Good morning, and happy Tuesday, the first of November and one week from Election Day. We have you covered. Research candidates and see what's on your ballot.
MPR’s Brian Bakst reminds me that this is the final day for Minnesota voters who successfully returned absentee ballots to seek a do-over. After today, local elections officials can begin preparing the accepted ballots for counting. That involves separating ballots from the envelopes they were submitted in. Hundreds of thousands of voters have already cast ballots this year, although more are expected to vote in person than two years ago. Voters whose ballots are rejected due to a submission flaw are likely to be contacted to let them seek a replacement or to advise them about ways to vote in person. Officials caution against waiting too long to send a ballot in by mail because those received after Election Day won’t count.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen says he raised about $1.3 million over the past month. State candidate reports are due today. Jensen’s total raised for the cycle is $5.5 million, according to a release from his campaign on Monday. DFL Gov. Tim Walz raised a similar amount over the last month for a total of about $9.3 million for the cycle.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds stopped in Golden Valley Monday evening to hold a rally with Jensen. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports Reynolds referred to Walz as Minnesota’s ”lockdown governor,” saying Walz imposed too many restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. And she told the crowd that it was “time to move him out.” Reynolds pointed to her more hands-off approach to addressing the pandemic and said that Jensen would lead a similar administration in Minnesota, if he’s elected next week. She also told the crowd that tax cuts, public money for private schools and looser state restrictions could be on the table under a Jensen administration. Earlier in the day, Democratic lawmakers held a news conference to push back on Reynolds’ conservative policies. They said that Minnesotans care about the programs funded by taxpayer dollars and would support Walz over Jensen at the ballot box.
Hugh McTavish, Steve Patterson, James McCaskel and Gabrielle Prosser aren’t as well known as Walz and Jensen, but they will be on the ballot next week for governor.The Star Tribune has a story about the other candidates in the race for governor and other offices: Third-party candidates this year don't have the name recognition or support that launched Jesse Ventura into office 24 years ago. But they could influence races for governor, Congress, state auditor and the Minnesota Legislature. Candidates from the state's two pro-marijuana legalization parties, both of which have major party status, could have a particularly significant impact in the tight race for state auditor. Polls show DFL incumbent Julie Blaha and Republican challenger Ryan Wilson in a dead heat in the often overlooked race. In an effort to overcome the potential loss of votes to those parties, Blaha has been emphasizing her endorsement by the MN is Ready Coalition that supports legalizing marijuana.
The man accused of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told police he wanted to hold the speaker hostage and “break her kneecaps," authorities said Monday.The Associated Press reports David DePape, 42, confronted a sleeping Paul Pelosi in the couple's San Francisco bedroom early Friday morning, according to a federal affidavit filed in court Monday. Pelosi was left seriously injured in the attack, underwent surgery for a skull fracture, and suffered other injuries to his arms and hands. DePape was charged federally Monday with influencing, impeding, or retaliating against a federal official by threatening or injuring a family member. He also faces one count of attempted kidnapping of a United States official on account of the performance of official duties. San Francisco’s district attorney, Brooke Jenkins, strongly rejected conspiracy theories about the attack, confirming the assailant was targeting the Democratic leader when he broke into the couple’s home.
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