To the Editor

During the debate between Attorney General Keith Ellison and his challenger Jim Schultz on Oct. 23, Mr. Schultz said the attorney general should not be “suing egg producers in Minnesota.” Why did Mr.Schultz mention this?

I’m glad Mr. Ellison explained the case, and it bares repeating.

In 2021, the Attorney General’s office sued the large agribusiness corporation Sparboe Farms for price-gouging with extreme price increases that Sparboe put into effect on their eggs during the height of the pandemic — roughly a 200% increase. Sparboe profited $2.1 million from their price increase — which came out of the pockets of Minnesota wholesalers and us, the consumers.”

The corporation wanted to settle the case, so they agreed to the AG office’s proposal that they provide 90,000 dozen – more than 1 million eggs — to food pantries and food shelves across the state.” As Mr. Ellison said to Mr. Schultz in the debate, I am fighting corporate price-gouging and getting food to low-income Minnesotans, and you’re here attacking me for it.

That’s the difference between Mr. Schultz, the hedge fund lawyer whose entire career was spent advancing the interests of wealthy investors and corporations, and Mr. Ellison, who will fight for Minnesota consumers like you and me against corporate price gouging.

The CEO of Sparboe Foods has given the maximum financial donation allowed to Mr. Schultz’s campaign.

That explains why Mr. Schultz would suddenly bring up eggs in the middle of the debate. He was putting in a plug for a wealthy donor.

We need an Attorney General who will protect the food prices for all Minnesotans. I’ll be voting to re-elect Keith Ellison as Attorney General, and I urge others to do so. In this and many other cases, Keith has proven to be the People’s Lawyer.

Lisa Haney

Marshall