SAVANNAH SHOEMAKE: Pipeline Protest Could Hurt Democrats’ Chances in Minn.

While it hasn’t garnered much attention on the national stage yet, it could very well become the next Dakota Access or Keystone XL fight in the months ahead and just in time for the 2020 election. Democratic contender Bernie Sanders jumped into the debate early on by releasing a video in January opposing Line 3, and just last week Elizabeth Warren came out against the pipeline in a tweet prior to her rally in St. Paul, which drew criticism from local construction union members.

Just as we saw with Warren, Democrats need to be cautious about blindly joining this fight for a few important reasons. First, the project is supported by local labor unions and leaders, as well as lawmakers in both parties in the state. Second, as we’ve seen from past protests over pipelines, they usually have a costly and negative impact on local residents, taxpayers, law enforcement and government – and therefore a negative impact on any politician who is supporting the protests.

Finally, Democratic candidates wading into the issue are automatically aligning themselves with the organizations that are leading the battle. For example, organizations such as Honor the Earth, which led the Dakota protests, are already planning events to prevent the pipeline from being rebuilt in Minnesota. On the surface, it might not seem like the kind of group a Democratic candidate needs to be wary of, but there are questions about its funding and authenticity that could have repercussions.

Corn, popped.