With only six Mondays left until the Election, Grace & Bri talk to two candidates, Mindy Kimmel & Doria Drost, who are running for the Minnesota House on both sides of SD16. We hear about the different challenges & opportunities they have campaigning in a more rural district, and some of the issues especially important to their future constituents. In the back half of the episode, dig into some recent research that talks about how the public views women leaders in times of crisis. Considering the many crises we’re dealing with & the impressive number of women running for office, it’s worth a listen. 

Show Notes

This is not the episode we were planned on or hoped for, but due to the devastating loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg this weekend, here we are. Join us to celebrate the legacy of the one and only RBG – and then dive into the dark, murky waters of filling this new Supreme Court vacancy, and what that could mean for the election. (UH, Y’ALL, VOTE FOR JOE AND KAMALA.) In the back half, we come back to the local level and talk about why we’ve got judges on the ballot in Minnesota, whether you need to actually vote for all 700 of the folks who are running unopposed – and one particular candidate for the Minnesota Supreme Court that RBG would definitely not be down with having on the bench. This episode is a reminder that we’re not alone, and neither are you – and together, we can still do this.

Show Notes

Early Voting starts this week, y’all, so in this episode, we’re getting down and dirty with everything you need to know for November: registering voters, voting from home, wtf is up with the post office, and how the heck voting works in a pandemic. And we’re talking about all that with our very favorite expert: MN Secretary of State Steve Simon (yes, THAT Steve Simon!). Plus, he gives the lowdown on what measures Minnesota is taking to make sure we can all vote safely this year, and take it from us: after this chat, you’re gonna feel way better. Think of it as a hug from democracy, and get ready to play this one on repeat.

SHOW NOTES

It’s Labor Day, y’all, but democracy doesn’t rest and neither do we! This week, we’re chatting with State Senate candidate Sahra Odowa, who tells us all about what it’s like trying to flip a seat in an increasingly diverse district with three major towns and a whole mess of townships. Grace & Bri also get into the dirty business of campaign mailers and how you can figure out just who is sending you all this garbage – and what agenda they’re pushing. Plus, COVID Corner makes its triumphant return because newsflash: we’re still in a pandemic, things are getting worse, and MN needs to make some moves, stat. We send you out on a high note though: another stellar RenFem listener voicemail.

Show Notes

This week on Renegade Feminist, we’re covering both ends of of the political spectrum: amazing women who run for commissions and board appointments and mediocre dudes who should maybe never run for anything again. Join us in the weeds on city & county commissionerships and what steps we can take to get more women represented. We’ll chat with Ashley Grimm, candidate for the St. Louis County Board of Commissioners, who shares what a County Commissioner does and her vision for serving the people of Duluth. Plus, we’ll hear from another listener about the campaign they’re working on.

Show Notes

Leave us a voicemail!

This week on Renegade Feminist, get nerdy with us as we dive into the the nitty-gritty insanity going on in the Senate right now — and why the Senate Republicans appear to be systematically firing State Commissioners. (Spoiler: It’s not a great look, and it’s also bad politics). We talk through some specific questions with special guest Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent, who shares some behind-the-scenes perspective and some good news too: what the Senate can work on after we flip it this year, which candidates she’s excited about, and how her own campaign is going. Continuing the theme of “WTF, GOP?”, we dig into the Veterans Restorative Justice Act and how petty partisan politics prevented Minnesota’s vets from getting services they deserve. We wrap up with a new voicemail segment featuring you: a RenFem listener shares what she’s doing in the weeks leading up to the election. Leave us a message to share your democratic plans too!

Show Notes

Senator Susan Kent - Campaign Website

GOP Senators Turn Focus To Walz's Environmental Appointees - MinnPost

How MN Senate Republicans Could Dismantle The Walz Administration, Commissioner by Commissioner - MinnPost

Walz’s Commerce Commissioner Could Become Casualty Of Line3 - Star Tribune

Get ready for an outright joy fest, Renegades! The Minnesota Primary was last Tuesday, so this week, Bri & Grace are breaking down who won, which whiny male candidates are finally out, and what we can learn from the results. From the Minnesota State House to our most competitive Congressional districts, get the rundown on who will be on your absentee ballot for the General Election this fall. After learning about which candidates won, your favorite feminist hosts will give you unsurprising homework, and the tarot card is here to help you get after it.

Show Notes

Mentioned Candidates:

Alternate Episode Titles

This week on Renegade Feminist, Minnesota State Auditor (and total hoot) Julie Blaha joins Grace and Bri to talk gopher bounties, crop art, Minnesota’s hot streak of electing women auditors, and the important ways women candidates win by losing. Plus, we celebrate the State Fair by reliving some of its political history, and then prepare for next week’s Primary Elections with a tarot-inspired rant. The subject? DFL party leaders who just can’t seem to support endorsed candidates who aren’t already part of their boys’ club.

Meet our Guest  - State Auditor Julie Blaha

Julie Blaha is Minnesota’s 19th State Auditor. She was sworn in on January 7th, 2019 and in her inaugural address pledged to protect the high standards Minnesota is known for in government operation and finances. Blaha knows that when neighbors have clear, quality, focused information, they can find solutions that directly improve the lives of Minnesotans.

Minnesota’s state auditor oversees more than $20 billion in local spending, helping to analyze how that money is being spent and with what kinds of results. She educates local leaders with the training, data, and analysis they need to make the best, most informed decisions in communities across our state.

Before her election to this office, Julie Blaha served as a middle school math teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin school district, was past president of Anoka-Hennepin Education Minnesota, and was the first woman elected secretary-treasurer of the Minnesota AFL-CIO.

Blaha grew up in Nowthen, Minnesota. She graduated from St. Cloud State University with a B.A. in elementary education and earned her masters degree in education from St. Mary’s University. Blaha lives with her husband Roger in Ramsey and enjoys spending time with her family, including her four grandchildren.

Show Notes

Auditor Blaha’s Punny Crop Art

Viola County Gopher Count

Crooked Media - On the Ground In Iowa Series

SUBMIT YOUR CENSUS

This week, prepare to get your socks knocked off by Congressional candidate and Black Women Rising founder, Alberder Gillespie. No joke: this interview’s a barn burner, in every best possible way, as we talk through why Alberder founded Black Women Rising, what compelled her to jump into the race for Congress, and which suburb is becoming an organizing hub for badass Black women in politics (shocker: it’s Woodbury?!). We also get real ragey about Ivanka’s recent visit to Bloomington, where the Trump administration tried to co-opt the work of Minnesota’s native women leaders. Then we wrap with a delightfully spot-on and galvanizing tarot card — which, honestly, phew.

Show Notes

This week, we’re exploring the western edge of Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District, to chat with the only female state legislative candidate on the ballot in the greater Moorhead area, Heather Keeler. We talk about how and why she decided to run for the Minnesota House, how she hopes to continue using her voice for her community, and so much more. Grace & Bri also chat a bit about some shenanigans that are going down in CD 7 and then dive into why gun control is a feminist issue. To wrap up, the tarot card asks us to do a bit of soul-searching.

Show Notes