Dialogue Across Difference

Donald Trump made significant gains among Black and Hispanic voters in 2024, fueling hopes in the GOP that voters of color could become a growing source of Republican strength. But the Trump administration’s immigration policies have complicated that picture, while growing numbers of voters of color are distancing themselves from both major parties. As the 2026 midterms approach, these voters could play a pivotal role in determining who controls Congress. A distinguished panel examines the fight for voters of color this fall.

Former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman joins us for a discussion of what he sees as Minnesota’s tradition of pragmatic conservatism and what lessons it might offer for Washington. Coleman will draw on his experiences as mayor of St. Paul and U.S. Senate to discuss how conservative principles and targeted government action can work together to address public policy challenges.

As Election Day draws near, control of Congress is on the line. Republicans are fighting to defend their razor-thin House and Senate majorities while Democrats look to flip one or both chambers. How will affordability, immigration, the war with Iran, and other major issues affect voters’ choices? Republican consultant Kirsten Kukowski and Democratic campaign strategist Rebecca Pearcey break down the strategies, battlegrounds, and key issues that will shape the 2026 midterm elections.

Redistricting usually only happens every 10 years following the census, but prior to the 2026 midterm elections Democrats and, especially, Republicans maneuvered for advantage by redrawing legislative congressional districts in many states. Will these new district maps help Republicans hold onto their slim House majority in a challenging political environment, or could aggressive redistricting put some incumbents at greater risk? How might the new maps affect electoral competition and the representation of communities of color?

University of Minnesota political scientist Kathryn Pearson is joined by Eric McGhee, Senior Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California and one of the nation's leading experts on redistricting to tackle these questions.

Confidence in the 2026 elections is a growing concern. Many Americans across the political spectrum are increasingly worried about everything from voter fraud to federal interference. Are these concerns justified, and what safeguards protect the voting process?

Join election experts Judd Choate and Jennifer Morrell, former Republican Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson and political analyst Norm Ornstein, for a timely conversation about election administration and what every voter needs to know before casting their ballots this November.

Somali Minnesotans are mistakenly assumed to vote as a bloc in support of the Democratic-Farmer Labor (DFL) Party. Original research, compiled by alumni of the Policy Fellows program, reveals the differences among Somali voters in Minnesota in political views, priorities, candidates, and party loyalty. Join us to learn more about their findings.

You can read the full report at: https://z.umn.edu/BeyondAssumptionsReport

As the 2026 midterm elections heat up, the battle for control of Congress will dominate headlines, alongside nonstop polling, campaign strategy, and questions about the future of American democracy. Join Washington Post editorial writer and columnist James Hohmann for an insider's look at the stories shaping the election, the forces driving the campaigns, and what they could mean for the country.

Political divisions, policy quagmires over the budget and affordability, as well as the uncertainty fueled by the fighting in the Middle East are shaping America's future. Theda Skocpol—a preeminent scholar of American politics—analyzes the current and future directions and uncertainties as the 2026 mid-term elections approach.

Half a century ago Walter Mondale joined a push to create a predictable and rational budgeting process in Congress. What happened to those high expectations? Congress rarely adopts annual budgets as intended, with government spending and tax cuts driving America's deficit toward the breaking point. The country's operations now rely on dare-devil bargaining that shuts the government down and unsettles vital programs. And just around the corner, Social Security insolvency looms. What can be done to bring sanity to congressional budgeting?

About the series:

The Mondale Dialogues is a series of events that project the decency and fairness that guided the public life of Walter F. Mondale and the principles he long fought for. They feature prominent local, national, and international luminaries working on pressing issues of our time. Students, faculty, community members, as well as our online global audience, will find the Mondale Dialogues engaging, informative and thought-provoking.

Event made possible by Penny and Bill George and the George Family Foundation.

The Polycene era, which we have just entered, will be the first era in human history in which humanity must govern, innovate, collaborate and coexist at a planetary scale to thrive, because all of our key challenges -- governing A.I., curbing nuclear proliferation, managing climate change and managing a world where more people than ever will be living outside their birth nations are planetary in scale. It will take everyone, everywhere, rowing together. “The decisive test of our age,” Oxford economist Eric Beinhocker remarked to me, “is whether we will recognize this in time.” We will only pass that test if America takes the lead. No other nation has (or at least had) the respect and power to do so than America. But America can only lead if we get back to our great national project of making ``out of many, one.'' We are off our project. We need to model how to create 'one' from 'many' again, especially since the 'many' is now far more diverse. We look more like the world and the world looks more like us than ever before. If we go first and model that for the world, everything is possible.