Gov. Tim Walz on COVID-19, George Floyd, and whether there’ll ever be ‘One Minnesota’
A Q&A with the governor, 19 months into his term.
State Government
Why (and where) Amy Klobuchar will still be a factor in the 2020 election
Klobuchar is one of the few DFLers popular in Greater Minnesota, where Republicans have come to dominate in recent elections.
What we learned from the Minnesota Legislature’s latest special session
The fourth special session of 2020 notable even beyond the decision by Senate Republicans to remove Steve Kelley as commissioner of the Department of Commerce.
Will the deteriorating relationship between Tim Walz and Paul Gazelka affect the Legislature’s latest special session?
The Minnesota Legislature is set to meet in special session on Friday with the same agenda as in the August session — and the same meager odds of getting any of it done.
How two events pretty much encapsulated what you’ll be hearing from the DFL and the Minnesota GOP from now until election day
In a span of two hours, the DFL and Minnesota GOP each held events during which they outlined major campaign themes — and revealed their willingness to troll each other.
Judge finds Minnesota regulators largely followed rules on key PolyMet permit, despite efforts to avoid bad press
The ruling comes out of a lawsuit brought by a coalition of environmental nonprofits and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, which had accused the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency of trying to bend rules to suppress criticism from the Environmental Protection Agency.
Minnesota Republicans are deploying their own ‘law and order’ strategy in legislative races
From St. Cloud and Austin to Lakeville and Woodbury, Republicans are hoping to swing close legislative races by tying DFL candidates to what they see as lawlessness — and efforts to dismantle the police — in Minneapolis.
State says PhRMA doesn’t have standing to challenge constitutionality of Minnesota’s emergency insulin program
The pharmaceutical industry trade group challenged Minnesota’s new law on behalf of insulin makers, saying the program is an illegal taking of private property.
Mining, fossil fuels, police and guns: Why Iron Range Mayor Larry Cuffe is supporting Trump
The Virginia mayor describes himself as a “lifelong Democrat,” but endorsed Donald Trump in 2016 and Republican Rep. Pete Stauber in 2018.
Why Minnesota and other states are worried about FEMA COVID relief payments
Minnesota and other states are being told that personal protective equipment might be removed from the list of expenses FEMA will reimburse them for.
The fight over the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s role in the Line 3 pipeline project, explained
The Department of Commerce says its decision to challenge a critical permit is focused on a narrow issue of law. But Republican state Senators say it’s a political choice, aimed at halting or delaying the pipeline.
How marijuana legalization party candidates could decide control of the Minnesota Senate
Numerous legislative battleground races include pot party candidates, some with tenuous connections to the legalization movement, causing some DFLers to believe the candidates could simply be there to hurt Democrats.
After ousting labor commissioner, GOP senators turn focus to Walz’s environmental appointees
If the Senate’s recent hearing schedule for Walz appointees are any indication, Republicans are not happy with one particular aspect of the governor’s administration: the state’s environmental policy.
What Minnesota’s mid-pandemic primary means for the November election
Overall, election officials were pleased with how smoothly things went in last week’s primary, despite a number of COVID-19 induced obstacles.
‘Enthusiasm and a poor grasp of the facts’: a Q&A with the Bud for Minnesota campaign, whatever that is
The campaign was created to promote Budland Q. “Bud” McKenzie, who supposedly operates a mail order clothing catalog for barrel-chested dogs out of Bloomington, to run for a yet-to-be-named office.
The daily coronavirus update: 6 more deaths; Minnesota’s case positivity average declines
The Minnesota Department of Health said Monday that confirmed cases are up 564 from Sunday’s count, based on 12,690 new tests.
How Minnesota Senate Republicans could dismantle the Walz administration, commissioner by commissioner
And what Walz could do about it.
Who’s running for the Minnesota Legislature in 2020
Between now and Election Day, we’re keeping track of all the candidates for the Minnesota Legislature’s 201 seats.
What a progressive DFLer’s primary victory in Duluth says (and doesn’t say) about politics and environmental policy in northern Minnesota
Though plenty of DFLers in northern Minnesota support two copper-nickel mining projects proposed for the region, PolyMet and Twin Metals, Jen McEwen says Duluth residents have pent-up demand for a “more progressive politics.”
Omar, Fischbach win congressional primaries; challengers poised to oust incumbent DFL legislators Hayden, Dehn and Simonson
In Minneapolis, Jamal Osman leads in first-place votes for the Ward 6 council seat, while general election contests are also set for three open seats on the Hennepin County Board.
