A look at priorities of Hennepin County attorney candidates
Feeling safe in your neighborhood, knowing someone is working on your loved one’s case and being treated fairly when the justice system enters your life are all at stake as Hennepin County voters choose their next county attorney.
Either Cedrick Frazier or Anders Folk will inherit investigations into federal agents’ actions during Operation Metro Surge. Both say they would prosecute agents who violated Minnesota law. But access to evidence remains a challenge in the cases involving Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
On Oct. 27, Pretti’s parents called on the federal government to release evidence and cooperate with Minnesota investigators examining their son’s killing. In early October, Good’s family announced two civil lawsuits and also called for accountability.
At an Oct. 26 debate hosted by Black Votes Matter Minnesota, Folk said he would bring together lawyers with federal prosecution experience and county prosecutors.
“Any federal agent who violated Minnesota law during Operation Metro Surge needs to be held accountable. Period,” Folk said.
He said the cases would likely move to federal court and warned that county and state investigators cannot depend on federal cooperation.
“I think the county and the state are going to have to do everything they can do to collect the evidence,” he said.
Frazier said the County Attorney’s Office and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison already have a partnership that includes lawyers with federal experience.
“My first thing will be checking in with the teams working on those cases to ensure that we’re still moving those cases forward,” Frazier said at the debate.
Frazier sat down with Power 104.7 FM for an interview. Folk did not respond to Power’s interview request by publication time. In the interview, Frazier said prosecutors must have evidence to prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt.
“What I can promise folks is that we will continue to pursue these cases and to exhaust every possibility of getting justice and accountability,” Frazier said.
Beyond those investigations, the next county attorney will face questions about preventing violence, earning trust across a diverse county and responding when young people commit crimes.
The winner will take office following declines in several categories of violent crime. Hennepin County recorded 72 homicides in 2025, down from 89 in 2024, according to state data. Reported robberies fell about 31%. But Frazier said there is still work to do.
“When we’re looking at crime data and we’re saying that crime rates are going down, I want to make sure every single community within the county feels that,” Frazier said at the debate.
A former public defender and attorney, Frazier said growing up in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood shaped his approach.
“I lost a best friend to gun violence, lost relatives to gun violence growing up, and just recently lost cousins to gun violence,” he said.
He added that he wants to reach young people early through schools. He supports more youth programs, social workers and assistance for people returning home from incarceration.
Folk served as a Marine Corps lawyer and federal prosecutor before leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota. At the debate, he also supported youth intervention programs, including mental health and education services. But he argued that the county has moved too far away from holding young people accountable.
He called for consequences for continued criminal behavior and a secure residential option within the county.
“I don’t know that as I sit here I could tell you what the absolute right answer is for that secure residential option,” Folk said. “But we’ve got to have something in Hennepin County so we’re not shipping kids out of the county.”
How the office treats families after a crime is another priority. For people who have lost a loved one to violence, the need for answers does not end with an arrest. Families may spend months or years waiting for justice. Both candidates say those families deserve clear communication and a voice in the process.
Frazier’s campaign website calls for a Victim and Survivor Advisory Council to help shape office policies. He also proposes more frequent updates for families and expanded access to counseling and relocation assistance.
During the debate, Folk discussed the handling of the Zaria McKeever murder case. He criticized how the County Attorney’s Office handled the case and communicated its decisions. McKeever was killed in a Brooklyn Park home in 2022.
“You as the county attorney owe real transparency, not just to the crime victims and their families, but to the entire community about what you’re doing, how you’re doing it, and why,” Folk said.
In the Aug. 11 primary, Frazier finished first with about 36% of the vote, followed by Folk with about 23%, according to the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office. The two advanced from a five-candidate field.
The last day to vote early in person is Monday, Nov. 2. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, Hennepin County polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Power 104.7 FM will provide live coverage throughout Election Day.
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