DULUTH BOUND
Twins lose. Lynx play tonight.
Games will also be played in Rochester and Duluth this weekend. We will have special updates including video coverage of ballots in the US Senate and Governor’s races for our MNSider subscribers.
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Last night Kendall Qualls won the GOP straw poll, so it could be a long day for the endorsement tomorrow. Today US Senate endorsements in both parties.
Who will Klobuchar pick? See below.
Two-thirds of the top-spending PACs in the current House primary cycle are affiliated with Israel, AI or cryptocurrency. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4eb11l6
Officials say it will take three years to replenish U.S. stockpiles of munitions used in Iran. AP: https://fluence-media.co/4wSVx5S
The fresh air and coffee in Duluth hits different, which will be a good thing this weekend.
Happy National Coq Au Vin Day.
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Live updates from the convention’s this weekend.
Insider Analysis & Insight from TheDailyAgenda.com
SPEAKING Lobbyist and trade associations that are killing time waiting today, let me know if you want me to speak to your summer and fall events about the “Signals vs. Noise” of the election. bloisolson@gmail.com
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Get smarter… Long Term Care – Is Minnesota Ready? Care Providers Minnesota and LeadingAge Minnesota hosted providers, Senator Grant Hauschild (03, DFL), Representative Natalie Zeleznikar (03B, GOP), and Representative Nathan Nelson (11B, GOP) for a conversation about the future of careing for our seniors. This coming week the conversation moves to St. Cloud. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ue3YXA
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The DFL will hold its 2026 convention in Rochester this weekend, while the state GOP has its convention in Duluth. Both parties will decide endorsements for statewide races, including governor, U.S. Senate, secretary of state, attorney general and state auditor. The DFL convention runs from 1:00 p.m. today through Sunday, while the GOP convention starts at 8:00 a.m. today and ends Saturday.
DFL GOV: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “[Sen. Amy] Klobuchar is expected to face a contingent of delegates who are uncommitted in the governor’s race. Some 6,700 activists voted ‘uncommitted’ in the DFL’s February straw poll for governor, though Klobuchar still easily won with more than 22,000 votes. We’ll see just how big a contingent this will be [today] when delegates endorse a gubernatorial candidate. … Some delegates have questioned Klobuchar’s engagement with party activists, [asking] Klobuchar to engage more with Democrats in the metro, whether through town halls or inviting people to meet with her.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49uXn2V
MORE: Speaking to the Star Tribune, two DFL activists — Modi Hammarstedt and Maureen Dunaway — explained why they are not supportive of Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s nomination for governor. READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nWj8i4
HAMMARSTEDT: “She’s too middle-of-the-road, too much trying to appease both sides. That’s not what we need when we’re appeasing a side that lies, makes stuff up, engages in illegal activity.”
DUNAWAY: “I feel like she’s being shoved at us as the only possible choice. … She has not felt present to people who are living here [in the metro] and dealing with what was going on here, particularly during Metro Surge.”
NOTE: Some more leftist groups are making news on the eve of the convention that they have demands of Klobuchar, and have the votes to block an endorsement. A very long shot scenario is that Klobuchar does not get endorsed – and is blocked by the noisy and DSA aligned delegates. If that happens, Klobuchar will solidify her middle lane positioning in the race.
Last night the MNSider Brief on what Republicans need to anticipate coming out of the convention weekend. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/4uyTgLy
NAMES: Sources suggest that Ag. Commissioner Thom Petersen is not Klobuchar’s pick for Lt. Governor. One dark horse name would be fmr. Duluth Mayor Don Ness, another is Mayor of Brooklyn Center Hollies Winston. It is clear that the Team Amy strategy is to be very tight lipped.
GOP GOV: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The three likeliest candidates to win the [GOP governor] endorsement are House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring; Kendall Qualls, an Army veteran and former health care executive; and Mike Lindell, MyPillow CEO. … Lindell stands out among Republican candidates as a longtime loyal servant of President Donald Trump, [but] Demuth won the statewide straw poll for Republican governor at precinct caucuses in February.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nYLCYu
MORE: GOP gubernatorial candidates who plan to run in the primary if they lose the endorsement include Mike Lindell, Phil Parrish and John Krhin. Meanwhile, Speaker Lisa Demuth, Kendall Qualls and Patrick Knight have committed to abiding by the endorsement.
DEBATE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Republican candidates for governor debated in Duluth on Thursday night to kick off a high-stakes weekend for the party as it tries to break a nearly two-decade losing streak in statewide races. … Speaker Lisa Demuth, businessman Kendall Qualls and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell are the leading candidates in the race for governor. They were joined at the debate by John Krhin, Patrick Knight and Phil Parrish. … Several candidates criticized [the OIG bill], one of Demuth’s key accomplishments meant to stop fraud. But outside that, there [was] little in the way of contrast and direct criticism of other candidates.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4vmqTjX
DFL SEN: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Rep. Angie Craig [has] made the calculus that aggressively shifting her efforts to a different, much larger pool of Democratic voters who may be more open to her pragmatic type of politics – those who will cast ballots in August’s primary – will reinvigorate her campaign. … Without the DFL Party endorsement, which will now default to [Peggy] Flanagan, Craig will not have access to state party money. … [But] Jacob Rubashkin of Inside Elections is among the analysts who are not counting Craig out.” RUBASHKIN: “She has formidable fundraising chops and significant financial resources. … [But] she’s actually never had to run in a Democratic primary before, so she’s in unfamiliar waters.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fLqDpQ
GOP SEN: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The Republican Senate race is a three-way contest among Adam Schwarze, Michele Tafoya and Royce White. Party insiders give Schwarze the edge for the endorsement, but Tafoya is expected to continue to the primary regardless of the outcome. … Tafoya’s broadcasting career could be an asset in a primary race, though her appeal to convention delegates remains an open question.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4aiYJhp
FLINT HILLS FAMILY FESTIVAL: Kick off the summer in downtown Saint Paul with the Flint Hills Family Festival on May 29-30, one of the largest and longest-standing events of its kind. The Festival offers free fun for people of all ages in Rice Park and Landmark Plaza, with performances and activities that provide something for everyone, along with world-class shows inside the Ordway for just $8! Now in its 26th year, this year’s Festival lineup includes Cirque Mechanics: TILT!, NOOMA: an opera for babies, and Click Clack Moo! More than one million people have experienced the Festival, including hundreds of thousands of students who have visited on field trips during the Festival’s School Days. Join us this year! LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dhpdBM (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
Follow the 2026 Minnesota elections up close with the Fluence Election Tracker.
https://fluence-media.co/electiontracker
NEWS STREAM
PREDICTIONS: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Kalshi is suing the State of Minnesota over a law [that] bans prediction markets. … Kalshi’s lawsuit, filed in federal court, claims Minnesota is violating the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution by infringing on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) ‘exclusive jurisdiction.’ … The lawsuit also claims that the law violates the company’s First Amendment rights.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4u38XK4
VOTER DATA: via MPR, VERBATIM: “An ongoing legal dispute over federal access to Minnesota voter data has state officials here [urging] a judge to heed rulings in similar cases in Wisconsin and Maine. … The Department of Justice wants Minnesota (and many other states) to turn over voter rolls, [but] lawyers for Secretary of State Steve Simon contend that information is private. … In a new filing, Simon’s attorneys point to rulings last week that sided with states making a similar argument for withholding the data. … A decision on Minnesota’s motion to dismiss the DOJ lawsuit could come at any time.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49qG7vD
GLUTEN: via Rep. Betty McCollum advisory, VERBATIM: “Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) and Betty McCollum (D-MN) introduced the Celiac Safety Act to strengthen food labeling law and protect the roughly 3 million Americans with Celiac Disease. The legislation is the first proposal in Congress to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to mandate the inclusion of ‘gluten-containing grains’ as a major food allergen, ensuring manufacturers label the inclusion of all gluten-containing ingredients in products made available to the public.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3S8WI0Y
CLEAN | RELIABLE | AFFORDABLE: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “We’re powering the Upper Midwest with clean, reliable, and affordable nuclear energy. For more than 50 years, our Prairie Island Nuclear Plant, located near Red Wing, MN, has been a workhorse of reliable, carbon-free energy. With two pressurized water reactors producing about 1,100 megawatts, Prairie Island generates enough electricity to power 1.5 million homes across the Upper Midwest. Unlike sources that depend on weather, nuclear energy delivers 24/7 reliability — providing the power we need today while protecting the environment for tomorrow.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4oCHdK9 (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
MPLS
MPD: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis police rarely responded to immigration-related emergency calls during Operation Metro Surge, even as the department spent $10 million on overtime and standby pay preparing for unrest that largely never materialized. … The low response and high payouts have city leaders questioning what drove the police department’s hefty personnel spending, including $22,000 in overtime to an officer who claimed overtime for 32 days straight.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dC7Mwb
MORE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis now needs a new police chief at the same time that the city’s Office of Community Safety, formed following the murder of George Floyd and tasked with overseeing MPD, faces troubles of its own. The office, led by Commissioner Todd Barnette, has come under recent scrutiny from Council members questioning if Barnette should be replaced and if the office is anywhere near achieving its goals.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nWjl4B
CHIEF: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Following the resignation of former Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara, the acting chief has made her first public statement, saying the operations of MPD will continue without interruption. Acting Chief Katie Blackwell did not talk directly about the sudden departure of O’Hara, but said MPD ‘manages unplanned events’ regularly.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4u7O54n
MORE: KSTP confirmed that former MPD Chief Brian O’Hara will not receive severance pay following his resignation this week. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4ecib1C
ACROSS MN
OAK GROVE: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “The City of Oak Grove is suing Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and Anoka County election officials for the right to use paper voting rosters in the 2026 general election. The Upper Midwest Law Center shared the lawsuit Thursday on behalf of the city. … Officials blocked the city from using paper rosters, stating the county controls roster format in state and federal elections. The lawsuit alleges that Anoka County officials threatened city election personnel with criminal prosecution if they did not follow the county’s guidelines.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4vlbn7Y
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Following a two-week delay, the St. Paul City Council has seated Melanie McMahon as the new director of the city’s department of Planning and Economic Development, as well as Ia Xiong as the new director of the Department of Safety and Inspections. … McMahon’s appointment was put on hold on May 13 following objections from Council Members Cheniqua Johnson and Anika Bowie.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4dQ07Jv
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “While some businesses in Rochester are flourishing, others are struggling with rising costs, construction and the lingering effects of ICE. … Matt Varilek, the [DEED] commissioner, visited Rochester this week as part of a statewide tour to promote DEED’s ‘Choose Minnesota’ initiative. Varilek hosted a roundtable discussion with Rochester Mayor Kim Norton and three Rochester business owners. … All three business owners cited [ICE’s] actions in the past winter as directly harming their businesses.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wTPXQC
GLOBAL TRADE BOLSTERS AG ECONOMIES: via Minnesota Corn, VERBATIM: “Each year, Minnesota’s exports of corn, ethanol, corn-fed meat, and dried distillers grains (DDGS) alone support over 11,500 jobs and add billions to the state’s economy. They also help ensure that consumers around the world have access to affordable protein and dairy products. In May, during World Trade Month, Minnesota Corn celebrates that important role trade plays in all our lives — in the U.S. and abroad.” LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4dqEqB1 (SPONSORED: Minnesota Corn)
LOOKING AHEAD
TODAY: Gun violence prevention advocates will host an “accountability action” at the Capitol for “calling attention to lawmakers who blocked progress on gun violence prevention legislation,” per a release. The event is at 3:30 p.m.
JUNE 5: Via Minneapolis Fed, Regional Outreach Director Erick Garcia Luna will host a webinar discussing results from the spring survey of construction firms across the Ninth District. The event is at 9:00 a.m.
JUNE 5: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will speak at the DFL’s annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner in Minneapolis on Friday, June 5. The event is at 6:00 p.m.
JUNE 8: Attorney General Keith Ellison is hosting a community forum on the proposed acquisition of North Memorial Health by Sanford Health. The event is in Robbinsdale on Monday, June 8 at 6:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: Rep. Cheryl Youakim, fmr. St. Louis Park Mayor Jake Spano, lobbyist John-Paul Yates, pr guy Brian McClung
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.