Hennepin County Attorney Moriarty Announces She Won’t Seek Re-Election

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has announced she will not seek a second term.

In making the announcement, Moriarty said she wants to focus her time “running the office, rather than running for office.”

“We’ve become accustomed to elected officials who don’t deliver results and end up more invested in clinging to power than doing the work of the people,” said Moriarty in a press statement. “That is not me.”

Moriarty was elected in 2022 running on a progressive platform to delivering justice. The former Hennepin County public defender defeated Martha Holton Dimock, a former prosecutor and retired Hennepin County judge, by 16 percentage points.

“We now have a historic opportunity for change and justice in Hennepin County,” Moriarty said at the time of her election.

Moriarty has since come under fire at times from crime victims and law enforcement for some charging decisions. But Moriarty believes her efforts to devote more resources to violence prevention programs are working.

The county attorney listed the exonerations of two wrongfully convicted murder suspects — Marvin Haynes and Edgar Barrientos-Quintana — as among her notable accomplishments. She also noted efforts to ensure fair trials and conviction integrity.

“I trust that the voters who overwhelmingly elected me just two and a half years ago will choose a candidate in 2026 to build on our work, which is proving to make Hennepin County safer and more just,” said Moriarty.

Related: Hennepin County Attorney’s Office To Hold Expungement Clinic for Low-Level Felonies

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