As the midterm campaign approaches, the political winds are starting to kick up around Minnesota.

Places that used to send Democrats to St. Paul or Washington no longer do — or at least not as much. Meanwhile, Republicans are working to head off the historical trend of the president’s party losing ground.

On this special broadcast of Politics Friday, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst heads to Moorhead, Minn., where he and his guests talk about the shift toward Republicans in the northwestern part of the state. Plus, we learn how the parties are trying to connect with voters in these tense political times.  

Then, a conversation about the relationship between local, state and federal government and how it’s also undergoing a makeover. What does that mean for how the public gets served? A county commissioner offers her take. 

Later, we’ll meet the newest MPR News reporter based in Moorhead, followed by a politics panel with Dan Gunderson and Dana Ferguson.

Guests: 

• Sen. Robert Kupec is a Democrat representing District 4 — the Moorhead-Detroit Lakes area of the state. He is a former TV meteorologist for KVRR in the Red River Valley.  
• Paul Harris is the DFL chair for Clay County. 
• Rodney Johnson is the Republican chair for Clay County.  
• Jenny Mongeau is the District 3 Commissioner for Clay County. Her current term expires in January 2027. Mongeau has served on the Board of Commissioners since 2015.  
• Dana Ferguson is a senior politics reporter for MPR News covering Minnesota politics and state government for Forum News Service. She has also reported on state legislatures in South Dakota for the Argus Leader and in Wisconsin for The Associated Press and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  
• Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval is a reporter for MPR News based in Moorhead focusing on agriculture.   
• Dan Gunderson is a correspondent based in Moorhead. He covers general news for a wide swath of western Minnesota and eastern North Dakota with a focus on the environment, agriculture and Indian Country. He has been reporting for MPR News since 1987.      

This discussion was recorded at the Trollwood Performing Arts School in Moorhead, Minn. on Sept. 17.

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