The number of the day is 15. Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, widened his lead over Republican challenger Aaron Paul after a publicly funded recount found he’s now ahead by 15 votes. With only four ballots in dispute, Tabke will likely be declared the winner when the Scott County Canvassing Board meets on Monday. Dana aka "The Count" has the details.
But… Reid LeBeau, an attorney representing the House Republican Campaign Committee, said he had concerns about the 21 absentee ballots missing in the contest . And he said Paul would seriously consider contesting the election result given the county still had not accounted for them. “It should be concerning, I think, to everyone, that there are votes that are not only missing, but in this case, there are votes that are missing that will decide who holds this seat. And I think there are a lot of questions to be answered,” LaBeau said. “We certainly have a lot of them, and we intend to aggressively pursue the answers to those questions of relief from the court as appropriate.”
The number of the month is 67. Legislative leaders met with Gov. Tim Walz today for the first time since voters broke up DFL control of the Legislature. Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the Senate, but the House is projected to remain a 67-67 tie between Republicans and Democrats next year. If the results stay the same in two recounts, party leaders will have to negotiate a power-sharing agreement. Those leaders told reporters the meeting with Walz was cordial. Current Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman says they focused on areas where they can cooperate when lawmakers return in January. “We will continue to try to work as collaboratively as we can with Republicans,” said Hortman. Question to ponder heading into the weekend: What happens if Tabke isn’t seated when the House convenes on Jan. 14?
You come at the king (or majority deciding vote), you best not miss. The State Canvassing Board met on Thursday to certify the state’s election results. Minnesota’s voter turnout in the November election was 76.4 percent. While it isn’t a historic record, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says it’s high enough to lead the nation in voter turnout — for now. “I’m pretty obsessively pushing refresh throughout the course of most days,” Simon told the canvassing board. “Wisconsin trails narrowly.” That’s right, the cheese heads embraced their swing state status and rallied to the polls to reach a historic voter turnout record, according to the Associated Press . Wisconsin’s (ahem) unofficial turnout was reported at 73 percent. State officials will certify its results today to see if the upstart contender will beat the champ. (P.S. Sorry not sorry to Brian who had no role in the production of this newsletter).
The Wabasha County board is trying to dock its county prosecutor’s pay over plea bargains. MPR’s Catharine Richert and Matt Sepic report that a simmering conflict between the top elected prosecutor in a rural county south of the Twin Cities and the board that controls his budget erupted in public this week. The Wabasha County Board of Commissioners took the highly unusual and likely illegal step of attempting to cut County Attorney Matt Stinson’s pay by more than $20,000.
The state's Legislative Auditor says the lottery needs to tighten up how it oversees regulators. MPR’s Anika Besst reports the auditor found that the lottery did not always perform necessary background checks, allowed expired retailers to continue selling without the proper paperwork and sometimes did not charge retailers for missing or stolen scratch-off tickets
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is pressing for a special session. Its goal is to preemptively strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ individuals and others before Republicans take over the federal government. The group also wants stronger protections for immigrants and people seeking reproductive and gender-affirming healthcare. A spokesperson for Gov. Tim Walz said the governor had no plans to call a special session. Republican House Leader Lisa Demuth said the state Legislature will be divided and needs to work together. Current Democratic Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman says she hasn't had a chance to review the ACLU's request.
President-elect Donald Trump has named Pam Bondi, a former attorney general of Florida, as his next pick for U.S. attorney general after Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination. Bondi is a longtime ally of Trump's and served as one of his lawyers during his first impeachment trial. She is an official with the America First Policy Institute, a think tank set up by former staffers from Trump's first presidency. In a statement posted to social media, Gaetz said his confirmation was “unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical Trump/Vance transition.” Trump’s pick of Gaetz encountered scrutiny from the start over allegations that he participated in sex parties, used illegal drugs and had sex with a minor. The FBI investigated these charges in 2021 but the Department of Justice didn’t bring any charges. The U.S. House Committee of Ethics conducted its own investigation, which was set to be released before Gaetz announced his resignation from the House. It’s unclear whether Gaetz can return to Congress now, since he resigned from the House this session but was reelected.
Since the results of the presidential election, Planned Parenthood North Central States, which includes Minnesota, has seen a 150% increase in contraception appointments for methods like the IUD and implant. In a press release, the organization said based on the record of President-elect Donald Trump, there will be increased threats to care that impact patients. “The threats to sexual and reproductive health care under the Trump-Vance administration are serious. While we are prepared to help patients in the face of any threat, the fact that politics is once again part of people’s health care decisions is wrong,” said CEO and President Ruth Richardson. Trump has said he opposes a federal abortion ban.
As a turkey farmer in Northfield who raises about 150,000 birds every year, John Zimmerman usually doesn’t give much thought to any particular turkey. But this year is different. That’s because Zimmerman had to choose which turkey travels to the White House to meet President Joe Biden to receive an expected presidential pardon on Monday. Zimmerman is serving as chair of the National Turkey Federation this year and that group’s head picks the honorary bird. Hence, Zimmerman’s laser-like focus on a single turkey. Actually, it’s two turkeys, MPR News weekend editor Todd Melby writes — there’s the No. 1 turkey and a backup turkey, just in case.
Finally… Headline of the year? "Brad the Sheep" is back home after three weeks on the lam – that’s Baa’d to the bone, people. Thanks to Tom Scheck (Go Birds!) for contributing to the comedic value of this Friday edition and keeping us on track this week. Brian is back post-vacation next week and likely returns with more measured coverage of Wisconsin-related topics. Have a great weekend, all! | 
