Good morning. Gird yourself for an unusually busy June week in politics with this chock-full primer.

It’s debate week. Thursday night’s early but historic showdown between two presidents — the current and former — will dominate the week’s news cycle. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump meet for a one-on-one debate hosted by CNN in Atlanta with no live audience and features designed to diminish a talk-over-each-other repeat of their 2020 debates. Both nominees in waiting have been in debate prep and the expectations game is already in full swing. NPR has a preview.

We’ll have our own debate preview show tomorrow at 9 a.m. Brian’s guests include former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who took part in presidential primary debates a decade ago, and other experts in presidential politics and debates. We’ll open the phone lines and take some of your questions and comments as well. Email us at talk@mprnews.org if you have something on your mind about the debate.

Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has qualified for Minnesota's presidential ballot — but you won’t see him in Thursday’s debate. The secretary of state's office said Friday that Kennedy and his vice presidential running mate, Nicole Shanahan, received sufficient signatures to qualify. They'll be listed under the "We The People" banner on November's ballot. The Democratic and Republican parties have until Aug. 26 to get their candidates lined up. They're presumed to be Joe Biden and Donald Trump, respectively. Non-major party candidates must submit at least 2,000 eligible voter signatures by Aug. 20 to qualify. No other candidates have turned in nominating petitions yet. 

Early voting starts this week ahead of the August primary. Friday marks the first day of early voting ahead of Minnesota's Aug. 13 primary.  For Democrats, the 5th Congressional District primary is the most closely watched race. Rep. Ilhan Omar is trying to fend off another challenge from former Minneapolis city councilman Don Samuels. For Republicans, there are noteworthy contests in the 2nd Congressional District of the Twin Cities suburbs and for the 7th Congressional District in western Minnesota. There's also a contest for the Republican Senate nomination. Former professional basketball player Royce White and military veteran Joe Fraser are vying for the chance to take on Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar in November. Registered voters can access an absentee ballot at local election offices or request one by mail. Some cities and towns also offer in-person absentee voting. 

Speaking of the 7th District, check out this deeply reported story on Steve Boyd, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Michelle Fischbach in the 7th district. The Star Tribune’s Ryan Faircloth examined some of Boyd’s comments about God and politics, which could be especially compelling to conservative voters who will have a large role in picking the party’s nominee in August.

Gov. Tim Walz and Democratic governors of other states will be gathering in Minnesota today to talk about common issues and draw renewed attention to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion from 2022. The Dobbs decision that overturned the federal right to abortion access was an instrumental part of the Democratic campaign messaging two years ago and is expected to feature prominently in this year’s strategy, too. Walz, the current chair of the Democratic Governors Association, says there are 10 governors headed to Minneapolis. He says sustainable aviation fuel and workforce development are also on the discussion list. 

Also on her way to town is U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. She arrives today and will take part in two days of official events around housing and community lending programs. U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith will accompany Yellen for some of the events. A stream of Yellen's remarks at one afternoon stop today is here.

Gov. Walz made some noteworthy appointments on Friday to a horse track oversight panel. The governor selected departing Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe chief executive director Melanie Benjamin and Prairie Island Indian Community President Johnny Johnson for the Minnesota Racing Commission. Both were named Friday — a day after they applied for the roles . Their appointments are a shakeup for the commission, which drew attention last year for authorizing historical horse racing games for Running Aces and Canterbury Park. That authorization was quickly reversed by the Legislature. Running Aces is suing both Indian tribes in federal court under a racketeering law (the lawsuit names Johnson among the defendants). The new appointees to the nine-member commission start in July and have terms that run through 2029.

We have more details on how Minnesota Republicans fared in their major May fundraiser headlined by former President Donald Trump. A federal campaign report filed last week shows that the party pulled in more than $1.25 million in May. It was the GOP’s best month since late in the 2020 campaign, when much of the money came from transfers from other political committees. This report also had a big transfer: $100,000 from U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer, who is high in the Republican House ranks and chairing Trump’s election effort in Minnesota. But the party raised about $500,000 in the week or so around Trump’s event, including nine five-figure donations. Of course, these major events cost money to put on and the report shows associated costs well north of $100,000. Notably, the GOP had more cash than debt in its report, which wasn’t the case the month before.