# November 3, 2026 *Date of the 2026 general election, including the general election for Hennepin County Attorney.* **November 3, 2026** is the date of the general election that will fill the office of [[Hennepin County Attorney]], the prosecutor for the largest jurisdiction in [[Minnesota]].[^1] Two candidates, [[Cedrick Frazier]] and Anders Folk, advanced to that election from the [[August 11, 2026 nonpartisan primary]].[^1] The project's at-issue record states that five candidates ran in the primary.[^2] The incumbent, [[Mary Moriarty]], has held the office since January 2, 2023. Her term ends January 4, 2027, and on [[August 7, 2025]] she announced that she would not seek a second term.[^3] The at-issue record states that the office drew a federal civil rights investigation in 2025. It describes the 2026 race as "the first genuinely open contest for the chair since 2022, and only the third since 1998."[^2] That record does not give a docket, findings or status for the investigation. ## When The record dates the last five tenures in the office, the 2026 succession and the end of the current term as follows: - **1979–1991:** [[Tom Johnson]] served as county attorney.[^4] - **January 7, 1991 – January 5, 1999:** [[Michael Freeman]] served his first tenure.[^5] - **January 5, 1999 – January 3, 2007:** [[Amy Klobuchar]] held the office.[^6] - **January 3, 2007 – January 2, 2023:** Freeman served his second tenure.[^5] - **January 2, 2023:** Moriarty took office.[^3] - **2025:** According to the at-issue record, the office drew a federal civil rights investigation.[^2] - **August 7, 2025:** Moriarty announced she would not seek a second term.[^3] - **August 11, 2026:** The nonpartisan primary was held. The at-issue record gives five candidates, and Frazier and Folk advanced.[^1][^2] - **November 3, 2026:** The general election takes place.[^1] - **January 4, 2027:** Moriarty's term ends.[^3] ## Who The general-election candidates are Cedrick Frazier and Anders Folk.[^1] Three of the last four holders of the office graduated from [[University of Minnesota Law School]]: - Tom Johnson graduated in 1970.[^4] - Freeman received his J.D. in 1974.[^5] - Moriarty graduated in 1989.[^3] The fourth, Klobuchar, received her J.D. from [[University of Chicago Law School]] in 1985.[^6] Before Moriarty became county attorney, she was Hennepin County Chief Public Defender from 2014 to 2021.[^3] Before Freeman's first tenure, he served in the [[Minnesota Senate]] for District 40 from 1982 to 1991, according to the Legislative Reference Library's legislator record.[^7] His papers are catalogued by the Minnesota Historical Society.[^8] ## In the at-issue record The project's at-issue item [[At issue 080 - Five candidates ran in the August 11, 2026]] makes three statements: - The office drew a federal civil rights investigation in 2025. - Five candidates ran in the August 11 primary. - The November 3 general election is the first open contest for the office since 2022 and the third since 1998.[^2] The item does not cite a filed document for the investigation. Its listed sources are a news site and Wikipedia.[^2] The item is anchored to the March 2025 presidential action *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos*.[^9] The item's stated ground for the anchor is that "contest frequency for a charging office is an accountability metric."[^2] The text of that action, as cited, does not address the Hennepin County office.[^9] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *2026 Hennepin County Attorney election* — Cedrick Frazier and Anders Folk advancing from the August 11, 2026 nonpartisan primary to the November 3, 2026 general election. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Hennepin_County_Attorney_election [^2]: Minnesota wiki at-issue record, *At issue 080* (AI-Hennepin-080; dated 2026-08-11; from Freeman Apex Dossier §III.c, 2026-09-02) — five candidates in the primary; 2025 federal civil rights investigation; "first genuinely open contest… since 2022"; anchor rationale. Listed sources: en.wikipedia.org, sahanjournal.com. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Hennepin_County_Attorney_election [^3]: Wikipedia, *Mary Moriarty* — County Attorney since January 2, 2023, term ending January 4, 2027; University of Minnesota Law 1989; Chief Public Defender 2014–2021; announced August 7, 2025 she would not seek a second term. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Moriarty [^4]: University of Minnesota Law School, *Tom Johnson '70, former Hennepin County Attorney, dies at 75* (2020-06-17) — UMN Law 1970; County Attorney 1979–1991. https://law.umn.edu/news/2020-06-17-tom-johnson-70-former-hennepin-county-attorney-dies-75 [^5]: Wikipedia, *Michael O. Freeman* — University of Minnesota Law School J.D. 1974; Hennepin County Attorney January 7, 1991 – January 5, 1999 and January 3, 2007 – January 2, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O._Freeman [^6]: Wikipedia, *Amy Klobuchar* — Hennepin County Attorney January 5, 1999 – January 3, 2007; University of Chicago Law School J.D. 1985. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amy_Klobuchar [^7]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Legislators Past & Present: Michael O. Freeman* — Minnesota Senate District 40, 1982–1991. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10197 [^8]: Minnesota Historical Society, *Michael O. Freeman papers* (finding aid) — catalogue of Freeman's papers. https://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00531.xml [^9]: The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025) — the presidential action used as the at-issue item's anchor. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/