By J. Patrick Coolican | Editor-in-chief
Good morning, Reformers.
What I’ll be watching for on primary night:
Turnout. The 2018 DFL primary turnout: ~583,000 in the contested governor’s race, a bit more than 23% of registered voters turned out that year — was the most robust in many years, but the DFL-endorsed progressive candidate still lost. One thought would be that Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan needs a big turnout against Rep. Angie Craig, especially of younger, more progressive voters. On the other hand, maybe the kind of engaged Democrats who turn out in primaries have shifted left and will back Flanagan. As I noted last week, a lot has changed since 2018, including Gen Z entering the electorate; disgust with the Democratic establishment; George Floyd’s murder; and Operation Metro Surge.
CD2 turnout: Unclear to me how turnout affects the race to replace Craig, where Rep. Kaela Berg, Sen. Matt Klein, and DFL-endorsed Matt Little are running. The competitive primary almost certainly helps Craig because those voters know and seem to like her.
Legislative primaries can tell us something. Here’s an MPR rundown of 11 legislative primaries. You can’t make broad conclusions about the state’s politics based on a single legislative primary. Sen. Ron Latz, for instance, seems to be facing some serious local resistance. But if we see a batch of incumbents losing, that might tell us something.
Another Trump Minnesota loss? Despite his claims to the contrary, Donald Trump doesn’t play well here, having lost soundly in the 2016 caucus, and again in three presidential contests. He’s a fancy coastal con man, and most Minnesotans see through it. But GOP primary voters are the exception, and he has a near perfect record in GOP endorsements. Pillow mogul Mike Lindell needs Trump to keep the winning streak alive, while House Speaker Lisa Demuth needs a bigger turnout among normie suburbanites who will go for something more staid than Lindell’s frenetic pyrotechnics.
The fate of progressive prosecutors. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, the former chief public defender, was among a wave of urban progressive prosecutors elected in recent years, but is leaving after a single term. Progressive prosecutors in other jurisdictions were often scapegoated for the pandemic-era spike in crime. Rep. Cedric Frazier won the DFL endorsement and is a former public defender. Anders Folk occupies a more conventional prosecutor lane, having served as acting U.S. attorney.
We’ll have a half dozen or so reporters out and about talking to voters. We tend to let voters sound off, which means the coverage can be quite entertaining. Our election coverage, as always: Free, no ads, no paywall, free to republish.
To the Reformer:
By Michelle Griffith
Michelle takes you through some races and gives you important information if you’re new to Minnesota or new to voting.
The Aurora Borealis at Voyageurs National Park near the city of International Falls. (Photo courtesy of National Park Service)
By Katelynn Rolfes
A conservation bill with Republicans signed on? Yes. It’s called the Great American Outdoors Act 250.
“This legislation would continue the Legacy Restoration Fund, which has helped tackle the backlog of repair and maintenance projects in our national parks, wildlife refuges, forest service lands, Bureau of Indian Education schools and Bureau of Land Management lands. In Minnesota, the Legacy Restoration Fund has paid for improvements to the visitor center at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, as well as infrastructure repairs to levees, water control structures and storage buildings. In Voyageurs National Park, the fund has paid for essential power upgrades at the beautiful Kettle Falls Hotel, the only lodging in the park, and repairs to vital roads that allow visitors to explore the park.”
IN OTHER NEWS
Judge orders Pentagon to resume wind energy project reviews | Reformer via Stateline
Trump announces $180M for mining education as administration recommits to coal | Reformer via States Newsroom
Scott Galloway on the problems of young men | Interesting Times with Ross Douthat, gift link
OH BY THE WAY
Fantastic New Yorker piece about 1970s and 1980s New York and what Donald Trump learned from Roy Cohn. Always attack, never retreat, never pay your bills, never do anything in writing, win the narrative or at least muddy the waters. Also: fine to deal with the mob, i.e., the mafia, if that’s what it takes.
This has me thinking I need to watch the Tony Kushner play “Angels in America.”
A song from the era: Joe Jackson’s “Steppin’ Out.”
Have a great day all! JPC
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