Good morning. It's Thursday and we're looking ahead to November to begin this Capitol View edition.
Minnesota is leaning toward Biden, but it's close. NPR notes that Minnesotans made it a surprisingly close race in 2016, voting for Hillary Clinton by less than 2 percentage points: "The Trump campaign, which has few expansion options, is targeting [Minnesota], but Biden has led there. Now, one wonders how George Floyd's killing at the hands of Minneapolis police will affect the vote there, especially given that majorities of Americans say Trump has made tensions worse since Floyd's death."
However, there are still five months to go before Election Day. NPR will update its analysis regularly and we'll keep you posted in Capitol View.
Republicans are blasting Secretary of State Steve Simon, a DFLer, for making a deal in a lawsuit over mail-in ballots. Via Tim Pugmire: "The League of Women Voters of Minnesota Education Fund and the Minnesota Alliance For Retired Americans Educational Fund sued the state separately last month. They claimed the state’s witness requirement for absentee voting would put people’s health at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. One case went to Ramsey County, while the other went to federal court. Rather than fighting the suits, Simon’s office made an agreement with the groups, and that has triggered criticism from some Republican lawmakers."
No more "chiefs" in Duluth city government? Dan Kraker reports: "The city of Duluth is moving to delete the word 'chief' from the titles of two of its administrative leadership positions in an effort to remove language that some Native Americans and others find offensive . On Monday, the City Council is scheduled to take up an amendment to the city charter to change the name of the city’s 'chief administrative officer' to 'city administrator.' The city’s 'chief financial officer' would be renamed 'finance director.'"
“Firefighters within the Minneapolis Fire Department are criticizing their leaders’ response in the nights of unrest following the killing of George Floyd," writes The Star Tribune’s Miguel Otárola . The firefighters are "challenging the fire chief who did not call in major reinforcements as gas stations, post offices and businesses burned across the city. Chief John Fruetel relied on mobile units of firefighting crews and increased staff by about 10 during the height of the unrest. He did not follow St. Paul’s example in calling in more off-duty firefighters and, with one exception, did not call surrounding city fire departments for help.”
