Good morning and welcome to Wednesday.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed the Republican candidate for Minnesota governor Scott Jensen overnight. Trump said in a social media post that Jensen is "strong on both fighting crime and delivering solid and sensible education." Trump also said "there won't be any more fiery takeovers of police precincts" if Jensen becomes governor, referring to the riots after the police murder of George Floyd in 2020. In a statement responding to the endorsement Jensen said, “While we have not actively sought the endorsement of political leaders, we are grateful for those who have recognized our ability to lead and Heal Minnesota.” It isn’t clear what Trump’s endorsement might mean in Minnesota. He lost the state by 233,000 votes, a 7 percentage point margin, in the 2020 election.
Trump also endorsed the Republican candidate for Minnesota secretary of state Kim Crockett. In a social media post making the endorsement Tuesday, Trump falsely claimed election fraud is rampant in Minnesota and that no one is doing anything about it. “Kim will get to the bottom of that, and so much else. It’s time we had a smart and dedicated fighter in that very important position,” Trump wrote.. In a press release Crockett said she was surprised by Trump's endorsement and that she appreciated it. “The most important endorsement will be Minnesota voters who choose me to be their new Secretary of State. I promise the office will be a non-partisan operation that guards every eligible vote, no matter your party affiliation,” Crockett said. “My overriding goal will be to boost confidence in elections from school boards to the governor’s office.” Crockett is challenging DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon, who is seeking a third term. In a statement responding to the endorsement, Minnesota DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said like Trump, Crockett is “spreading dangerous lies about election fraud that undermine faith in democracy and tear at the fabric of our society.”
The Minneapolis City Council's Public Safety and Health Committee holds a public hearing this afternoon to consider Mayor Jacob Frey's pick to be the city's next police chief. Last month Frey nominated Brian O'Hara to fill that role. O'Hara most recently has served as deputy mayor in Newark, New Jersey. MPR’s Nina Moini reports from Newark on O’Hara’s 20 years of service in public safety in that city. O’Hara oversaw the implementation of a consent decree over the course of five years, engaging with a variety of stakeholders in Newark’s public safety, from community groups, to members of law enforcement and social justice organizations. From his home in New Jersey, O’Hara said he feels his life’s work has prepared him for this moment.
MPR’s Brian Bakst notes the Minnesota DFL Party is spending money on TV ads in a handful of competitive Senate races, some open, a few with incumbents. The ad buy appears relatively large. Some of the ads are on metro broadcast stations, which is unusual for legislative races where TV advertising is typically confined to cable.
Steve Sviggum said Tuesday he’ll no longer serve as vice chair of the University of Minnesota’s board of regents. The move comes weeks after he defended and then apologized for his comments suggesting diversity might be creating a marketing problem for the U’s Morris campus. In a letter distributed by the university, Sviggum said he’ll finish his term as a regent, but will no longer serve as the board’s vice chair. His term will expire next year when the Legislature conducts its regent election process during the 2023 session, the university said. Sviggum, a former GOP speaker of the Minnesota House, set off a firestorm two weeks ago when in a meeting with regents he suggested the racial and ethnic diversity at Morris, in western Minnesota, could be leading to overall declining enrollment there.
As noted here before Minnesotans with disabilities are seeking to have bigger say in politics.The Star Tribune has the story: Minnesota's disability community is flexing its political muscle this election season — organizing candidate forums, knocking on doors and developing strategies to get people elected who will champion their causes. Tired of being ignored, a new generation of young disability activists is entering civic life — and turning out to vote like never before. And in a change from past practice, they are pushing their own platform of issues rather than campaigning for candidates. Disability advocates are seeking to build on the momentum of 2020, when voter turnout by Minnesotans with disabilities surged by nearly 30 percentage points.
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