Good morning, and happy Wednesday.
Gov. Tim Walz has raised $1.8 million since Jan. 1 and has $4.5 million on hand for his reelection campaign, according to a release from his campaign. That means he raised about $800,000 in April and May, and Brian Bakst notes the governor has not yet agreed to campaign spending limits. If he doesn’t by July 19, his Republican opponent Scott Jensen would get an extra public subsidy. Walz has also reserved TV advertising time, which likely cut into his cash on hand. Meanwhile, Jensen has raised $472,000 since January and has $660,000 on hand, according to a statement from his campaign. The Jensen team says it has raised nearly $1.7 million since the former state senator started his campaign in March of 2021. The latest reports are due today.
Walz says he still thinks sending Minnesotans one-time tax rebates is a good idea. Walz says he and House DFL leaders are still trying to convince Senate Republicans to agree to a special session to pass a tax cut and some bills to spend a big chunk of the state's budget surplus. Walz said a tax rebate would help families facing higher costs for gas and groceries and would come on top of a permanent tax cut. "The tax cuts, whether you're supportive of them or not, you'll not see an impact on families in the short run because of that,” Walz said. “But I'm not asking them to pick between the tax cut and checks. I'm asking them to do both." Walz said he believes some Senate Republicans are reluctant to agree to a special session because they face primary challengers in August and don't want to be seen as cooperating with a DFL governor. “We've got members of the Senate who've got primaries in August. And they don't want to be seen as compromising on anything,” Walz said. “And I think that's holding up our ability to move some things."
The governor’s remarks came after a ceremonial signing of a bill that distributes money from an opioid settlement to local governments in Minnesota. In all, Minnesota will get about $300 million over 18 years from the nationwide settlement with opioid makers. About three-quarters of that money will flow to cities and counties to pay for prevention, treatment and collateral fallout from painkiller addiction. Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office helped craft the agreement on how to distribute the money. Ellison said the approach will get dollars closest to the problems. “We’re making sure these dollars go where the pain is,” he said. “Not just to the high population centers because we know suffering is happening in every corner of this state – rural, small town, suburban, urban.” The settlement involves eight opioid manufacturers who were accused of making the addictive painkillers too accessible. Minnesota is still pursuing legal cases against other companies.
A Republican candidate for an open state Senate seat in northwestern Minnesota could lose his place on the ballot. MPR News' Brian Bakst reports that Edward Strickland filed to run as a Republican in Senate District 2, but he listed a suburban Twin Cities address on his candidate affidavit. Now a Republican-connected challenge seeks to have the Minnesota Supreme Court disqualify Strickland. He is due to face state Rep. Steve Green, R-Fosston, in the August primary. Strickland said it all stems from a clerical error and he acknowledges he doesn't live in that district. "It's an honest mistake. And yet, they're making a huge issue out of it,” Strickland said. “It wasn't something I was trying to lie about. You've got a Christian, honest man." By law, candidates for the Legislature must reside in the district they aim to represent for at least six months prior to Election Day. The primary winner is due to face DFLer Leonard Alan Roy in November.
A poll commissioned by MinnPost earlier this month finds 67 percent of likely Minnesota voters oppose a ban on abortions in all circumstances. A closer look at the responses shows women (75 percent) were far more likely to oppose an abortion ban than men (58 percent). College-educated people (74 percent) were more likely to oppose an abortion ban than non-college-educated people (61 percent). Democrats (95 percent) and pure Independents (71 percent) were far more likely to oppose an all-out ban on abortion than Republicans (37 percent). And in terms of geography, the majority of likely voters around the state oppose a total ban on abortion, but the opposition is stronger in the Twin Cities (75 percent) and the metro (69 percent) than in greater Minnesota (61 percent).
From the Associated Press:The House gave final approval Tuesday to legislation that would allow around-the-clock security protection for families of Supreme Court justices, one week after a man carrying a gun, knife and zip ties was arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh's house after threatening to kill the justice. The Senate passed the bill unanimously last month, but it languished in the House as Democrats sought to broaden the measure to include protection for families of court employees. Republicans ramped up pressure to pass the bill after the arrest at Kavanaugh's house, asserting that Democrats were essentially trying to intimidate the justices as the court weighs a potential landmark ruling on abortion. The House passed the security measure overwhelmingly, 396-27. All of the votes in opposition came from Democrats. | 