The Game is Rigged: Seeking the Minneapolis DFL Party Endorsement

My name is Victor Martinez.

In 2021, I first decided to run for the Minneapolis City Council because I believed the rhetoric coming out of City Hall did not align with what my community in North Minneapolis wanted. City Council Member Jerimiah Ellison was the first elected official to suggest that the City eliminate the police after the Floyd murder and then led the effort to defund the police. While people in North Minneapolis were justifiably upset with the Police Department, we did not want to abolish the police. We wanted better policing. I ran because my community needed someone who would fight for them and their everyday struggles. Though I lost that first race, my commitment to serve my community remained steadfast.

In 2023, I ran again. This time I brought more experience, resources, and a renewed drive to fight even harder for my community.  Everyone thinks democracy is a fair game. That candidates go before the voters, plead their case, and the best candidate wins. But this isn’t true. The game is rigged.

My campaign was harassed. My lawn signs and other materials were stolen. Social media attacks were organized that spread disinformation about me. But it didn’t stop there.

I am a Democrat and wanted the Democrat endorsement. The Minneapolis DFL, with its chair, Briana Rose Lee, and data person Amy Livingston, made sure this would not happen. They tried to disenfranchise hundreds of my supporters in an effort to ensure the DFL endorsement went to my opponent. In the end, it was decided that the process was too corrupted to go forward, and no endorsement was awarded.

Briana Lee then took out a restraining order on me in an attempt to use the power of her position as chair of the Minneapolis DFL to smear me, Amy Livinston was her key witness. Needless to say, I never threatened her in any way. I had never met her in person. I emailed her privately once about a campaign issue. I never spoke with her on the phone. It was impossible for me to have threatened her, but that did not stop her. She used her position as the Chair of the Minneapolis DFL to then smear me on social media and write attack articles in local newspapers.

Where were the rest of the Minneapolis DFL leadership? Did they denounce her actions?

Where were the people who tell us that in Minneapolis, elections are fair? The people who espouse diversity and inclusion and the importance of democracy. They turned a blind eye to the clear and obvious harassment. Some even supported it on social media, repeating her lies.  These are the people who are supposed to be a fair and open process.

This case was eventually dismissed, but her intended harm was done. She used the power of the DFL to make sure her friend, the son of our current State Attorney General, was reelected. And she was rewarded for that. She is now operations director for the Ilhan Omar campaign.  Amy Livingston went on to cause more havoc in Minneapolis, to the point of being censored by the State DFL party.

My family was harassed—at our home and in our community.  People came to my home and harassed my wife and children. They were also harassed when they were out shopping and visiting friends. This wasn’t just one angry person – it was an organized attempt by my opponents to force me to leave the race. No candidate’s family should ever be brought into a campaign fight.

Because of this organized harassment, I was forced to spend over $20,000 to legally defend myself. I am not a rich man. This cost represents nearly 60% of the average income in Minneapolis’s Fifth Ward. These costs seem crazy for someone just trying to represent their community. This is not how democracy is supposed to work.

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Even after narrowly losing the 2023 election by fewer than 200 votes, I believed in justice. The opposition stole over $10,000 of my campaign material. My lawn signs were literally thrown in the river. Of course I reported the crimes to the Police Department. I expected justice.

The City decided to prosecute the individual who had stolen my lawn signs. It felt like someone in power was finally caring about upholding law and order. That there would be some fairness to our democracy. Someone finally cared about ensuring that such egregious behavior would not go unpunished. It felt like finally someone gave a damn about having a fair election process.

I filed with the police in 2023. But today, over a year after the 2023 election cycle, I received a harsh reality check. The judge, in the case against the alleged thief, dismissed the case with prejudice (Case No. 27-CR-24-940, available at  https://publicaccess.courts.state.mn.us/CaseSearch).

The case was filed by the City Attorney in January 2024. The trial date was delayed intentionally by defense counsel. That is why it was only being heard in December 2024, a year later.

The City Attorney failed to request a fundamental piece of evidence—a transcript of a civil case where the defendant had admitted to the theft. So, there was no admission of guilt before the judge despite it existing. Why the City Attorney made this mistake, a mistake that benefitted her boss, City Council Member Jerimiah Ellison, is not clear.

Then, when the City Attorney sought a continuance to introduce this evidence, the judge denied it, even though the evidence was critical to the case. It is not clear if the City Attorney had any influence in having the judge refusing to admit this damning evidence.

Then, both MPD officers who witnessed the theft failed to appear in court — despite being subpoenaed. Why do police officers ignore a subpoena? And when do TWO police officers each ignore a subpoena? And again, City Council Member Jerimiah Ellison is their boss, the same Jerimiah Ellison whose campaign benefited from the theft of my campaign materials.

Unsurprisingly, given the lack of evidence, the case was dismissed.

Dismissal, in such a case, is a chilling message to anyone considering running for office. If you are running for office, the opposition is free to do whatever they want to your campaign, without fear of consequences. It is open season to harass, intimidate, and steal from candidates. The legal system will not protect you.

Or at least it will not protect you if you oppose those in power. The person who stole my lawn signs and other campaign materials did it to help elect Jerimiah Ellison. The same person who oversees the City Attorney and Police Department. The same person who is supported by the DFL chair and the DFL machinery. The same person whose father is Attorney General Keith Ellison, with his deep ties to the DFL.

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The fundamental premises of our American democracy are eroded when individuals can use violent, coercive, and other criminal actions toward candidates without fear of legal recourse.

The risk of the City of Minneapolis devolving into a Tammany Hall type of corrupt political machine is very real. Threats, violence, harassment, false claims, malicious prosecution, and other affronts toward political candidates is becoming the norm, as my case shows.

While individuals may disagree with my positions, no one should only want political candidates pre-selected for them by political bosses in backroom deals. Our American democracy is built on the premise that any person may stand for consideration as a candidate, and they will have a fair shot at winning. But apparently not in Minneapolis. Where that choice is taken away by violence, crimes, and intimidation, our society at large suffers.

Yet, I still remain hopeful. I remain hopeful that everyday citizens of Minneapolis demand better from their political parties, their elected officials and their City’s staff. If you are appalled by what happened to me, here is what you can do in response:

Educate yourself on the candidates. Know who you are voting for and what they represent.

Participate in the caucus process for local elections and the primary election for state and federal positions, making sure your preferred candidates get the endorsement of your political party.

Vote. Voting is the most compelling way to oust injustice from places of authority and install candidates who reject such tactics.  If you are not registered to vote, you can register here: Voter Registration

Write the Mayor and City Council and insist on prosecution and punishments for those who interfere in public elections.

Petition Minneapolis’s City Attorney’s Office to allocate more resources to cases where there have been threats of violence, theft, and threats of violence made against political candidates. You can find the City Attorney contacts here: City Attorney Contacts

Circulate this letter to others in your community. Without wide-spread knowledge of such corrupt tactics, we permit those same tactics to be used again and again, without recourse.

If we take these steps, we help ensure that Minneapolis is a city where anyone can run for office and have a fair shot at winning.