2008. Fields, a former Marine from New York City who lives in Minneapolis, said in a statement that he doesn't think Ellison has been an effective leader …

After extending the deadline for a government shutdown, Congress on Tuesday agreed to a stopgap solution that kept the government running for a few weeks more. U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN), Fridley's representative in Congress, voted against it, stating in a news release: I cannot in good conscience vote for a bill that hurts children by taking money out of education, slashes support for road and bridge repair, and ends essential medical research.  It takes away assistance from people hurt by the economic downturn, including many of our neighbors and family members. Most worrisome, it …

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN), Fridley's representative in Congress, will join Libyan-American businessman Jamal Tarhuni and president of Medical Team International Bas Vanderzalm to speak about humanitarian issues in Libya on Oct. 10, 2011, at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs, according to a university press release. The raging civil war in Libya has left many Libyans in need of medical help. The special forum will examine immediate and long-term issues, as well as talk about how people can help Libyans. The forum is organized by Medical Teams International …

While touring the Middle East, meeting the King of Jordan and the Egyptian military junta, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN) lent his name to a letter calling for an investigation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' financial dealings.  Authored by Rep. Louise Slaughter, the letter accused Thomas of earning approximately $700,000 from the conservative Heritage Foundation from 2003 to 2007. The letter also said Thomas may have benefited from rides on a private jet and yacht owned by real estate magnate Harlan Crowe. At the same time, according to the letter, Thomas disclosed no outside …

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN), Fridley's representative in Congress, has continued to support President Obama's jobs plan, and on Tuesday the congressman had an op-ed at the Huffington Post in which he called the plan "our country's opportunity to seize today's moment, and put our country back to work." Ellison also criticized Republicans' stance on the issue: Times are tough. Most Americans are experiencing the greatest financial crisis of their lifetimes and many are still struggling to find work. In times like these, it is easy to despair. Instead of supporting legislation to solve the …

Last week, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison appeared with fill-in host David Schuster on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." Shuster asked for Ellison's reaction to President Barack Obama's jobs and debt plan. Ellison said: I like it. I'm feeling good about the tone. I think the president has stepped it up at the right time and I'm definitely in support of the American Jobs Act. I think that it is past time, actually, so I'm really excited. Indicating he disagrees with some aspect of the president's plan, Fridley's representative to Congress added: You know, I like the tax proposal, as well. There are a…

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN) joined Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-MN) in urging the IRS to provide same sex couples with assistance when filing their tax returns, according to an article in The Minnesota Independent. Same-sex couples who have legal relationships in at least 15 states through marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships aren’t recognized by the federal government because of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), according to the article. This makes filing taxes much more complicated for those couples because of the inconsistancies between the states and federal laws. The …

The Congressional Progressive Caucus, which U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) co-chairs, released its alternative to President Barack Obama's jobs plan on Tuesday. The Huffington Post described the plan as a "farther-left" proposal that "could provide a negotiating point as the president's bill moves through Congress in the coming weeks." Ellison, Fridley's representative in Congress, said this about the plan: We expect [Republicans] to be opposed. ... But we've got faith in the American people to rise up and demand that Congress pass a jobs bill. So we're fundamentally optimistic, but we're …

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, Fridley's representative in Congress, donated blood on Friday during a Sept. 11 memorial blood drive at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.The blood drive "is one of 200 blood drives scheduled as part of the 'Muslims for Life' campaign, which aims to collect 10,000 bags of blood across the country," according to Judy Kurtz, writing for The Hill. After giving blood, Ellison shared his thoughts on Twitter: "Gave blood today on Cap Hill. Drive organized by Muslim group in honor of victims and heros of 9-11. Reflect, pray, and give thanks." One of …

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Fridley's representative in Congress, made his views on President Obama's speech to Congress Thursday— before and after the speech. First Ellison co-wrote a column that appeared at Politico calling for "A Big, Bold Jobs Plan." An excerpt: It’s an article of faith among most economists that a recession calls not for belt-tightening but for an increase in federal investment to stimulate consumer demand and give the economy the jolt it needs. It was not all talk from Ellison. He also introduced a bill he called the “Emergency Jobs Now Act” (see PDF summary and …

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN), Fridley's representative in Congress, applauded the Federal Transit Administration’s support for the Southwest Corridor light rail line linking Eden Prairie and Minneapolis. The agency’s approval gives the go-ahead to begin the preliminary engineering phase. Minneapolis Public Radio reported that the approval doesn’t come with federal money—but added that it’s important because the Metropolitan Council expects the federal government to pick up half of the project’s $1.25 billion dollar cost. In a press release, Ellison noted his long support for the Southwest…

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, Fridley's representative in Congress, co-wrote a letter Thursday asking President Obama to do something big about the unemployment problem. Ellison and his Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva wrote: Specifically, we urge you to support emergency jobs legislation that will immediately put Americans back to work. With 14 million Americans still looking for work, this is not the time to tinker around the edges. We must take bold action, and that requires federal emergency jobs legislation. More on ReligionCNN's Belief Blog posted a video and article …

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and a group of "high profile U.S. Muslims" recently sent a letter to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal urging him to release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held captive since 2006, according to a Tuesday Star Tribune article. The letter is a direct plea to Hamas: "Hamas' inhumane detention of Shalit undermines the Palestinian people's legitimate aspirations for human rights and a state of their own," the letter said. "We believe Hamas' harsh treatment and five-year detention of Shalit is wrong." The letter coalition was made up of 11 Muslim leaders, including …

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (DFL-MN), Fridley's representative in Congress, was using crutches to get around the Minnesota State Fair last week. (He is recovering from knee surgery.) Fridley Patch was waiting at the AFL-CIO booth for Ellison to make an appearance on Friday and tweeted: @keithellison is late AND I can't find a proper corm dog?? #mnstatefair #MinnStateFair Soon after, Ellison responded:  @FridleyPatch I am comin'. Still on crutches, movin' as fast as I can. Religion QuestionsThe Minnesota-based political blog Power Line posed a series of questions to Ellison about his religious …

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Fridley's representative in Congress, has been making the cable news rounds to discuss how the United States should respond to recent rebel progress in Libya. On Monday, he spoke on Countdown with Keith Olbermann and The Ed Show. The next day he appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to continue his commentary: “I think the United States should make it clear that where there are basic needs of food, clothing, shelter that the United States aid agencies are there for the Libyan people. We should also be at the ready and continue to work with NATO to deal with this last…

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, who represents Fridley in Congress, issued this statement about Libya Monday morning: "The news last night was a great win for democracy and I am encouraged that the conflict in Libya may be coming to an end. "The Transitional National Council (TNC) conducted themselves well in the last hours of Colonel Gaddafi's 42-year rule over Libya. The TNC’s reminder to all rebel fighters to treat captured prisoners, including Gadaffi's sons, with dignity and respect was also heartening and is wise advice.  What's needed now is an end to the violence and the beginning of …

This is a daily selection of new and views on U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN), Fridley's representative in Congress.  American LegionOn MPR's Capitol View, Tom Scheck reported Tuesday that the American Legion's national convention will be held from Aug. 27 to Sept. 1 in Minneapolis. President Obama, GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann, Gov. Mark Dayton and Rep. Keith Ellison will be some of the speakers at the event. Town Hall FeesEllison was a guest Tuesday on The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Guest host Rev. Al Sharpton interviewed Ellison for a segment called "Town Haul."  Sharpton …

La Crosse, WI, TV station WXOW reported that Rep. Ellison (D-MN) is pleased with President Barack Obama’s decision to let 3,600 Liberians stay in the United States for an additional 18 months. The Minnesota Democrat has introduced legislation that would [enable] Liberian nationals living in the United States under special immigration status to apply for permanent residency. Blogger Les Phillips had an account of an Ellison town hall Monday following the representative’s trip with the president. Keith began by speaking at length about the need for job creation and the difficulty of working …

Rep. Keith Ellison is pushing for what he calls a “Putting America Back to Work Act.” On Hardball With Chris Matthews, he said the country should spend more on infrastructure. “You know, bridges are falling down, we need fiber optic cables, transit, roads and we need people to do this work.” The pitch got a cold reception from Matthews, who said he didn’t like the word “infrastructure” and thought progressives should be more aggressive in taking the message to Republican territory. President Barack Obama also pushed for infrastructure spending on his bus tour, which included a stop in Cannon …

In his most recent newsletter on Aug. 12 to his constituents, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) blamed Republicans for the United States nearly defaulting on its debt obligations prior to the decision to raise the debt ceiling. Last week, Republicans almost forced a default on  America’s debt payments. Since March [2011], I’ve called on Congress to act  responsibly and avoid a self-inflicted crisis. But the Republican Party  didn’t listen and threatened to hold the U.S. economy hostage if its  demands weren’t met. He went on to say that the "Republican hostage situation," and the debt ceiling deal …