October 14, 2022
Burnsville, MN – Today, the Congressional Leadership Fund released a TV ad lying about Rep. Angie Craig’s record on law enforcement issues.
“If Tyler Kistner wanted to run against a ‘defund the police’ candidate, he picked the wrong district and the wrong opponent to run against,” said Angie Craig for Congress campaign manager Wellesley Daniels. “Rep. Craig has voted to increase funding and resources for Minnesota law enforcement every year she’s been in Congress. Local law enforcement knows that Rep. Craig will be there for them through difficult times. Tyler Kistner sought the MPPOA’s endorsement and they said no. Maybe it’s because of lies and political attacks like these.”
In the CLF ad, they claim Rep. Craig attended a “defund the police” fundraiser in Los Angeles. This is not true. The facts are that Rep. Craig attended a fundraiser hosted by Minnesota State Senator Jim Carlson’s (SD-51) daughter, Lindsay Carlson, in November of 2021. National Republican groups like CLF are using a single tweet from a person in the group referenced in the ad to try and tie Rep. Craig to the “defund the police” movement. “Defund the police” did not come up at the fundraiser and the group referenced in the CLF ad was not associated with the fundraiser.
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association – the largest law enforcement association representing rank and file officers in the state of Minnesota – proudly endorsed Angie Craig this cycle after having endorsed Tyler Kistner in the 2020 race to represent the Second District. Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie – whose department ensures public safety across the largest county in the Second Congressional – also endorsed Rep. Craig this cycle.
Rep. Craig’s law enforcement record speaks for itself. In Congress, Rep. Craig:
- Was the first member of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation to oppose the ballot initiative to dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.
- Currently supports Community-Oriented Policing grants to hire more officers in four South Metro cities.
- Got her bipartisan Public Safety Officer Support Act signed into law to expand support for officers facing mental health struggles and help their families access their benefits.
- Passed the bipartisan Invest to Protect Act to increase funding for small and mid-sized police departments.
For more information on Rep. Craig’s law enforcement record, click here.