More than 120 MinnPost readers and friends gathered Monday night at the A-Mill Artist Lofts in Minneapolis to watch and discuss the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. 

After the debate, MinnPost political columnists Eric Black and Cyndy Brucato shared their reactions and answered questions from audience members about the performance of the two candidates — and of moderator Lester Holt of NBC News. Both thought Clinton had a better night than Trump, though both were also skeptical that the debate would play a significant role in the outcome of the election. As Black wrote in a column about the debate: “I doubt last night’s debate changed very many minds, because not much was new.” 

Prior to the debate, attendees had the opportunity to hear from No Labels Minnesota, a nonpartisan political group that advocates for more collaborative problem-solving in the U.S. government. “There is wide agreement on some very, very significant issues – solutions that can make the lives of people better in our country – but they’re still not happening,” No Labels Minnesota Co-Chair Paul Ostrow told the crowd. “That’s what we’re trying to fix.”

MinnPost photo by Andrew Wallmeyer

MinnPost journalists Eric Black and Cyndy Brucato took questions from attendees following the debate broadcast.

Upcoming MinnPost events include:

• MinnPost Quiz Live!, Wednesday, Oct. 19 – a pub-trivia-style quiz event hosted by MinnPost quizmaster Andrew Minck and Minneapolis Foundation President and CEO R.T. Rybak, and sponsored by the foundation’s OneMpls hub.
  
  

• Wolves Season Preview with Britt Robson, Wednesday, Oct. 26 – an opportunity to talk hoops in depth and watch the season opener through the eyes of one of the best basketball writers in the nation.
  
  
• MinnPost Social: 2016 Elections, Tuesday, Nov. 1 – MinnPost political reporters Sam Brodey and Briana Bierschbach will discuss key U.S. and Minnesota races as they enter the final week of the 2016 campaign.
  
  
• MinnPost’s Ninth Anniversary Party: A Post-Election Conversation with Sen. Al Franken and Norm Ornstein, Tuesday, Nov. 15 – Franken will interview Ornstein, his longtime friend, on the outcome of the U.S. presidential election and what it says about the current mood and direction of the nation.