Good morning, and happy Thursday. 

While it seems like much of the action in politics this week has been happening in Washington, the talk in the governor's race this week has been about  debates, reports MPR’s Mark Zdechlik. DFL Gov. Tim Walz declined an invitation from MPR News to debate his Republican opponent Scott Jensen at the State Fair which begins next Thursday. Jensen accused Walz of ducking debates. “He may be running for governor, but the more important question is what is he running from?” Jensen said in a video posted to Twitter. “Because he's clearly not running to a discussion of the issues that you might want. He is not interested in having an open conversation with me in front of you, so you can make the decision you need to make when you cast your vote.” The two did debate a couple weeks ago at FarmFest in a fiesty exchange. The governor said on MPR News last week that he will debate Jensen again, but he said he is wary of giving Jensen a platform where he can spread false information about COVID-19 without being challenged.  Walz has raised a lot more campaign money than Jensen, so it only makes sense Jensen would want  to have more debates where he can get TV coverage and other media attention that Walz can afford to buy through paid advertising. Meanwhile the Walz campaign has been pressing Jensen and his running mate Matt Birk to release their tax returns. Both Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan have released multiple years of their tax returns, and they note that DFL and Republican candidates have done so in past gubernatorial campaigns. 

For the first time in Hennepin County’s 170 years of history, a Black sheriff will be the top law enforcement official at the county.MPR’s Jon Collins reports: Either Dawanna Witt or Joseph Banks will lead the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office at a time of rising concerns about violent crime and increased public scrutiny of law enforcement. They’ll also be tasked with stabilizing a department shaken by the actions of the current sheriff.   Just over 57 percent of primary election voters last week cast their ballots for Witt. She’s a major in the Hennepin County Sheriff’s office, and had previously worked for the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office. Witt said the public shouldn’t have to choose between law enforcement agencies pursuing criminals and ensuring that police act justly. She said people should have both. In the general election, Witt will be facing Banks, the former acting chief of the Lower Sioux Indian Community and police chief of the police department in Morton, Minn. He came in second in last Tuesday’s primary election with 22 percent of the vote. 

Some of the more than 200,000 applications for pandemic bonus pay that were denied may have come from people who had trouble with technology and language.That’s according to Matt Riley, an organizer with CTUL Workers Center , who worked to support Minnesotans during the application process. Applicants needed an email address and some language came directly from the bill verbiage instead of being adapted. Riley said some immigrant communities weren’t sure if they qualified. “For workers in downtown Minneapolis, the people I work with, this money is really important to them. It is going toward their rent, food — it is money that will definitely support them,” Riley said. To fill out the application, applicants needed a mobile device or computer. The process was available in English, Spanish, Hmong and Somali. Riley said it is important that people appeal their denials by the end of the month because workers have been fighting for the money and risked their lives during the peak of COVID-19.

State Sen. Torrey Westrom filed documents this week asking the state Supreme Court to dismiss a claim that he doesn't really live in the new district he wants to represent.  The challenge to Westrom's residency was filed by third party candidate Ashley Klingbeil. MinnPost reports: The response filed by Westrom’s lawyer says Klingbeil sat on purported evidence too long, hampering Westrom’s rights. But it also says Westrom “went far beyond what others have done to establish residency.” Westrom’s attorney contends the “residency checks” done on Westrom’s prior and current home were sparse, and total video taken of the properties lasts only 14 minutes. “The whole of this petition is based on less time than the average coffee break,” the filing says. 

Minnesota Revenue Commissioner Robert Doty will leave state government next month to serve as chief financial officer at the Science Museum of Minnesota, Gov. Walz said Wednesday.  Before joining the Revenue Department in 2019, Doty was the executive director of the Minnesota State Lottery. He also served as the chief operations officer and chief financial officer for the Minneapolis Public Schools. Doty’s last day as commissioner will be September 2, and Deputy Commissioner Lee Ho will serve as temporary commissioner through the remainder of the year, Walz said in a release. 

The New Republic takes a look at Rep. Tom Emmer’s Minnesota record and his role as leader of the Republican effort to take control of the House : 2022 will likely be a year of triumph for Emmer, the fourth-ranking Republican in the House. Under the watch of the four-term representative from Minnesota, the NRCC is targeting 75 seats; gaining more than 36 seats would give the GOP its largest House majority in nearly a century, but a net gain of just five would give the party control of the speakership. Along the way, Emmer has had to walk a difficult path of courting candidates who won’t alienate moderates (he often trumpets the increased number of recruits who are women or people of color) while not offending those clinging to the Big Lie. As a result, while Emmer may be successful—perhaps even winning himself a leadership post atop a House majority—he’ll have gotten there on the backs of insurrectionists and conspiracy theorists.