Politics Friday: The race to lead the Minnesota Legislature

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson about her interview with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for a special episode of Politics Friday. After a whirlwind bid for vice president, Walz returns to Minnesota and reflects on what went wrong for Democrats in November.Walz also talks about his approach to working across the political aisle and passing a two-year state budget amid a changed political dynamic in St. Paul. Republicans were able to break up the DFL trifecta at the Capitol, tying Democrats for control of the House of Representatives. The Senate maintains a one-vote DFL advantage. And finally, the governor introduces a plan to curb fraud and abuse in state government programs and speaks to the delay in the state’s roll out of the nascent cannabis industry.

MPR News senior politics reporter Clay Masters looks back on the 2024 election campaign for the Iowa Caucus to election events leading up to this week when President-elect Trump stepped back into the White House.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and his guests talk about the Minnesota Legislature and how the state will govern in 2025 with both chambers split virtually down the middle.  

It’s now November and Election Day is almost here.  MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Minnesota’s Secretary of State about what’s being done to make sure the balloting and the counting goes smoothly, and when might we know who won races up and down the ballot.  Later, Minnesota DFL and Republican Party chairs share their closing takes on an unconventional campaign year, and seasoned political pros stop in for an election night preview. We’ll learn what they’re watching for and how the state Capitol might look when the dust settles. Guests:  Steve Simon is the Minnesota Secretary of State.   Ken Martin is the Minnesota DFL Party chair. David Hann is the chairman of the Republican Party of Minnesota. Chas Anderson is the CEO and senior principal at Park Street Public. Todd Rapp is the CEO and President of Rapp Strategies Inc.  Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast.  Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 

Presidential election years can make for unpredictable outcomes down the ballot. For Minnesota, the party that turns out its base — and connects with independents best — has the inside track to gain the gavels at the state’s Capitol. The Senate majority will be decided by a single, winner-take-all race in the western suburbs. As for the House, key races in northern Minnesota and some in the south could determine if the DFL trifecta will live on into 2025.  MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, a Democrat and House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, a Republican, about their party’s prospects in next month’s election.  Later, a look at a northern Minnesota congressional race that features a rematch from two years ago.    Guests:  House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park   House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring Jennifer Schultz, a DFL candidate for Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District seat. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast.  Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 

With fewer than three weeks left until Election Day, campaign ads for the presidency down to the Legislature have flooded the airwaves from your TV to your phone.  But judges are on the election ballot, too. Judicial candidates are running for judgeships in local District Courts, the Court of Appeals and even the Minnesota Supreme Court. There are 100 races, although fewer than a tenth of them have multiple candidates to choose from. Most judges in Minnesota tend to be appointed by the governor, so why are those races on your ballot?  Friday at noon, MPR News politics editor and his guests discuss judicial elections, and why incumbent judges rarely face serious challenges.  Later, is the approaching election and partisan politics raising anxiety or straining your relationships? The creator of MPR’s Talking Sense initiative shares tips on how to weather the remaining weeks and the aftermath. Then, a sneak peek at the Walk a Mile in My News project.  Guests:  Samuel Edmunds is the president of the Minnesota State Bar Association and a partner at Sieben Edmunds Miller, focusing on criminal defense and injury law. Douglas Keith is a senior counsel in the Brennan Center’s Judiciary Program and the founding editor of State Court Report, a publication focused on state courts and state constitutional law.   Catharine Richert is an MPR News reporter and Talking Sense lead correspondent.  

Earlier this week marked one year since Hamas attacked Israel. Hamas militants invaded Israel, killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped another 250 people, making it the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. About 100 hostages have not been returned. Israel’s retaliation in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 people and wounded more than 96,000, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and resulted in mass displacement and a humanitarian crisis.As the war in the Middle East continues with no immediate cease-fire deal in sight, the situation will pose difficulties for the next U.S. president. Jon Alterman, author of the piece “Middle East Challenges Will Vex Not Only the First 100 Days but the First 1,000,” sums up the complex challenges that await. It’s part of a new report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on the global impact of the 2024 election, where Alterman serves as the senior vice president. He also directs the Middle East Program.  MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Alterman about the dynamics in the Middle East and where the leading presidential candidates line up. Later, a peer-led, follow-up conversation with two Generation Z voters about their feelings toward the election after a summer of unprecedented political events.

Minnesota’s most competitive race for Congress is expected to be in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes suburban, exurban and rural areas south of the Twin Cities. It’s one of the few districts in America where voters favored Republican Donald Trump in 2016 and then Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.Three-term Democratic Rep. Angie Craig is trying to retain the seat. She’ll face former federal prosecutor and Republican nominee Joe Teirab on November’s ballot. Read our Voter Guides U.S. House: District 2 MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst moderated a debate between Craig and Teirab held live at MPR’s St. Paul studios.Video of the debate is available on MPR’s YouTube and Facebook page.Guests:  Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), incumbent congresswoman in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District. She was elected in 2018. Joe Teirab, Republican challenger in Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.  Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. 

With new candidates on the Democratic ticket and former president Donald Trump atop the Republican ticket for a third time, a new Minnesota poll shows Kamala Harris with an edge. Coming up Friday at noon, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Minnesota journalists about the poll results.

There are 46 days until Election Day, and that means the start of early voting in Minnesota – one of the first states where votes can get cast.  MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Secretary of State Steve Simon about the early voting process and the safeguards being taken to make sure the 2024 election runs smoothly and fairly across the state. Later in the hour, plugged-in members of the Minnesota’s DFL and Republican parties share their perspectives on how they see this election shaking out from the presidential race on down the ticket. Guests:  Steve Simon is Minnesota’s Secretary of State.   Ak Kamara is the Republican National Committeeman for Minnesota. Ryan Winkler is a former DFL majority leader in the Minnesota House.  Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.   Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.