Good morning and welcome to another Monday.
The Republican candidate for Minnesota secretary of state now says she will accept the results of the 2022 election, assuming it doesn't end up so close that a recount is required. Kim Crockett declined to say whether she would accept the election results when asked at a debate last Sunday. In a statement Friday, Crockett said she wanted her position to be clear: “Minnesota has for too long emphasized convenience over ballot security. This has led to a decline in confidence in elections, and an increase in divisive rhetoric that is harmful to productive, civil discourse,” Crockett said. “But given all the terrible division and misinformation around elections, I want to clarify my position so voters can focus on the policy differences between me and Steve Simon.” The other part of the debate question was whether she had confidence in the administration of the 2022 election. Her statement responded to that too: “As for my confidence in the administration of the 2022 election, that is a different question which I will answer after the election is held.”
A candidate for Hennepin County attorney said Friday she is renewing her law license after temporarily deactivating it. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports after it came to light that former Judge Martha Holton Dimick is no longer authorized to practice law in Minnesota, she paid the license fee Thursday, and the state is expected to restore her authorization in the coming weeks, her campaign said. Jacob Hill, a spokesperson for Holton Dimick's campaign, said she was authorized to practice when she filed for office in May. Candidates running for county attorney and judicial positions in Minnesota are required to attach a copy of their law license to their sworn affidavit of candidacy that’s filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State. Hill said Holton Dimick voluntarily deactivated her license in August to save on the renewal fee, and she is up to date on continuing legal education requirements.
Minnesota Democrats say Republican governor candidate Scott Jensen isn’t being clear with voters about his plans to remake the tax code. Jensen, a doctor and former state lawmaker, has called for a gradual phaseout of the income tax. He has not laid out a concrete timeline or said how he would account for a $15 billion annual revenue drop. The Star Tribune reported last Sunday that Jensen would look at adding sales taxes to some food and clothing as part of the backfill. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: At a Friday news conference organized by DFL Gov. Tim Walz’s campaign, state Rep. Cheryl Youakim of Hopkins said voters deserve details. “What I'm convinced of is that he actually does not have a plan except throwing out bumper sticker ideas, like getting rid of the income tax without any idea and how he'd replace that money. Cuts cost cash” she said. “And we need leaders that actually think about the details.” Jensen’s campaign dismissed the criticism as a “desperate political attack,” and said Walz “continues to hide and send out political cronies to do his bidding.” The Jensen campaign didn’t confirm or dispute that he’s looking at an expanded sales tax.
The Star Tribune profiled Walz’s reelection effort Sunday. From the story: Walz is asking for a second act after a tumultuous first term that saw the state grapple with a global pandemic, George Floyd's killing by a police officer and the unprecedented destruction in Minneapolis that followed. Four years ago, he rode into the governor's office with an ambitious agenda to unite the state's geographic and political divides under "One Minnesota," while investing historic resources into schools and infrastructure and tackling the state's persistent racial inequities. He'd already survived a dozen years in Congress in a conservative southern Minnesota district with his own brand of prairie populism that even opponents say makes him an effective candidate. But the dueling crises derailed the governor's agenda and threatened his political future. The actions he took to combat the virus created a deep rift over whether he saved lives or went too far. Rioters leveled buildings in Minneapolis and set a police precinct on fire, leaving Walz open to criticism that he didn't act soon enough to stop the destruction. Republicans are framing the election in existential terms too, arguing that Minnesotans expect basic securities from government that they didn't get from the Walz administration.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday stumped for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison during a campaign rally at the University of Minnesota where he deemed the upcoming election “the most important midterm election in the modern history of this country.” MPR’s Dana Ferguson reported: In front of hundreds of college students and others, the former Democratic presidential candidate said abortion access, election integrity and workers’ rights were all at stake this year. And he urged them to support Ellison, along with other progressive candidates in Minnesota.
Some interesting newspaper endorsements over the weekend, if you follow such things. The Duluth News Tribune endorsed DFL state Rep. Jen. Schultz over incumbent U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber. “Schultz is running now to represent an 8th Congressional District that largely has been abandoned by an incumbent seemingly more focused on party, and even extreme tangents within his party, than on the people he was elected to serve,” the paper’s editorial page wrote. And the Fargo Forum didn’t endorse anyone for Congress in the 7th District. It was critical of the Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep Michelle Fischbach and her vote early in her term against certifying Joe Biden’s election as president. “The vote, which Fischbach has not repudiated, was not only notorious, it was disqualifying,” the paper wrote.
Help inform MPR News election coverage. What questions do you have? | 
