| There will be a “Coach Walz” return to the gridiron at tonight’s Mankato West/Mankato East football game. Gov. Tim Walz , the Democratic vice presidential nominee, is due to return to his home field (where he was a defensive assistant coach) to watch the two high school teams battle it out in a decades-long rivalry. It means metal detectors and more security for the game, which is being held at Blakeslee Field at Minnesota State University. The Mankato Free Press reports Walz will give the team from his old school a pep talk. This is the 25th anniversary of a state championship run the school went on when Walz roamed the sidelines. The Harris-Walz campaign plans to make a social media splash; foes of Walz are urging like-minded voters to come out to boo the nominee.
The last pre-election report shows inflation has reached its lowest point since February 2021, adding to a slate of encouraging economic news in the last few weeks of the race. While the average U.S. household has been out-earning inflation for the last two years, many are still adjusting to prices that climbed to more than 20 percent in early 2020. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, “core” prices remained elevated in September , driving up costs for medical care, clothing, auto insurance and airfare. Apartment rental costs grew more slowly this month, a sign that housing inflation is already cooling. Cooling inflation, solid hiring and healthy growth could erode former President Donald Trump’s advantage on the economy in the presidential campaign as measured by public opinion polls. Vice President Kamala Harris has pulled even with Trump on the issue of who would best handle the economy, after Trump had a significant lead on President Joe Biden.
Minnesota’s “uncommitted” voters are going into this election unsatisfied and conflicted over Harris. Minnesota sent the most “uncommitted” delegates to the Democratic National Convention in protest of President Joe Biden’s stance toward Israeli’s military actions in Gaza. Now that Harris is the nominee, many of those delegates are struggling with how to vote at the top-of-the-ticket. Clay Masters caught up with a few of these delegates . Some are planning to vote third-party, while others are begrudgingly planning to cast their ballots for Harris. The war in the Middle East will be a defining aspect of this year’s presidential election for many voters. On Morning Edition today, you can catch Ellie’s conversation with a student who was planning to skip the presidential election because of the war, but has now decided to vote for Kamala Harris.
The last pre-election report shows inflation has reached its lowest point since February 2021, adding to a slate of encouraging economic news in the last few weeks of the race. While the average U.S. household has been out-earning inflation for the last two years, many are still adjusting to prices that climbed to more than 20 percent in early 2020. Excluding volatile food and energy costs, “core” prices remained elevated in September , driving up costs for medical care, clothing, auto insurance and airfare. Apartment rental costs grew more slowly this month, a sign that housing inflation is already cooling. Cooling inflation, solid hiring and healthy growth could erode former President Donald Trump’s advantage on the economy in the presidential campaign as measured by public opinion polls. Vice President Kamala Harris has pulled even with Trump on the issue of who would best handle the economy, after Trump had a significant lead on President Joe Biden.
State revenues came in $234 million ahead of projections last quarter, that’s 3.4 percent more than what Minnesota Management and Budget forecast in February. The agency’s report for the three-month span between July and September showed individual income tax revenues exceeded expectations while corporate taxes and sales tax revenues trailed what they'd forecast. Overall, the state brought in about $7.6 billion during the three-month period. It's the last quarterly budget update before state economic officials deliver their economic forecast address in December. The update helps state lawmakers understand the state's financial picture before they dig in to write a two-year state budget.
A third-party candidate viewed as a possible spoiler in the 2nd Congressional District says he is suspending his campaign and backing Republican Joe Teirab. Thomas Bowman said he was recruited to run for the office by the group Patriots Run Project. The Associated Press has reported that the group helped third party candidates in several competitive races around the country. Bowman told the Star Tribune that he felt used by the group. Bowman’s name will still appear on ballots in the district because he dropped after the deadline to withdraw. As an aside, third-party candidates in the 2nd District have provided some ballot drama before. Marijuana party nominees Adam Weeks and Paula Overby died in 2020 and 2022, respectively, and their names remained on the ballot . More than 20 years ago, there was a situation more like the one this year where there were suggestions of a spoiler candidate recruited under a minor-party banner. Spin through this old Brian Bakst story (the story is old, not him) for more on that.
Sen. Bernie Sanders is heading back to Minnesota to stump for the Harris-Walz campaign in the metro area. The Vermont independent and former Democratic candidate for president is set to focus on the campaign’s proposals to safeguard legal access to reproductive health care and strengthen democracy. Sanders has been making stops around the country on behalf of the Democratic ticket.
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