Minnesota › Hennepin County › Hennepin County Attorney
5 candidates are tracked for Hennepin County Attorney on the November 3, 2026 ballot: Anders Folk, Cedrick Frazier, Diane M. Krenz, Hao Nguyen and Matt Pelikan. Candidate information follows official Hennepin County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
Sitting Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty does not appear on the Minnesota Secretary of State certified 2026 filing list, so this countywide office is open. Five candidates filed for the open, nonpartisan office that prosecutes felonies and juvenile cases across Hennepin County, and the August 11 nonpartisan primary narrows the field to the two who advance to the November 3 ballot.
Former acting United States Attorney for Minnesota and a Marine Corps veteran, per his campaign site, Folk describes a strategic, data-driven approach that concentrates enforcement where crime occurs. Per the Sun newspapers questionnaire he would create a crime victims' bill of rights and focus resources on repeat and violent offenders.
2026 priorities
- Strategic enforcement focused on where crime occurs, per his campaign site
- Data-driven intervention to prevent harm and protect vulnerable residents, per his campaign site
- Fair handling of juvenile justice and crime victims, per his campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
Frazier is a sitting Minnesota state representative, per his campaign site, which also identifies him as the DFL and labor endorsed candidate in this race. The Sun newspapers primary voter guide describes him as a DFL state legislator focused on violent crime, workers' rights and abortion access.
2026 priorities
- Prosecuting federal agents who violated Minnesota law during Operation Metro Surge, per his campaign site
- Ensuring no one is above the law, per his campaign site
- Protecting immigrant communities from unjust deportations, per the Sun newspapers voter guide
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
Krenz is a career prosecutor who spent more than 40 years in the Hennepin County Attorney's Office handling juvenile delinquency, sexual assault, murder and white collar cases, per her campaign site. She recently stepped away from that office, citing concerns about weakened accountability and diminished public trust, per her campaign site. The Sun newspapers primary voter guide describes her as retired after 40 years with the office.
2026 priorities
- Holding violent and repeat offenders accountable, per her campaign site
- Rebuilding relationships with law enforcement, per her campaign site
- Ensuring victims participate in the justice system, per her campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
Nguyen is an assistant county attorney and criminal trials division director, according to the Sun newspapers primary voter guide. His campaign site says he previously worked as a police officer and a community corrections officer before becoming a prosecutor and now leads one of the largest prosecutor units in Minnesota.
2026 priorities
- Lowering gun violence and reducing auto theft, per the Sun newspapers voter guide
- Cutting racial disparities in the justice system, per the Sun newspapers voter guide
- Holding people accountable while also providing support, per his campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
Pelikan is a litigation partner at the Minneapolis law firm MADEL PA, per his campaign site, which says he clerked for Minnesota Supreme Court Justices Paul Anderson and David Lillehaug. His campaign site also notes he earned his law degree at the University of Minnesota, where he was editor in chief of the Minnesota Law Review, and that he previously worked for U.S. Senators Paul Wellstone and Mark Dayton. The Sun newspapers primary voter guide notes he did not submit a questionnaire response.
2026 priorities
- Making the county safer and more just, per his campaign site
- Making the law work for everyone and not just the powerful, per his campaign site
Source: candidate campaign site, roster verified 2026-08-29.
Campaign site →
