By Michelle Griffith | Reporter
Good morning, Reformers.
Today’s newsletter will focus on the DFL and GOP conventions, which begin tomorrow.
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig yesterday announced that she won’t seek the DFL endorsement in her bid for U.S. Senate at the party convention this weekend in Rochester and will instead focus on the August primary.
Craig’s announcement is an admission that she doesn’t have support from enough party activists who will be endorsing a candidate this weekend. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will get the DFL’s endorsement, meaning she will have access to the party’s resources and be subject of party advertising.
Flanagan’s campaign boasted that she was on track to win 75% of the roughly 1,200 party delegates who make the endorsement.
Craig said the endorsement process is flawed and favors more ideologically extreme candidates.
“It’s not really democracy when 1,200 people get to pick who our candidates are in America. It doesn’t allow every voice to be heard,” Craig said at a news conference in front of the Capitol.
Of course, that didn’t stop her from spending a lot of time trying to get endorsed until Wednesday.
Also worth noting: Flanagan was Gov. Tim Walz’s running mate when they beat DFL-endorsed candidates Erin Murphy and Erin Maye Quade in the 2018 August primary.
Read more in Max Nesterak’s story here.
U.S. Rep. Angie Craig announces she will forgo seeking the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement in her race for U.S. Senate on May 27, 2026. (Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer)
By Michelle Griffith and Alyssa Chen
Hundreds of party activists will head to conventions this weekend to endorse candidates for statewide elections in November.
Minnesotans will have the ultimate say when they vote during the August 11 primary election to decide the party nominees who will run during this consequential November midterm election.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the presumptive DFL nominee for governor, hopes to win over enough of the progressive base to win the party’s endorsement ahead of the August primary.
Although she’s the state’s most prolific vote-getter, her moderate political style has alienated many of the progressive activists who will be at the convention this weekend, so expect some spirited resistance — including some throaty boos — even without a major alternative.
On the GOP side, it’s more wide-open, with House Speaker Lisa Demuth battling Kendall Qualls and Mike Lindell in the governor’s race. Former Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze and retired sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya are angling for the Senate endorsement. Republican primary voters tend to be more faithful to the endorsement, so a win this weekend is crucial.
By Brian Martucci
Customers of Xcel Energy’s Minnesota gas utility could be in line for millions of dollars in refunds if state regulators approve its slimmed-down rate increase request later this year.
The settlement agreement between Xcel, ratepayer advocates and the Minnesota Department of Commerce would see Xcel’s gas utility revenue increase by $37.8 million this year, about $25 million less than initially requested.
Residential rates would increase by 4.1% — half Xcel’s initial request — while monthly service charges will remain unchanged and fees for past-due bills could be capped or eliminated altogether.
By Jonathan Shorman
The Trump administration wants the U.S. Supreme Court to empower states to review their voter rolls for noncitizens just days before elections, a change that voting rights advocates say would risk disenfranchising Americans.
The U.S. Department of Justice asked the Supreme Court on Tuesday to wade into a legal fight between the Republican National Committee and a host of Democratic and voting rights groups over a series of voting restrictions in Arizona.
If the court takes the case, it could lead to a significant decision granting states greater leeway to purge alleged noncitizen voters close to elections and mandate that voters prove their citizenship — a key aim of the SAVE America Act, President Donald Trump’s signature elections legislation that’s stalled in Congress.
IN OTHER NEWS
OH BY THE WAY
I will be attending the DFL convention in Rochester this weekend. Email me if you wanna catch up! [email protected]
Alyssa Chen will be at the GOP convention in Duluth. It’s her first time in Duluth, so say hello or recommend your favorite spots around the city. [email protected]
Have a nice Thursday.
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