Minnesota Now

We break down the primary results and what they mean for November. Three U.S. House races were closely watched.

We hear from Congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Michelle Fischbach who both fended off primary challenges.

The match up is set in Minnesota’s most competitive U.S. House district. We talk to Republican Joe Teirab who will be facing Democratic Congresswoman Angie Craig.

Plus, we hear from party leaders at the state capitol about their priorities and break down one key race in the state senate that could decide party control.

The politics don’t stop with primary night. In fact, the Democratic National Convention is in just a few days. We share a preview of what to expect from Gov. Tim Walz.

With Tuesday’s primary election behind us, two political analysts join MPR News host Cathy Wurzer and politics editor Brian Bakst to share a wider lens on the results and look ahead to November.

Amy Koch is a former state senate majority leader and current Republican political strategist. Jeff Hayden is a former DFL state senator and currently a senior government relations strategist for Fredrickson Law.

The stage is now set for November‘s general election, including three closely watched races for U.S. House.

If you know much about MPR News host Cathy Wurzer, you know she’s a horse lover. It’s the wide range of personalities unique to each horse that makes them fascinating.

One Minnesotan has devoted her life to capturing the beauty and bond of horses across the state — and the world — from clients who love their horses to top companies who want to use the power of the horse to convey their message.

Shelley Paulson joined Cathy to talk about how she turned her lens to horses.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.

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We attempt to make transcripts for Minnesota Now available the next business day after a broadcast. When ready they will appear here. 

The polls are open until 8 p.m. Tuesday evening across Minnesota for the primary. MPR News senior reporter Hannah Yang covers southern and western Minnesota based in Mankato.

She joined Minnesota Now now live from outside of a voting precinct there to talk about voter reaction to Gov. Tim Walz as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate and what races locals are paying close attention to.

While many of Minnesotans were likely relaxing outside and enjoying the beautiful weather this past weekend, hundreds of people embarked on a grueling endurance-testing bike ride. It’s known as the “Day across Minnesota.”

Bikers geared up at midnight on Saturday on the Minnesota-South Dakota border and had just 24 hours to get to the border with Wisconsin.

That’s 240 miles, meaning riders had to bike at least 10 miles an hour to make it under the time cap.

MPR visual journalist Ben Hovland was there to capture the ride for all 24 hours and he joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to reflect on the experience.

On primary election day, we talked to MPR News senior reporter Hannah Yanf live from Mankato, Gov. Tim Walz’s home town.

The Harris-Walz campaign has been polling well, but is the hype reflected on the ground? MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to two Minnesota doorknockers from both sides of the aisle.

Over the weekend, hundreds of bikers embarked on a journey to cross the state in just 24 hours. MPR News visual journalist Ben Hovland was among them and he joined the show to talk about it.

Minnesota Now’s summer festival series continues with a spotlight of the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Wacipi. The powwow draws thousands of people from around the country.

A Minnesota photographer specializes in taking portraits of horses across the state. She told Cathy about the process, plus why pet photography is blowing up right now.

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Guangxi Impression” by Gao Hong and our Song of the Day was “She’s got the fire” by Honeybutter.

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will hold its annual wacipi Aug. 16 through Aug. 18 at the tribe’s Wacipi Grounds in Shakopee. The event is free and open to the public and draws hundreds of dancers and thousands of visitors each year.

Wacipi means “they all dance” in Dakota. The wacipi was historically used to gather at the end of a season, celebrate a good hunt or recognize a positive event. MPR News host Cathy Wurzer spoke to Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community chairman Cole Miller about the dancing, drumming and food guests can expect.

Find more information about the event here.

Minnesota Gov .Tim Walz will be in Los Angeles Tuesday on his first solo campaign stop as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.

Their campaign is riding momentum: recent polls show Harris leading former President Donald Trump in several key states and getting support from young voters who President Joe Biden had not won over.

Door knockers are the boots on the ground that see firsthand if the hype is real. Olivia Webb, a DFL field organizer in Mankato, joined Minnesota Now to talk about what she’s hearing from voters in a swing district that was brought into the national spotlight with the choice of Walz.

On the Republican side of the race, Sen. JD Vance and Trump will be in Michigan and North Carolina this week as eight field offices in Minnesota operate his campaign in Minnesota.

Republican campaign staff and volunteers are also making calls and knocking on doors for local races. Joe Steck is a long-time volunteer for Republican campaigns in Blue Earth County. He joined Minnesota Now to talk about his experience door-knocking.

Tuesday is primary election day and Minnesota will be choosing Republican and Democratic candidates from the U.S. Senate down to school boards. We'll go to southeastern Minnesota to zero in on two competitive races for the state house.

Congresswoman Ilhan Omar narrowly beat former Minneapolis City councilmember Don Samuels in a primary two years ago. We'll have the latest on their rematch.

And for the presidential race, the importance of social media is undeniable. We'll talk about how the campaigns are using it and what seems to be working.

A Twin Cities broadcaster has his own story to share about living with an incurable cancer — and an experimental treatment that Boyd Huppert says has put him "back on offense."

Our Minnesota Music Minute was “Green Sweater” by Taylor James Donskey and our Song of the Day was “Thick Skin” by Robin Lowry.