Politics Friday

The Legislature will end its session this month.Lawmakers don’t have a choice; the Minnesota Constitution requires them to wrap it up.The political parties both hold late-May endorsing conventions. DFLers meet in Rochester while Republicans assemble in Duluth. There are choices in the major races — governor and U.S. Senate — but the gatherings of activists can be unpredictable.MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and Capitol correspondent Dana Ferguson map out the session so far and where it could head next.And several immigrants in Minnesota are asking the state to pardon criminal convictions that could result in their deportation, an MPR News producer explains the situation.Then two politics reporters come by to discuss what they are seeing and hearing about the top-of-the-ballot races in Minnesota.Guests:Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News.Alanna Elder is a producer for “Minnesota Now” on MPR News.J. Patrick Coolican is a editor-in-chief of the Minnesota Reformer.Walker Orenstein is a political reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Minnesota is suing — and has been sued — a lot. There are cases over health care funding, immigration, clean energy policy, election laws, tariffs, diversity policies and much more. Playing point for much of it: Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. He’s teamed up with Democratic attorneys general in other states for some of the litigation and has gone solo in other cases. Closer to home, he’s in negotiations with the Legislature over ways to beef up fraud investigations and prosecutions. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with Keith Ellison. Later in broadcast, a breakdown on the debate over data centers. We’ll get a look at the projects across the state to build more of the information warehouses are getting pushback. Guests:Minnesota Attorney General Keith EllisonDan Kraker, correspondent for MPR News based in Duluth Kirsti Marohn​, correspondent for MPR News based in Collegeville Dana Ferguson, political correspondent for MPR NewsPeter Cox, correspondent for MPR NewsUse the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Minnesota’s eight U.S. House seats don’t change hands all that often, but after November’s midterm election one seat certainly will. The state’s 2nd Congressional District will have a new representative come January 2027. Democratic incumbent, Rep. Angie Craig, is running for the open U.S. Senate and will leave the House after four terms. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with candidates about why they’re the best Democrat to serve the district that runs from the suburbs down into southern Minnesota farm towns.

The first big deadline for action in the 2026 legislative session is quickly approaching at the Capitol. While committee hearings will be churning at full steam next week, a number of bills are delayed or stuck in the tied Minnesota House. But there’s an area where measures have fielded bipartisan support: consumer protection. Legislation is on the march that deals with the prices people pay, defenses against scams and recourses available if they’ve been ripped off. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and his guests assess what consumer protection bills might make it into law this year. Later in the program, a check-in with the top state economic development official about paid leave, artificial intelligence and all that’s changing our interactions with the workplace. Guests:DFL Rep. Erin Koegel of Spring Lake Park Republican Sen. Jordan Rasmusson of Fergus FallsMatt Varilek, commissioner for the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Dana Ferguson, political correspondent for MPR NewsPeter Cox, correspondent for MPR NewsUse the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Federal law changes provided new breaks for income derived from overtime and tips. Other business tax cuts were approved last year, too.Now Minnesota lawmakers are debating how many of those ideas to incorporate into the state tax code. It would come at a hefty cost. Proposals to contain rising property taxes are also under review in the Legislature.MPR News host Brian Bakst and a pair of lawmakers talk taxes. Later, we’re off to Washington where Minnesota continues to be the focal point for multiple reasons. The continuing fight to contain public program fraud had the attention of a U.S. House committee, which summoned Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison to testify. Two congressional committees put now-removed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on the hot seat over problems in the Minnesota immigration enforcement campaign.Guests:Republican Sen. Bill Weber, of LuverneDFL Rep. Aisha Gomez, of Minneapolis Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR NewsPeter Cox is a politics reporter for MPR News Caroline Cummings is a politics reporter for WCCO-TVUse the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

The Minnesota Legislature’s 2026 session started with reflection about the deadly shootings that killed state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Another lawmaker, state DFL Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, survived a connected shooting at their home. Hoffman was honored in the Senate chamber. It was the first time the Legislature had been in order since months of traumatic and tragic events left them and the state grieving and challenged to take action. The session will go fast, with just about three months to squeeze everything in. There will be debates about fraud, immigration, guns, taxes, work requirements for benefit recipients, social media guardrails, data center regulations — just to name a few. Another thing worth keeping an eye on this year: The tone lawmakers take with each other. We’ll have a recap of the first week of session and committee hearings. We’ll also hear from Colin Hortman, the son of Melissa and Mark Hortman, about grief and finding ways to honor his parents.

Tens of thousands of voters across Minnesota convened at schools, community centers and other gathering places to pick their preferred candidates for governor. They also vented their concerns on immigration, fraud and other priorities for the state’s major political parties.MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst recaps the results from caucus night and where campaign 2026 goes from here. House Speaker Lisa Demuth finished atop the GOP straw poll and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar cemented her place as the DFL Party’s frontrunner for governor. Both declined to come on the show, either taped or live, to discuss the results.But Kendall Qualls, whose second place showing improved on his first run for governor, is a guest. Independent candidate Mike Newcome, who could be a November factor, also joins the show.Later, political analysis from caucus results and the broader electoral landscape, and we’ll hear from the voters themselves. Guests:Kendall Qualls is an Army veteran, think tank founder and a Republican candidate running for Minnesota’s 2026 governor’s race. Mike Newcome is a business owner and a Forward Independence Party candidate for governor.Todd Rapp is the president and CEO at Rapp Strategies and a veteran DFL strategist.Preya Samsundar is a GOP political analyst and a campaign consultant.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

In any other week, at any other time, the abrupt end of a governor’s reelection campaign would be the kind of momentous story that dominates the headlines for many days — but this isn’t one of those weeks. Minnesota is under tremendous pressure from internal and external forces. Any sense of civic cohesion is being strained. On this special episode of Politics Friday, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with All Things Considered host Clay Masters and Capitol correspondent Dana Ferguson about a week that will go down as one of the most memorable in Minnesota history. The trio puts it into context and discusses how it will shape the election-year ahead.Guests:Clay Masters is the host All Things Considered for MPR News.Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

It was an eventful off-year election across the country. In Minnesota, St. Paul elected a new mayor, state Rep. Kaohly Her. It was in a surprise repudiation of the incumbent, Mayor Melvin Carter. Across the river, Minneapolis voters gave their mayor, Jacob Frey, another term. As the dust settles from the the 2025 election, momentum for the 2026 midterms is picking up. Minnesota will see an election as big as they come as voters will elect a governor, a new U.S. senator, key positions from the attorney general to the secretary of state, eight members of the U.S. House and the entire state Legislature — which is now as closely divided as ever. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and a pair of political analysts look back at this week’s voting and look ahead to what’s in store next year. Later in the hour, a Republican U.S. Senate candidate Adam Schwarze made his case on why he’s running and what he’ll have to navigate to reach the fall ballot. Updated on Nov. 13: There were some points in Schwarze’s interview where he referenced proven and alleged fraud in government-managed programs in Minnesota that required a closer look.He said “it’s purported now $6-8 billion that Peggy Flanagan and Tim Walz spent on fraudulent donations to foreign interest groups this last term.”Fraud is a legitimate public concern — one that is causing the Walz administration political problems and leading to new administration actions to detect and prevent it. There have been no independent or official reports that have the numbers that high. The suggestion that it was for “donations to foreign interest groups” is a stretch — even as some nutrition aid wound up being transferred abroad by alleged or convicted scammers.Federal prosecutor Joe Thompson, the lead U.S. attorney on the Feeding Our Future and other fraud investigations involving federal passthrough dollars, has said publicly that fraud in Minnesota is believed to be “in the billions of dollars.”Further into the interview, Schwarze claimed that Flanagan, the current lieutenant governor and a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, “racked up $354,000 on a government credit card” over two years without receipts.The attribution to Flanagan is false, according to auditors who first used that accurately cited figure in a recent audit. Legislative Auditor Judy Randall told MPR News this week that Flanagan wasn’t issued a purchasing card during the period reviewed.“Those payments related to Governor’s Office employees (not the Lieutenant Governor) who had state purchasing cards during that period,” Randall said, relaying a message from the auditor directly involved in the review.The audit did raise concern over lack of required documentation tied to the expenses, but the governor’s office said new procedures have since been put in place to address the reporting gaps.Guests: Chas Anderson is the co-CEO and senior principal at Park Street Public and a longtime Republican strategist. Todd Rapp is the president and CEO at Rapp Strategies and a veteran DFL strategist. Adam Schwarze is U.S. Marine veteran and former Navy SEAL seeking the Republican nomination for Minnesota’s U.S. Senate seat. Peter Cox is a correspondent for MPR News.Michelle Griffith is a reporter for the Minnesota Reformer.Nathaniel Minor is a reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune.Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Rochester is changing in many ways. City blocks are filled with construction work zones. Streets are littered with detours. Cranes tower over the skyline as a massive makeover plays out.Much of it is tied to a major medical expansion associated with the largest employer around — Mayo Clinic. There have also been political shifts. Rochester is one of the shrinking number of places outside of the Twin Cities-area where Democrats seem to have an upper hand. It wasn’t always that way.On this special broadcast of Politics Friday, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst heads to Rochester, where he and his guests talk about what’s behind the spruce-up and where the city’s politics fit in the southeastern part of the state. Politics Friday in Rochester, Minn. Plus, we’ll meet a candidate hoping to make his way to Congress from southern Minnesota. He’s an underdog out of the gate. Then, we’ll get to know more about Molly Castle Work, the newest MPR News reporter based in Rochester, and a special field production. Later, a politics panel with Dana Ferguson and Catharine Richert. Politics Friday: Voices from Rochester, Minnesota Matt Alvarez, Molly Castle Work, Lukas Levin, and Paton Whaley. On Fridays, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst discusses Minnesota politics. The show often features a number of voices in a weekly audio postcard.In this special feature, MPR News reporter Molly Castle Work and producer Matt Alvarez ventured out to gauge the economic temperature from Minnesotans in the southeastern part of the state. Guests: Kim Norton is the Mayor of Rochester. She became the first woman to be elected Mayor of Rochester in 2018 after a prior stint in the Legislature. Patrick Seeb is the Destination Medical Center (DMC) Economic Development Agency Executive Director. Sen. Carla Nelson is a Republican representing the southeastern area of the state, now in her fifth term. Jake Johnson is a Democrat running for election to the U.S. House of Representatives for Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. Molly Castle Work is an MPR News reporter based in Rochester. She covers health care in southeast Minnesota. Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News. She has covered Minnesota politics and state government for Forum News Service. Catharine Richert is a correspondent based in Rochester, where she covers southeast Minnesota for MPR News. She also leads Talking Sense, a reporting project helping Minnesotans have hard conversations about politics, better. This discussion was recorded at 125 LIVE in Rochester, Minn. on Oct. 21. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Former state Sen. Scott Jensen maneuvered his way through a crowded governor’s race field to gain the Republican Party’s backing in 2022. Now, he’s hoping to do it again. Jensen, a family physician, won the Minnesota Republican Party endorsement in 2022 but lost in November to Gov. Tim Walz by more than 7 percentage points. He says he’s running again to “restore the values, safety and opportunity that once made Minnesota a national model for prosperity and fairness,” he said in July as he announced his latest candidacy.MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talked with Jensen about his new campaign.Then, it’s harvest time. But this season has a lot of Minnesota farmers on edge. Their crop yields are generally strong, but their markets are in question because of global trade tensions. We’re joined by two MPR News reporters to detail how farmers are coping with trade barriers with China during the tariffs fight.Guests: Scott Jensen is a former state senator and family physician and is pursuing the Republican endorsement for Minnesota’s 2026 governor’s race. Chris Farrell is a senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace. Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval is an MPR News reporter based in the Fargo-Moorhead area. He covers the region with a focus on agriculture.

Gov. Tim Walz has divided attention these days as his political past, present and future all collide.A new book offers details of the vice presidential run that turned him into a national figure. Ongoing issues with fraud in government programs and efforts to combat gun violence have him at loggerheads with legislative Republicans. And he’s in the early days of a run for an unprecedented third, four-year term. Walz talked with MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst about all of it.Later, a conversation about the state of speech in current times as political leaders, companies and everyday Americans assess the way we communicate.Guests: Tim Walz is a second-term Minnesota governor and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate. Jane L. Sumner is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. She is the author of “The Cost of Doing Politics: How Partisanship and Public Opinion Shape Corporate Influence.” Thomas C. Berg is the James L. Oberstar professor of law and public policy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Minnesota’s House of Representatives has been tested in the last year by a political tie, a lawmaker’s assassination and now consideration of a special session to respond to high-profile acts of violence.In their first joint interview, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with Republican Speaker Lisa Demuth and new DFL Leader Zack Stephenson about their hopes and expectations for a special session. Gov. Tim Walz might call one even if lawmakers lack a prior agreement on what gets considered and possibly brought to votes.Their conversation also explores how the two will work together in 2026, an election year where nothing is required of lawmakers in their February-to-May session.Later, author Lori Sturdevant talks about her new book on Martin Sabo, a former Minnesota House speaker and venerable congressman whose career spanned almost five full decades.Guests: Republican Speaker of the Minnesota House Lisa DemuthDFL Caucus Leader Rep. Zack Stephenson Lori Sturdevant, author of “Martin Sabo: The Making of the Modern Legislature”Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.