From OpenCongress Wiki

Keith Ellison has been a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the Fifth Congressional District of Minnesota, since 2007. He is the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Congress.

Contents 1 Record and controversies 1.1 Iraq War 1.2 Environmental record 1.3 Association with the Nation of Islam 1.4 Improper disclosure of campaign funds 1.5 Elects to take congressional oath on the Koran 1.6 AIPAC-funded trip to Israel 2 Biography 2.1 Congressional career 2.1.1 2006 elections 3 Money in politics 4 Committees and Affiliations 4.1 Committees 4.1.1 Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008) 5 More Background Data 6 Contact 6.1 Twitter 7 Articles and Resources 7.1 References 7.2 Resources 7.3 Local blogs and discussion sites 7.4 Articles

Record and controversies

Congressional scorecards

Click through the score to see the records of other members of Congress and full descriptions of the individual votes. Want to see someone else's scorecard added to the list? You can do it! Organization 2007 Scorecard Score - Agree ratio American Conservative Union 0 - 0/25 AFSCME - Americans for Democratic Action 100 - 20/20 U.S. Chamber of Commerce -

Iraq War

Environmental record

For more information on environmental legislation, see the Energy and Environment Policy Portal

Association with the Nation of Islam

In 1990, Ellison wrote an article for a University of Minnesota newspaper (he was then a law student there) defending Louis Farrakhan against accusations of Antisemitism. He later retreated completely from this defense, stating that he was in err, and that he should have examined more closely the accusations leveled against the Nation of Islam founder at that time. [1]

Ellison's adversaries found further fodder for linking him to the Nation of Islam when it was revealed that he worked with the group for 18 months to organize the Minnesota contingent of the Million Man March. Ellison stated that while he collaborated closely with the group on the project, he was never a member of it. [2]

Improper disclosure of campaign funds

In early 2006, the Minnesota State Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board reprimanded Ellison for unreported contributions, discrepancies in cash balances, and misclassified disbursements. These transgressions occurred in the years 2002-2004. In 2005 when the board tried to get more information about the problems in Ellison's reports, they got no response from Ellison or his treasurer (his wife Kim). When the board heard nothing, they opened the investigation. Ellison was subpoenaed and fined. The board has also fined Ellison numerous times for late filings. [3]

Elects to take congressional oath on the Koran

After his election to Congress, Ellison opted to take his oath of office on the Koran. This announcement prompted criticism from Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Vir.), who called Ellison's intention to use the Koran a threat to American values.

Main article: Virgil Goode#Opposition to Muslim immigrants

On January 2, 2007, Ellison announced that he would swear-in on a copy of the Koran once owned by Thomas Jefferson. Specifically, he said that he would take the official oath of office along with the other incoming members in the House chamber, then use the Koran in his individual, ceremonial oath with new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). His spokesperson, Rick Jauert stated, "Keith is paying respect not only to the founding fathers' belief in religious freedom but the Constitution itself.” [4]

AIPAC-funded trip to Israel

The American Israel Education Foundation, an organization affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), funds trips to Israel for freshman members of Congress. In July 2007, Ellison went on his second trip to Israel courtesy of AIEF. About this trip he stated:

"Whenever you're talking about dialogue with Hamas, it's something that's extremely controversial...I'm not trying to step into some controversy, but I am trying to be a voice for dialogue. I'm trying to go there to be a helpful figure, not a person who's going to stir up controversies."^[1]

Biography

Born in Detroit in 1963, Ellison was one of five children in a Roman Catholic family. He converted to Islam at 19 while attending Wayne State University. In 1987, he moved to Minnesota to attend University of Minnesota Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor in 1990. He then practiced law privately in Minneapolis. In 2002, he was elected to the Minnesota State Legislature. He and his wife Kim have four children. [5]

Congressional career

2006 elections

In the 2006 congressional elections, Ellison defeated Republican Alan Fine to win the seat vacated by Rep. Martin Olav Sabo, who retired.

Money in politics

This section contains links to – and feeds from – money in politics databases. For specific controversies, see this article's record and controversies section.

Links to more campaign contribution information for Keith Ellison from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org site.
Fundraising profile:	2008 election cycle	Career totals
Top contributors by organization/corporation:	2008 election cycle	Career totals
Top contributors by industry:	2008 election cycle	Career totals

• Revolving door profile for Keith Ellison from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.
• 2006 privately funded travel profile for Keith Ellison from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.
• Personal finance profile for Keith Ellison from the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org website.

Committees and Affiliations

Committees

• House Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
  • Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
• House Committee on Foreign Affairs
  • Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight
  • Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia

Committees in the 110th Congress (2007-2008)

• House Committee on Financial Services
  • Subcommitee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology
  • Subcommitee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit
  • Subcommitee on Housing and Community Opportunity
• House Committee on the Judiciary
  • Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties
  • Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims

More Background Data

Contact

DC office
1130 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Ph: 202-225-4755 Fax: 202-225-4886 Webform email
District offices
2100 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55411, Ph: 612-522-1212 Fax: (none entered)
On the Web
Official website Twitter feed Last tweets: YouTube channel
Campaign office
No campaign website entered. No campaign webform email entered. No campaign office information entered.

Twitter

Articles and Resources

References

Resources

• Keith Ellison for U.S. Congress, official campaign site.

Local blogs and discussion sites

• Minnesota Campaign Report
• Centrisity
• MN Publius.com

Articles

• Alan Cooperman, "Muslim Candidate Plays Defense," Washington Post, September 11, 2006.
• John Aravosis, "And we wonder why they hate us," AMERICAblog, December 1, 2006.
• Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, "But It's Thomas Jefferson's Koran!," Washington Post, January 3, 2007.

Semantic data

From the Sunlight Foundation API
Current Office: U.S. House of Representatives
Title: Rep	First name: Keith	Middle name: M.	Last name: Ellison
Suffix:		Nickname:
Party: D	State: MN	District: 05 District short: 5	Currently in office? True
Gender: M
Phone: 202-225-4755	Fax: 202-225-4886	Website: http://ellison.house.gov	Webform email: http://ellison.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content Email address:
DC office: 1130 Longworth House Office Building
Bioguide ID: E000288	Votesmart ID: 38982	FEC ID: H6MN05183	Govtrack ID: 412215
CRP ID: N00028257	Eventful ID: P0-001-000016726-1	Old Sunlight ID:	Twitter ID: keithellison
OpenCongress Wiki URL: http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/Keith_Ellison		YouTubeID: RepKeithEllison	Senate class:

Entered manually within the Template:Politician
Current Office: U.S. House of Representatives
111th Congress
Leadership Position:	Committees Chaired:	Committees, Ranking Member On:	Caucuses:
Committees:
110th Congress
Leadership Position:	Committees Chaired:	Committees, Ranking Member On:	Caucuses:
Committees: House Committee on Financial Services, House Committee on Financial Services/Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit, House Committee on Financial Services/Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, House Committee on Financial Services/Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy Trade and Technology, House Committee on the Judiciary, House Committee on the Judiciary/Subcommittee on the Constitution Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, House Committee on the Judiciary/Subcommittee on Immigration Citizenship Refugees Border Security and International Law
Congressional Career
First Elected to Current Office: November 7, 2006	First Took Current Office: January 4, 2007	Next Election: November 2, 2010	Term Ends:
Freshman Member? No	Previous Political Work? Minnesota House of Representatives	Other Party Membership:
District Offices:
2100 Plymouth Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55411, Phone: 612-522-1212 / Fax: 612-522-9915
Campaign Contact:
Website: Webform Email: / Email: Campaign Offices: Phone: / Fax:
Zip Code Affiliations:
Misc:
Date of Birth:

Latitude: 44°59′29.439″N
Longitude: 93°18′25.079″W