Politics Friday

The election is behind us and the planning has taken over for the Democrats who will be in charge of state government. Republicans are also taking stock.

Frustration with President Donald Trump fueled high voter turnout and a DFL sweep of the top Minnesota offices and legislative majorities. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won the governor’s race and will be the first woman in that job.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with Klobuchar about how she’ll enact a list of priorities as she campaigned on.

Republicans are also regrouping after an election that left them again in the minority. Newly picked Senate Minority Leader Jordan Rasmusson comes by to discuss how they’ll approach the new Capitol alignment.

Guests:

Amy Klobuchar is the DFL governor-elect for Minnesota and a U.S. senator.
Jordan Rasmusson is the new Senate minority leader party and a Republican from Fergus Falls.
Dana Ferguson is a senior politics reporter for MPR News.
Torey Van Oot is a politics reporter for Axios Twin Cities.

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

Closing argument time is here for candidates working to lock in Minnesota votes in a year with a lot on the line.

On this Politics Friday special, we’ll host the latest in our series of debates. This one features the contenders for secretary of state. We'll also hear from the candidates running for state auditor — a contest guaranteed to deliver a new officeholder next year.

And in the governor’s race, our “In Your Backyard” series takes a closer look at what influenced the major-party nominees. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst met with gubernatorial candidates Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Demuth in places that helped shape their lives and political journeys.

Guests:

Steve Simon is Minnesota Secretary of State and the DFL incumbent running for reelection.
Tad Jude is the Republican candidate running for Minnesota Secretary of State.
Amy Klobuchar is a U.S. senator and the DFL nominee for governor.
Lisa Demuth is the Minnesota Speaker of the House and the Republican nominee for governor.
Scott Jensen is a former member of the Minnesota Senate and the Republican state auditor candidate.
Zack Filipovich is an accountant and the DFL state auditor candidate.
Jay Reeves is an Army veteran and the Forward Independence Party state auditor candidate.
Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News.
Peter Cox is a senior politics reporter for MPR News.
Ellie Roth is a politics reporter for MPR News.

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

Two hundred and one separate races will determine two very big things: control of the Minnesota House and the Minnesota Senate.

Prior elections produced the tightest margins at the Capitol in recent memory. For a time, both chambers were tied between the parties. Coming into this election, a single seat favored Democrats in the Senate and the House was all knotted up.

With a new governor coming in, the stakes are pretty high. With the majorities comes the power to set the agenda on spending, taxes and so many other policies.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst discusses the campaign with the caucus leaders of both parties trying to push the outcome in their direction.

The debates are in the rearview mirror in races for governor and U.S. Senate. We’ll check in with our politics reporters on what the end game looks like.

Guests:

Sen. Erin Murphy, of St. Paul, is the DFL Senate majority leader.
Sen. Mark Johnson, of East Grand Forks, is the Republican Senate minority leader.
Rep. Harry Niska, of Ramsey, is the Republican caucus leader for the Minnesota House.
Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, is the DFL caucus leader for the Minnesota House.
Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News.
Peter Cox is a senior politics reporter for MPR News.

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

A new senator will emerge from Election Day no matter what because there is no incumbent on the ballot.

The two major party candidates are here for their first — and possibly only — one-on-one debate. Friday at noon, the DFL Party’s nominee, Peggy Flanagan, and Republican nominee, Michele Tafoya, went head-to-head on the issues in a debate moderated by MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst.

Guests:

Peggy Flanagan is the state’s 50th Lieutenant Governor, a member of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the U.S. Senate Democratic nominee.
Michele Tafoya is a former sport broadcaster and the U.S. Senate Republican nominee.

Editor’s note: Ahead of a Friday debate between U.S. Senate candidates Michele Tafoya and Peggy Flanagan hosted by MPR News, politics editor Brian Bakst asked each to talk about how their lives helped form their politics.

On this special episode of Politics Friday, we feature conversations in a series we’re calling “In Your Backyard.”

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst recently met with U.S. Senate candidates Peggy Flanagan and Michele Tafoya at significant places to each of them for a personal conversation about their lives.

Lt. Gov. Flanagan, the Democratic nominee, invited Brian to a cultural center in a bustling Minneapolis neighborhood. Tafoya, the Republican nominee, asked to meet at a small-town ballpark.

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