Good morning. It’s a great day to be a Minnesota sports fan for a change.
Minnesota Rep. Tom Emmer has his eyes on a possible promotion in the U.S. House. Dana Ferguson and I report that Emmer is laying groundwork for a House majority leader campaign should the current second-in-command, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, win the job as speaker. There’s no guarantee of any of it given the unpredictable dynamics in the Republican Party right now. Factional politics are on full display and led to the unprecedented ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy this week. If Emmer does move up, it would be the first time a Minnesota lawmaker held that post in Washington.
McCarthy foe Liz Cheney spoke at the University of Minnesota last night. The former Wyoming representative was herself removed from House Republican leadership and defeated in a 2022 primary. That followed her criticism of ex-President Donald Trump, during and after his term. According to the Star Tribune , Cheney said of McCarthy: "Kevin McCarthy is absolutely unfit to be speaker." She spoke at a packed Humphrey School of Public Affairs and told the crowd she hasn’t ruled out an independent bid for president next year.
Seventh District U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach has a Republican primary challenger. The Star Tribune’s Hunter Woodall has details on a campaign announced by small business owner Steve Boyd of rural Kensington. "Some may consider me extreme," Boyd told the newspaper. "That's fine. I don't consider myself extreme by any means." Fischbach got to Congress by defeating a Democratic incumbent, Collin Peterson, in 2020. She coasted to re-election last year.
The legal low-dose THC edibles and beverages market is booming in Minnesota. I got some revised figures from the Department of Revenue this week showing $842,000 in tax collections related to cannabis products in August — meaning $8.4 million in documented sales. What hasn’t come yet is a surge of regulators to keep up. KSTP TV reports that there is still only one inspector to keep watch over 2,300 registered businesses that sell the products. There will be a ramp-up before fuller potency marijuana hits the retail market in force. That’s still a year or more away.
The great outdoors is seemingly accessible to all, but sometimes park entry fees can turn into a barrier. MPR’s Regina Medina introduced us this week to a fairly new Department of Natural Resources program that lets people check out park passes from their libraries. She writes: “The Department of Natural Resources launched the Minnesota State Park Library Program two years ago. It now includes 99 libraries that offer 175 passes. Not every library qualifies to be part of the program. It must be near a public school with 40 percent enrollment in free and reduced lunch. It must also be located in a city with a median household income of $58,000 or less.” On a related note, Gov. Tim Walz, the DNR’s leader and Minnesota’s top tourism official are headed to a state park today to promote efforts to modernize them and make them more of a draw for visitors this fall.
Speaking of fall, the Minnesota Twins are my feel-good story of fall. The team that perfected postseason disappointment did all the small things right to push past the Toronto Blue Jays in this year’s wild-card round. It’s the first series victory for the franchise since 2002. Target Field looked absolutely electric, and even Twins players credited boisterous fans with making things tougher on the Blue Jays. My colleague Peter Cox is along for the ride , and I hope he gets to be on the playoff beat for weeks to come. Up next: The Houston Astros. | 