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PHILADELPHIA- Fifth District Congressman Keith Ellison stressed party unity and linked Donald Trump to the Ku Klux Klan at a Wednesday morning meeting with Democratic convention delegates from Minnesota and Tennessee.

Ellison was an early backer of Bernie Sanders, but lately he's been making the case for supporting Hillary Clinton.  His audience, which had plenty of fellow Sanders fans in it, was receptive.

“There have been some disappointments and some bumps along the way,” said Ellison referring to leaked DNC emails that showed some party leaders were undermining Sander’s campaign. “That’s a fact –right? But you know you can’t compare us to perfection. You've got to compare us to other people, and the truth is that compared to those guys in Cleveland, I think we’re looking pretty good.”

Ellison urged strong Democratic voter turnout in November to support Clinton. Ellison, the only African American in Minnesota’s congressional delegation, warned about the racial implications of the election and claimed that the Ku Klux Klan wants Trump elected.

“To some people, a Trump presidency is theoretical, hypothetical, abstract,” Ellison said. “I’m not scared of Donald Trump. But anyone the Klan likes, there’s no way I could ever like.”

Ellison also promoted what’s being characterized as the most progressive Democratic platform in the party’s history.  He said the fact that Clinton worked with Sanders on the platform shows that, “Hillary listens.”

“I’m now proud to be supporting Hillary Clinton,” said Ellison to vigorous applause from the delegation.

Gov. Mark Dayton took at the podium too, underscoring the need for Democrats to unite behind Clinton.

“I’m begging you please, Hillary Clinton may not be Sen. Sanders, but she’s Hillary Clinton and she’s a heck of a lot better than Donald Trump.

Dayton called Bernie Sanders a remarkable candidate who ran a remarkable campaign and he likened him to a hero of the left-wing of the Democratic Party.

“One of the reasons he was so successful is he sounds a lot Paul Wellstone. “

Politics and Government News

Capitol View®

Mark Zdechlik

Author

The Minnesota congressman made a plea for party unity to delegates Wednesday morning.

Ellison says white supremacists back Trump

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