Voters Line Up for Hennepin County Attorney Race

Minneapolis polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday as voters choose between Anders Folk and Cedrick Frazier for county attorney.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Elections

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of a plain civic building facade with a tall flag under a flat overcast sky, evoking a quiet local election day. — Voters in Minneapolis cast ballots Tuesday to choose between Anders Folk and Cedrick Frazier to succeed Mary Moriarty as Hennepin County Attorney. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Live Poll

Do you trust your county's elected officials to run the prosecutor's office well?

Voters lined up outside the Powderhorn Park recreation center in south Minneapolis when polls opened at 7 a.m. on Election Day. Hennepin County residents are choosing a new county attorney between Anders Folk and Cedrick Frazier after Mary Moriarty announced she would not seek a second term.

Why it matters

The county attorney prosecutes criminal cases and represents the county in legal matters, so the outcome shapes local justice policy for the next term. With Moriarty stepping down, voters in Minneapolis and across Hennepin County are selecting a successor from two candidates with different backgrounds.

Frazier finished first in the nonpartisan primary and received the DFL endorsement, while Folk, a former acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, carries endorsements from Sheriff Dawanna Witt and Mayor Jacob Frey. Final vote totals had not been reported at the time of the source extraction.

The players

Anders Folk

Former military lawyer and former acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, running for Hennepin County Attorney.

Cedrick Frazier

Democratic state representative and former Hennepin County public defender, running for Hennepin County Attorney with the DFL endorsement.

Mary Moriarty

Current Hennepin County Attorney who announced she would not seek a second term.

The details

Rain fell on the morning of Election Day in south Minneapolis, and voters at the Powderhorn Park recreation center reported a smooth voting experience. Frazier, a Democratic state representative and former Hennepin County public defender, is backed by Keith Ellison, Tina Smith and Ilhan Omar.

Nov. 3, 2026: Polls opened at 7 a.m. in Minneapolis for Election Day voting.

Elections Context

The contest marks a transition from Mary Moriarty's tenure as Hennepin County Attorney, as voters choose between a former federal prosecutor-turned-defense-leaning candidate and a Democratic legislator with public defender experience. Its outcome will determine who leads the county's prosecutorial office after Moriarty's departure.

Minneapolis residents in Hennepin County will have a new county attorney who directs criminal prosecutions and county legal work. The result determines whether the office continues under Moriarty's approach or shifts direction.

The takeaway

Voters in Minneapolis who want to influence how Hennepin County prosecutes cases should review both candidates' stated priorities before casting a ballot, since the county attorney's decisions affect local criminal justice directly.