| Recounts are on the agenda after county canvassing boards certified election results this week. Scott County officials say they’ll recount next Thursday in the race between DFL Rep. Brad Tabke and Republican Aaron Paul after Paul requested the review. Just 14 votes separated them. Paul says it’s worth double checking for transparency’s sake. Republican Sue Ek says she’s taking up a Sherburne County offer to count the votes again. A recount date hasn’t been scheduled yet. Mark Zdechlik was on the ground for the meeting in Shakopee and Dana spoke with the Republican candidates about why they want officials to take another look. Read more here.
We’ve said it before but it bears repeating: these two races are pivotal because they will decide whether the Minnesota House is split 67-67 or if Republicans flip the chamber. Republican Leader Lisa Demuth said Republicans view the election outcome as a win, even if they don’t win the majority. The GOP leader also met Monday with House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman to begin sketching out scenarios where the parties share power. “We came in as equals, regardless of the history,” Demuth said. “There is no minority, there is no majority. We are equally empowered to do the work here in the house.” No news yet on what that agreement might look like.
President-elect Donald Trump met with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office yesterday and committed to a smooth transition of power. Trump didn’t invite Biden to a similar meeting in 2020, following his election loss that year. But the two struck a conciliatory tone with Biden congratulating Trump on his win and Trump thanking Biden for the one-on-one, the Associated Press reports.
In a meeting with House Republicans later in the day, Trump suggested he may need their help to circumvent the Constitution and run for a third term. “I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s so good we’ve got to figure something else out,’” Trump said. House Republicans seemed to take the comment as a joke. U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman, a New York Democrat, reportedly plans to introduce a resolution today clarifying that the Constitution’s two-term limit for president applies even when the two terms are not consecutive.
There are a lot of Trump appointments and nominations spilling out this week, so we’re just going to list the ones that popped yesterday that are less regionally-relevant. The president-elect selected ex-Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of intelligence, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio for Secretary of State and Rep. Matt Gaetz to be his attorney general. All are vocal Trump allies.
In other (more regionally relevant news) South Dakota Republican John Thune will serve as the next Senate Majority Leader after he won a caucus election yesterday. Thune now holds a key role in moving Trump’s agenda forward next year. But Thune has also openly disagreed with the president-elect at times, like when Trump sought to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. The Associated Press reports that Thune defeated Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of Florida in the leadership election. House Speaker Mike Johnson, of Louisiana, won the GOP caucus nomination to keep his title.
The search for a new Democratic National Committee Chair is already underway. Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin’s name has surfaced on a short list of candidates. Martin told POLITICO yesterday he’s undecided about the job. “I’m thinking about it and I’ve been encouraged to do it,” said Martin, “but I haven’t come to a final decision.” The next party leader will face a wide range of challenges including fundraising when his party doesn’t control the White House or Congress, political messaging in a fragmented media environment, dealing with party uncertainty after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris and sketching a convincing pathway forward for Democrats.
Last week’s election could have major impacts on U.S. efforts to shift to cleaner energy and curb climate change — those ripple effects may be felt in Minnesota. The president-elect has called climate change a hoax and pledged support for fossil fuels. He’s also promised to roll back many of the climate initiatives launched under Biden, like the Inflation Reduction Act. Kirsti Marohn spoke with two Minnesota policy efforts about what the Trump Administration will mean for the clean energy transition already underway. Read and listen to their conversation here.
Wanna bet on whether 2025 will be the year for a sports betting deal at the Capitol? MinnPost reporter Peter Callaghan highlights some of the factors that could make it happen this year. A last-minute deal struck during the 2024 legislative session couldn’t get across the finish line. Callaghan reports that the agreement still seems to be intact and could make it through the Legislature, making Minnesota the 40th state to adopt legal sports betting. | 
