He claimed he was racially profiled after being pulled over by St. He faced backlash after a profanity-laced outburst during a protest outside the Hugo home of a police union official. But controversies soon surrounded Thompson. He pushed for sweeping changes to policing - prioritizing community-based programs over hiring more cops - and other progressive policies, as well as introducing bills aimed at funding East Side projects. Castile’s killing led Thompson to become an activist in the Black Lives Matter movement.įollowing the murder of George Floyd, Thompson’s firebrand activist style proved difficult to square with his stature as a legislator after he was elected to the open seat in 2020. Anthony police officer during a 2016 traffic stop. Paul Public Schools and was friends with Philando Castile, who was killed by a St. Thompson, a married father, worked in St. That website still contained now-outdated endorsements from former supporters, including Walz and McCollum, whose campaigns criticized the stale and misleading information when the Pioneer Press made them aware of it. His campaign website, as of Friday, appeared to have not been updated since 2020, when he was elected. He did not return numerous phone calls and emails from the Pioneer Press, and his social media channels are silent, aside from a single post in July urging people to vote for him. It’s unclear what Thompson has done to publicize his campaign other than yard signs. “John can speak for himself,” she said in a recent interview. Lee has been amassing endorsements and campaigning publicly but only mentions Thompson by name when asked. He didn’t get it Lee did.ĭespite the dramatic backdrop, the primary campaign has thus far played itself out in relative quiet.
Thompson refused and sought the DFL endorsement for his re-election. Betty McCollum (D-4th), House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and DFL Chairman Ken Martin calling for the first-term lawmaker to resign. The remarkable event capped a tumultuous period that featured top Democrats, including Gov. He has never been convicted of domestic abuse, and he denied the abuse allegations. Thompson was expelled from the House Democratic-Farmer-Labor caucus by his peers last year after police reports surfaced in which women accused Thompson of violence in several jurisdictions before he was elected. Paul’s East Side, a heavily Democratic area. Thompson and Lee will appear on Tuesday’s ballot for House District 67A, which covers much of St. Paul, perhaps the most controversial Democratic lawmaker in the state, is facing a primary challenge from Liz Lee, a first-time candidate who has amassed support from an array of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor establishment, which has shunned Thompson.
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