Fine's campaign largely focused on Ellison's past ties to the Nation of Islam and Louis Farrakhan, while Lee's campaign emphasised her fiscal centrism, declaring that Fine was too conservative to beat Ellison. In contrast to Fine and Lee, Pond declared that Ellison was insufficiently liberal, stating that he had not been fast enough to denounce the Iraq War. However, Pond largely failed to gain traction, which was attributed to Ellison's staunch progressivism drawing off left-wing support that Pond might otherwise have received.
Fine and Lee campaigned against Ellison, with each highlighting different aspects of his background and policies. Pond also ran a campaign against Ellison, focusing on his perceived lack of liberalism.  The success or failure of each candidate was influenced by their respective strategies and the political climate.