| We’re still waiting on the next steps in the nixed cannabis license lottery. A judge put the planned selection of would-be cannapreneurs on hold this week as a legal tussle plays out over the eligibility criteria. Ramsey County District Court Judge Stephen Smith didn’t rule on whether the process is right or not, but said it shouldn’t move ahead until another higher-level court weighs in. His order requires the disappointed applicants to file something with the Court of Appeals. Asked about it yesterday, Gov. Tim Walz said he stands by the Office of Cannabis Management. Walz says the office is doing its job by sorting through applicants to uphold prescribed standards. He hopes a higher court will recognize that. Walz said he's open to making more changes to the state's cannabis law next year. But the Democratic governor's party won't have full Capitol control when lawmakers return.
Walz was back to doing things that governors do: Appearing with a Minnesota turkey and extolling Minnesota’s place in the turkey production hierarchy during Thanksgiving week. It was one of his first appearances since suffering defeat on the national stage as the unsuccessful Democratic vice presidential nominee. Walz told reporters he had no regrets in taking on the campaign assignment under Kamala Harris. "I regret few things in life, other than I didn't get a dog sooner. That's my biggest regret. But no, I'm proud to have to been part of that. I think we put a message out that, well, 75 million Americans liked but not quite enough,” Walz said. He then worked to turn to the positives of his three-month campaign. “I was just glad to be out there, and to be honest, glad to tell the Minnesota story that we get things done together,” Walz said. “And we're pretty hopeful people.”
At the turkey event, Walz and his agriculture commissioner weighed in on the talk of steep tariffs on U.S. trading partners. President-elect Donald Trump, who wasn’t shy about tariffs during his first White House stint and campaigned on them this year, plans to impose 25 percent tariffs on leading trade partners. That includes Canada and Mexico. Some economists are warning of steep consumer implications, given that the costs can be passed down, and on industries here that export goods, given that countries subject to tariffs often levy retaliatory tariffs. Clay Masters has the early take from Walz and Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen, who say they’re watching to see if the Trump threats match up with reality.
You can bet the presidential race and the aftermath will come up at the Thanksgiving dinner table. For some who aren’t happy with the election results, that is reason enough to alter the holiday plans , as our Talking Sense guru Catharine Richert reports in her latest installment. But Richert’s story also gets into the notion that sometimes people whose favored candidates prevail often feel castigated, too, by loved ones. It’s too bad that we all can’t just cool it this time of year and enjoy some good eats, company and the buffet of football that Thanksgiving Day founders intended.
For some Minnesota politicos, it’s also that time of year when the next-election consideration begins. The 2026 cycle is already starting to churn. One Republican has already taken a step to run for governor; it’s Phillip Parrish, who has run in prior years but never advanced all that far. There are sure to be others. The mention lists are longer than the ones who are making actual moves. One filing caught our eye in the days after the election. It was a political fund — distinct from a candidate committee — that goes by the name “Friends of Vote Duckworth.” It’s seemingly connected to state Sen. Zach Duckworth, a lawmaker who is viewed as a future statewide candidate and who has been ramping up his social media posts of late. The setup allows the building blocks of a campaign without actually launching one. Watch for more of those in the weeks and months ahead.
Speaking of filings that we noticed, here's one more. The Forward Party is making another effort to get off the ground in a meaningful way in Minnesota. A new political fund with that name was filed this week.
Next week we’ll know how much money that the new-look Legislature has to work with next year or any gap it needs to close in the budget. The Department of Minnesota Management and Budget will release an updated economic forecast. It’s the stage-setter for the session because it projects revenue and details spending patterns years into the future. The main task of the 2025 Legislature will be to set a new, two-year budget. The last budget was just shy of $72 billion, but some of that was one-time spending that automatically comes off the books for the new budget. It’s possible that this could be a rare time when the next budget is fairly flat or even smaller than the last. Republicans, who mustered at least a tie in the Minnesota House, might insist on it. The forecast drops on Wednesday.
We’ll be back on Monday to bring you the very latest in Minnesota politics. Safe travels to your Thanksgiving feasts! | 