More than 2,200 Minnesota Republicans gathered in Rochester starting Friday to endorse candidates for all the statewide offices on the ballot this fall. Candidates for governor, attorney general, secretary of state and more hope this weekend will propel their campaigns for the 2022 general election. Republicans are fired up and think this year they have their first real chance since 2006 of winning statewide. Host Mike Mulcahy talked with delegates, party leaders and observers about Minnesota Republicans’ chances in 2022.

The leak of a draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has sparked questions about access to abortion, other rights at risk and how this issue will define the midterm elections. We’ll get reaction from DFL Sen. Tina Smith and state Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake. Plus, historian Jon Meacham remembers Walter Mondale.

Laws about voting have always been the subject of debate, but in recent years voting--and election integrity---has become a controversial political issue.

Politics Friday with Mike Mulcahy talks with Secretary of State Steve Simon about this year’s election, the election system and what if any changes the Legislature might make to elections and voting.  

Plus, MPR politics reporter Tim Pugmire and Dana Ferguson, capitol correspondent from the Forum News Service for an end-of-week politics round up.

Guests:

This week, Politics Friday continued our conversations with Republican candidates for Minnesota governor.

Rich Stanek, former Hennepin County sheriff, joined Mike Mulcahy to talk about what sets him apart in the campaign for the GOP endorsement.

Plus, have historical forces in America’s electoral system widened political inequity and rewarded political polarization? Lawrence R. Jacobs, Director of the Center for Politics & Governance at the University of Minnesota joined us to discuss his new book, “Democracy Under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History.”

Guests:

A month before the Republican convention in Minnesota, none of the Republican candidates for governor has a lock on the endorsement to challenge DFL Gov. Tim Walz in November. 

There’s a lot of overlap in the Republican candidates’ messages, including criticism of how Gov. Walz has handled the pandemic, crime and education. Where do the candidates agree and where do they differ?

MPR News political editor Mike Mulcahy talks with three Republican candidates as part of the Politics Friday candidate series.  

Plus, listen to a conversation with Domenico Montanaro, NPR Senior Political Editor from a live virtual event on MPR Connects. 

Guests 

Two competing visions for what to do with Minnesota's $9.25 billion budget surplus emerged this week at the Minnesota Capitol.

Republicans in the state Senate want to use much of the money for a big income tax cut, including eliminating taxes on Social Security income.

Democrats in the House want targeted tax cuts and credits for the parents of young children, renters, and first-time homeowners. They also want to increase spending by more than $1 billion over the next few years on schools, far more than the Republican Senate’s school spending plan.

MPR News host Mike Mulcahy talked about the competing visions with two House leaders. Plus, politics reporters weighed in on what happened at the legislature.

Guests:

Are more Minnesota workers closer to getting paid time off work to bond with a child, cope with illness, or care for sick family members?  Coming up Friday at noon, host Mike Mulcahy talks with two state legislators about different proposals for paid family leave. Plus, should Minnesota pay for school breakfasts and lunches for all students? 

As Minnesota’s COVID-19 cases plunge, politics editor Mike Mulcahy talks with Gov. Tim Walz about new challenges facing the DFL governor including his plans for the budget surplus, his vision of paid family leave and running for reelection as inflation surges. 

Politics Friday: MPR News host Mike Mulcahy talks with Republican gubernatorial candidate Dr. Scott Jensen. As Gov. Tim Walz seeks another term, more than a half dozen Republicans are competing for the chance to run against him. Jensen is the GOP frontrunner. He’s a family physician who served one term in the Minnesota Senate and got national attention for criticizing the state’s handling of COVID-19.

On this week’s Politics Friday, MPR News editor Mike Mulcahy talked with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison about his prosecution of high-profile cases against former police officers, his fight against wage theft, advocacy for tenants rights and what’s next with the opioid settlement.