Jim Schultz wins GOP primary for Minnesota attorney general

Jim Schultz has won the Republican nomination to challenge Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison in November, AP reports.

The big picture: Schultz, an attorney and political newcomer who was endorsed by the state Republican Party, defeated 2018 GOP attorney general nominee Doug Wardlow, a lawyer for MyPillow founder and conspiracy theorist Mike Lindell, in Tuesday's primary.

State of play: The attorney general contest is expected to be one of the most competitive statewide races in Minnesota this November.

• Ellison, a former congressman from Minneapolis, defeated Wardlow by a 4-point margin in 2018.

Between the lines: Wardlow defied some of the GOP's most prominent officials to compete in the primary after losing the Republican endorsement to Schultz.

• Wardlow, like most GOP candidates seeking the endorsement in Minnesota, had previously vowed to suspend his campaign if he failed to secure delegates' backing.
• But he reversed course days after the endorsing convention and went on to attack Schultz as not conservative enough on abortion and other issues.

What to watch: Public safety and abortion are expected to be major issues in the general election campaign.