Politics Friday

With new candidates on the Democratic ticket and former president Donald Trump atop the Republican ticket for a third time, a new Minnesota poll shows Kamala Harris with an edge. Coming up Friday at noon, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Minnesota journalists about the poll results.

There are 46 days until Election Day, and that means the start of early voting in Minnesota – one of the first states where votes can get cast.  

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Secretary of State Steve Simon about the early voting process and the safeguards being taken to make sure the 2024 election runs smoothly and fairly across the state. 

Later in the hour, plugged-in members of the Minnesota’s DFL and Republican parties share their perspectives on how they see this election shaking out from the presidential race on down the ticket. 

Guests:  

• Steve Simon is Minnesota’s Secretary of State.   
• Ak Kamara is the Republican National Committeeman for Minnesota. 
• Ryan Winkler is a former DFL majority leader in the Minnesota House.  

Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.   

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

The newest member of Minnesota’s congressional delegation, Republican Rep. Brad Finstad, is asking voters for a second term in district one. Democrat Rachel Bohman is asking those same southern Minnesota voters to give her the job instead. 

Bohman, a lawyer and former local board official who has a background in election administration, is looking to flip a seat that has been held by Republicans since 2019. 

What does she stand for and why should voters go in a new direction? MPR News politics editor and host Brian Bakst talks with Bohman about her campaign. Finstad declined an invitation to appear. 

Later, we’ll discuss campaign ads with associate professor Dan Myers of the University of Minnesota’s Department of Political Science.

Hundreds of millions of dollars will be spent nationally between now and Election Day on television and digital commercials, although Minnesota has had a light dose so far. 

Guests:  

• Rachel Bohman is the DFL candidate for the Congressional District 1
• Dan Myers is an associate professor at the University of Minnesota.

Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.   

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

The Minnesota State Fair has ended. The 12-day event brought out long lines for fried food, a butter sculpting competition and U.S. Senate candidates looking to represent the state in the nation’s Capital.

There have been 44 people in Minnesota who have held the title of U.S. senator since statehood, but only seven have been elected to three or more terms. Minnesota has a U.S. Senate election now just a couple of months away, and Democrat Amy Klobuchar is after a fourth term.  

MPR News host Brian Bakst talks with Sen. Klobuchar at the State Fair. She shares what she’s been up to in Washington and what she would do if given another six years. 

Later, we’ll hear from Republican nominee Royce White, who is running on the slogan “the people are coming.” White talks about his path to politics after time spent in professional basketball — in the U.S. and abroad — and his conservative ideology.

Guests:  

• DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar
• U.S. Senate Republican nominee Royce White 

Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.   

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

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.

Tim Walz, the second-term Minnesota governor with a folksy demeanor and a swath of experience both in and out of government, gained a spot on the Democratic ticket as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential choice.

Supporters of Gov. Walz say the ex-Army National Guard leader, former teacher and past congressman could help Harris in the Midwest. But he also comes with baggage from nearly two decades in political office.

Listen to special coverage live from MPR News with host Cathy Wurzer and political editor Brian Bakst.

Clifford Bentley served as technical director for this special coverage.

Find more coverage on the MPR News website.

Kamala Harris taps Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as Democratic running mate

Gov. Tim Walz is Kamala Harris’ running mate. What happens now in Minnesota politics?

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz seems to be everywhere: doing news interviews or in social feeds with pointed, feisty and unguarded comments in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

Walz is rapidly rising to the top as a contender for vice president, alongside Harris. Some of Walz’s comments have gone viral, whether on cable news appearances or during Monday night’s fundraising call for “White Dudes for Harris.”

It’s one of the many affinity groups that have been videoconferencing in support of Harris, spurred by a Win With Black Women meeting the day President Biden left the race.

Minnesota native and Politico reporter Meredith Lee Hill joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer with details about what’s being said about Walz’s VP viability behind closed doors.

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

Subscribe to the Minnesota Now podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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

It has been an extraordinary month in our nation’s politics. 

There’s been development after riveting development, with each eclipsing the last. And yet, with still 100 days to go till Election Day, this could be just a taste of what’s ahead.

MPR News host Brian Bakst talks with MPR political reporters Mark Zdechlik and Clay Masters about the last four weeks in politics and breaks down what the country has experienced.

Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS. Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.    

Democrat Joe Biden, the current president, and Republican Donald Trump, the former president, meet Thursday, June 27, for the first debate either candidate has been in since 2020. 

The presumed presidential rematch has been set for months — with both candidates earning the necessary primary wins to gain their party nominations, which they’ll formally accept at conventions later this summer. 

MPR News host Brian Bakst talks with presidential scholars and a former presidential candidate about the work it takes to prepare for a presidential debate and how Thursday’s debate could impact both campaigns over the next few months. 

Politics Friday will return to the airwaves later this fall for our weekly coverage of the 2024 Election. Until then, we’re coming straight to your podcast feeds — occasionally — throughout the summer.

Guests:  

• Tim Pawlenty is the former governor of Minnesota. He served from 2003 to 2011 and sought the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. 




• Tammy Vigil is the senior associate dean and associate professor of media science at Boston University. Previously, she has done work for the Commission on Presidential Debates. 




• Timothy Naftali is a presidential historian and former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. He’s a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.  

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

This week MPR News and other media partners released the first Minnesota Poll results of the year. The poll, in partnership with MPR News, KARE 11 and the Star Tribune, revealed a close race for president. 

The Minnesota Poll also offered a glimpse at top issues for voters and showed the unease many have about Biden and Trump.  

In this Politics Friday podcast, MPR News host and politics editor Brian Bakst and his guests talk about the poll results and what they suggest about where this election year is headed. 

Politics Friday will return to the airwaves later this fall for our weekly coverage of the 2024 Election. Until then, we’re coming straight to your podcast feeds — occasionally — throughout the summer. 

Guests:  

• Craig Helmstetter is the managing partner of the APM Research Lab at Minnesota Public Radio.  




• Briana Bierschbach is a politics and government reporter with the Star Tribune.  




• John Croman is a politics reporter for KARE 11.