Politics Friday - Minnesota Public Radio

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Politics Friday: Klobuchar, MN Senate GOP leader speak Nov 06, 2026

Show notes

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.

Politics Friday: A debate, candidate conversations fill out a two-hour show as election nears Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

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 isMinnesota 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 DFLnominee 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.

Politics Friday: Will the election loosen a historically knotted Minnesota Legislature? Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

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.

Peggy Flanagan, Michele Tafoya hold first senate debate Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

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.

Politics Friday Special: The places that shaped Minnesota’s U.S. Senate candidates Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

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.

An open House seat is up for grabs in Minnesota's 2nd District Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Minnesota has eight members of the U.S. House and those seats don’t change hands often — but this November, one of them will for sure.

Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District has is no incumbent on the ballot. The seat has been held by U.S. Rep. Angie Craig for a little under eight years.

The open seat means a new representative in a district covering the southern metro suburbs and down into farm country. The two candidates vying for the job have spent time in the Minnesota state Senate.

MPR News host Catharine Richert moderates a debate between Matt Little, a Democrat, and Eric Pratt, a Republican.

Minnesota 2nd Congressional District Debate: Eric Pratt vs. Matt Little | Full Debate
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irWtUlUadqE

Later, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and the politics team will provide analysis of the debate and the latest from Minnesota’s campaign trail.

Guests:

Eric Pratt is a Republican state senator of Prior Lake and a candidate for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District.
Matt Little is a former DFL state senator, a past mayor of Lakeville and a candidate for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District.
Laura McCallum is an editor 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.

Politics Friday: Keith Ellison, Ron Schutz appear in their first attorney general race debate Oct 02, 2026

Show notes

Two candidates vying to be Minnesota’s attorney general met Friday in their first debate.

DFL incumbent Keith Ellison, who is after a third term, and Republican Ron Schutz, an attorney, went head-to-head over issues defining their intense and increasingly expensive race.

Republicans last won a Minnesota attorney general’s race in 1966, although Ellison won by small margins in his past two elections.

On this special edition of Politics Friday, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst moderated the Minnesota attorney general debate.

Guests:

Keith Ellison is a DFLer and a two-term attorney general.
Ron Schutz is a Twin Cities attorney who is prominent in GOP circles.

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

Politics Friday: How would having a woman as governor change the Capitol issue set? Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

We’re delving into the practical effects of Minnesota electing its first woman as governor and what issues might get new attention at the state Capitol.

Barring something unforeseen, Minnesota will join the current list of 32 states that have elected a female chief executive.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with correspondent Dana Ferguson about the campaigns of Democratic nominee Amy Klobuchar and Republican nominee Lisa Demuth. Both have personal experience with breast cancer and both are talking about women’s health in a more-prominent way.

Then, a discussion of election polls. They’re everywhere this time of year. But the weight they carry is a source of debate.

Guests:

Dana Ferguson is a correspondent for MPR News.
Todd Rapp is the president and CEO at Rapp Strategies and an MPR News politics analyst.
Peter Leatherman is chief executive officer of Morris Leatherman Company and has served in various research roles at the Minneapolis market and research firm.
Ellie Roth is a politics reporter 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.

Mark Dayton calls perseverance a 'prerequisite for success' as he reflects Sep 18, 2026

Show notes

Mark Dayton held a career in public service in Minnesota that spanned five decades.

He is well known for serving two terms the state’s governor, leaving office in 2019. Before that, Dayton’s career included stints as a state agency official, state auditor and U.S. senator.

Dayton talked with MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst to reflect on his career and discuss his new memoir, titled "Perseverance." In this conversation, Dayton recounts his personal challenges and his time as governor. He also revisits his call to increase taxes on the wealthiest Minnesotans — a campaign promise he fulfilled— and his role in legalizing gay marriage in the state.

Also on this episode: election season is underway in Minnesota. On the ticket is an open governor’s race, an open U.S. Senate seat and the full state legislature. Both of the state's major party chairs join the conversation to share their political lay of the land as voting begins.

Guests:

Mark Dayton served as the 40th governor of Minnesota. He also served as U.S. senator and Minnesota state auditor.
Alex Plechash is chair of the Minnesota Republican Party.
Richard Carlbom is chair of the Minnesota DFL Party.
Dana Ferguson is a politics correspondent for MPR News.
Peter Cox is a senior politics reporter for MPR News.

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

How 9/11 changed Minnesota and the nation Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

The country is acknowledging a somber anniversary: 25 years ago, America suffered its worst terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst explores how that event hit home in Minnesota with former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, whose first ballot-box victory came the same day as the attack. We’ll also look at whether the lessons from the attack endured and how that day changed the country in many ways.

Later, one last — brief — trip to the Great Minnesota Get Together.

The Minnesota State Fair was a hotbed of political activity with people sizing up candidates in between stops at attractions and food booths. We’ll hear from an underdog congressional candidate and what is on the minds of some voters with an election that's less than two months away.

Guests:

R.T. Rybak is the former mayor of Minneapolis and the president and CEO of the Minneapolis Foundation.
Doug Chapin, a Democrat, is the congressional candidate for Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.
Dana Ferguson is a politics correspondent for MPR News.
Laura McCallum is an editor and previous politics reporter for MPR News.

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