Republicans have two chances to break up the DFL hold on state government this fall. One involves picking up a net four seats in the Minnesota House. The other is a single Senate special election in the Lake Minnetonka area, which used to be safe turf for the GOP. Dana Ferguson went out to that district to size up the state of play, and the broader argument that Republicans are making about a return to split-government control.
Rep. Angie Craig and attorney Joe Teirab meet for their second debate today. They spent an hour on our air on Friday in a substantive debate. I appreciate their willingness to come on and their respectful tone to each other throughout. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik and Ellie Roth recap the debate’s high points in which differences on abortion and immigration were aired, and there was a lot of talk about the future of Social Security. There were areas of agreement, too. Read on and listen back if you missed any of it.
“As I was saying.” Those initial words underscored quite the return of former President Donald Trump to Butler, Pa. over the weekend. He picked up the speech and showed the chart that was on screen at the site where the first attempted assassination of Trump occurred in July. The fact you have to put “first” as a qualifier says something about the 2024 race for president. Trump was joined this time by running mate JD Vance and eccentric businessman Elon Musk. It was on that property 12 weeks before that there was a massive security failure that allowed a gunman to fire at Trump, injuring him, and that left one rallygoer dead. Apart from his references to the prior rally there, his speech was true to Trump form, including dark rhetoric about the future of the country if he doesn’t prevail this November.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz went on his first Sunday program since getting his new political assignment. He defended the Democratic ticket’s stances on the Middle East, border security and abortion. Walz was asked to account for Minnesota’s abortion law. And he had to reassure voters who have doubts about his integrity after a series of miscues. It wasn’t an easy go for Walz on “Fox News Sunday.” He’s got more interviews in store this week, including one sure to be lighter on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show tonight.
The Walz elevation to national politics has put more scrutiny on his management in Minnesota. CNN put together a comprehensive story of examples of fraud and abuse that came to light during the six years Walz has been in the governor’s office. It includes references to audits by independent watchdogs. And it relies heavily on local news reports. But much of it is new to a national audience and even some locally who haven’t been tracking daily news reports. Read it here.
One year ago, Hamas militants stormed into Israel on a deadly rampage and kidnapped scores of people, triggering a war that has exacted a toll on Gaza and roiled politics across the globe. Clay Masters checked in with some of the Democratic delegates who withheld their support for the Democratic presidential ticket ahead of this summer’s national convention. Some say they’ll skip voting in the presidential race altogether, which could be problematic for Vice President Kamala Harris if it’s indicative of a deeper holdout nationally. Michigan is a major concern for the Harris-Walz ticket. Clay summed it up yesterday for NPR. | 
