HAPPY ELECTION DAY
RIP fmr. VP Dick Cheney. Think about the Democrats feelings about Cheney while VP compared to their feelings about President Trump. Gives us a sense of the massive shifts in 25 years away from the middle.
Loons lose. Wolves win. Wild host Nashville tonight.
Election Day is always a strange day, the calm before the storm. The uncertainty, the “What If?” scenarios. I’ll be on Fox 9 starting at 7PM tonight and we’ll have the results we know tomorrow AM. Follow along on Twitter @bloisolson for real-time observations.
The Fluence Advisory memo on institutional memory sparked Ballinger Leafblad to analyze the shift in leadership in civic and business organizations. Punchline is leadership in Minnesota has turned over dramatically in all sectors. FINDINGS: https://fluence-media.co/3WWLfRH
Democrats say they’re “extremely motivated” to vote in 2026 more so than Republicans, 67% to 46% — but only 65% of Democrats view their party favorably. CNNPOLL: https://fluence-media.co/47QA6YF
If you’re a Ryan Reynolds fan, or a wine fan – Reynolds will be with Jason DeRusa at 4:35 today on WCCO Radio. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3qbzt8G
Happy Candy Day…may everyone enjoy a 3 Musketeer bar.
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
The latest insight from Fluence Advisory on the loss of institutional knowledge from the Minnesota Legislature. READ: https://fluence-advisory.com/insights/
WHAT TO WATCH
TODAY: Election Day 2025 will see municipal and special elections across Minnesota. Tomorrow’s morning take will feature results and analysis for city races in Minneapolis and St. Paul plus Senate Districts 29 and 47.
TAKE: Today’s results will give a sense of the mood of Minnesota and a sneak peek of voters feelings on schools, socialism and nationally if Trump is dragging down Republicans in advance of the midterms.
In Minneapolis, the possibility of a shift to socialism is scary to many and for those who believe the economy is “fixed” against them it is a test to see if they have broad appeal. In school board and referendum races, how frustrated are parents with lower test scores and behavior issues – two issues that could be a theme in the Governors race. If Mayor Jacob Frey has a decisive victory, with more moderate progressives winning the council races there could be an opportunity to shift policy abruptly for the city.
Nationally in New York City the capital of capitalism will be tested, Virginia and New Jersey will Democrats have an edge due to Trumps lack of popularity? The redistricting ballot measure in California will determine if the US House is in play in 2026 or if Republicans retain an advantage for the majority.
Closer to home, Minnesotans seem restless with a weakening economy and an uncertainty about the future that partisans avoid addressing – the real issues of health care costs, inflation, and public safety. Afterall, governments job is to “govern”, which seems less of a priority in the loudness of the leaders – as the citizens try to find any clarity they can about “making things better for our children”.
EARLY VOTE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The city of Minneapolis was on pace to have its second-highest early voting turnout for a city election, with over 23,000 people voting as of Sunday, according to city data. That means over 9% of eligible voters have already voted in the election. … The only other municipal election with a higher early voting turnout was in 2021, when 26,082 people had voted by this time. … This year, the highest early vote turnout in the city’s 13 wards so far is in Ward 6, which [includes] a large East African immigrant community that the [Omar] Fateh campaign has been pushing hard to vote early.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49FGK5c
RCV: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “Contenders in Minneapolis’ 15-candidate mayoral field spent the campaign’s final days vying for a place anywhere on voters’ ballots: in a ranked-choice election, second- and third-choice votes matter. Mayor Jacob Frey’s critics have banked on an ‘anyone but Frey’ strategy, asking voters to rank, in any order, their so-called ‘Slate for Change.’ … Second-choice ballots [could] also tip St. Paul’s five-candidate mayoral election. State Rep. Kaohly Her’s late entry into the race gave incumbent Melvin Carter a high-profile challenger — but biophysicist Yan Chen has raised just as much money as Her.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nCzoD4
MORE: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Voters in St. Paul’s mayoral election can rank all five candidates on Tuesday in order of preference and expect to learn the winner before they go to bed Tuesday night. After the votes come in for the mayor’s race, Ramsey County Elections will use ballot reallocation software for the first time since the capital city first implemented ranked-choice voting in 2011, guaranteeing same-night results. … Minneapolis [will] also use ranked-choice voting on Election Day, [but] if no candidate meets the threshold based on first-choice ballots, tabulation will resume the next day using a manual spreadsheet.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/49zktpK
BALLOT Q: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “One of St. Paul’s ballot questions aims to let the city add a new layer of fines against those who break local laws. … As it stands, St. Paul cannot levy fines against rulebreakers. City officials can send letters and give warnings. If the city has to step in and fix a problem — for example, clean up trash or board up a building — St. Paul can bill the property owner for that cost. But the charges cannot be more than the cost of that work. Opponents of the measure worry that if it passes, city officials could use administrative citations to give steep fines for minor infractions.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/481fHzd
ANOKAHENN: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “Unprecedented amounts of money are being pumped into the Anoka-Hennepin School Board race, with much of it tied to conservative political groups. WCCO combed through campaign finance reports [and] found more than $237,000 was spent in this election this year, with $220,000 of that for conservative-backed candidates. … A group called Excellence Minnesota, listed with a Wayzata address, [sent] more than $100,000 to various Minnesota school board campaigns, the vast majority going [to] Anoka-Hennepin. … ‘School board races maybe, in the past, cost $5,000 or $10,000,’ said John Wolhaupter, president of Anoka Hennepin Education Minnesota.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47V9dmn
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BUCKET TRUCK: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “On a crisp autumn morning in Waconia, Minnesota, Laketown Elementary buzzed with excitement as fifth grader Grant Scotting kept his eyes trained on the parking lot. A birthday surprise for Scotting was in the works — and soon it rolled up: a shiny Xcel Energy bucket truck. Scotting, who has special needs and is nonverbal, is known for his love of Xcel Energy. His enthusiasm for the local energy company ranges from reporting outages on his family’s iPad to eagerly opening each monthly bill.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4oq7uei (SPONSORED: Xcel Energy)
2026
Speaker Lisa Demuth spoke to reporters about her campaign rhetoric, her response to Rep. Kristin Robbins and more. Via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Demuth indicated she would still collaborate with DFLers [after] Robbins said Demuth ‘agreed to a backroom budget deal.’ Asked about Robbins’ statement, Demuth took the opportunity to compliment Robbins, saying ‘I’m proud of the work that she has done’ on the Fraud Prevention committee, and ‘I look forward to doing work together throughout this next legislative session.’ … In a video announcing her campaign, Demuth [said] ‘Tim Walz doesn’t just disagree with us. He hates us.’ … Asked what she meant by ‘he hates us,’ Demuth referred to Walz’s ‘negative rhetoric’ and said hatred is ‘very clearly what he thinks of Republicans and people that don’t agree with him.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oUBGyz
ENDORSED: Via Truth Social, Pres. Donald Trump endorsed all four Minnesota Republicans running for reelection in the U.S. House. Trump said Rep. Brad Finstad (R-1st) is a “voice for our amazing Farmers and Ranchers,” Rep. Tom Emmer (R-6th) is an “America First Patriot,” Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-7th) is “a very distinguished U.S. Congresswoman,” and Rep. Pete Stauber (R-8th) is “a WINNER who strongly supports our incredible Law Enforcement.” In response, the Minnesota DFL mocked these Republicans for seeking endorsements from “a dude with a 37% approval rating.” TWEETS: https://fluence-media.co/43aCGpK
WHY: At the grassroots level in Minnesota, Action 4 Liberty and other anti-establishment GOPers believe that there is a different level of MAGA or government minimalism that creates headaches for incumbents – even members of Congress.
CD1: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Jake Johnson, DFL candidate for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan took turns at a podium in Rochester [to] criticize the Trump Administration and U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad, R-MN, for failing to protect the country’s most vulnerable people at risk of losing access to SNAP. … Johnson, a Mayo High School teacher who is running against Finstad, and Flanagan both related personal stories of how SNAP benefits were critical for their families’ well-being when they were children. They made their comments in front of Finstad’s office in northwest Rochester.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oPphvF
BROADBAND: Comcast is rewriting the broadband playbook in the Twin Cities. From neighborhood networks to next-gen tech, we’re delivering community-first internet connectivity with no contracts, no surprises. The new Xfinity package means unlimited data, blazing-fast, reliable speeds and a 5-year price guarantee, plus free mobile for a year. It’s not the old Comcast — it’s a bold new era of connection. Let’s power the future, together. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/Comcast2025-1 (SPONSORED: Comcast)
COMMERCE
BATTERY: via Xcel Energy, VERBATIM: “Xcel Energy plans to build the Midwest’s largest battery energy storage site at the Sherco Energy Hub in central Minnesota. … The proposal, filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Oct. 31, will double the amount of battery storage adjacent to the Sherco coal plant in Becker…add 135.5 megawatts of battery storage at the company’s Blue Lake facility in Shakopee…[and] expand the company’s Sherco Solar facility with an additional 200-megawatt solar array in Clear Lake Township. … The company intends to start construction on the battery storage projects in 2026, with the batteries serving customers by late 2027.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Jv4ej2
(DISCLOSURE: Xcel Energy is a Fluence client and sponsor)
NDA: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “At the behest of corporations, elected and appointed officials across the country are making ample use of nondisclosure agreements. … NDAs signed by St. Louis County commissioners and Hermantown officials in connection to a proposed data center caused a stir last month. Residents accused officials of shrouding a project with major land, water and energy use considerations in secrecy. … Public records requests would in all likelihood turn up more examples in Minnesota. Evidence seems to suggest that NDAs and data centers, which are being pursued in other Greater Minnesota communities, seem to go hand in hand. In the state of Virginia, records requests sent to every known locality linked to data centers showed 25 out of 31 had NDAs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47z4wxe
LIABILITY: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “A man who had his left leg amputated after he was run over by a Metro Transit bus has now had his $4 million jury verdict reduced to $500,000 due to a state liability law [that] caps payouts for public entities in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases. … Retired judge Kevin Burke explained that the government used to be completely immune from lawsuits in Minnesota. And when that changed in the 1960s, the liability caps were implemented to fend off a flood of litigation and keep insurance costs in check.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3WCvkYw
SHUTDOWN
SNAP: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration said Monday it will only partially fund the food stamp program through November. About 440,000 Minnesotans lost their food stamp benefits on Saturday…[but] it’s unclear how long it would take before recipients receive their partial payments. … The Trump Administration said it will tap $4.65 billion in emergency money to cover about half of this month’s benefits. It declined to dip into other contingency funds to pay the full $8 billion needed to cover SNAP. … [But] Sen. Amy Klobuchar [said] the USDA could tap other monies to fully fund the program.” KLOBUCHAR: “The courts have ordered the administration to use its contingency fund for SNAP — and have made clear it can use its transfer authorities to fully fund SNAP.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LrmESd
FOOD BANKS: via City of Minneapolis, VERBATIM: “Mayor Jacob Frey announced that the City of Minneapolis will allocate $150,000 to six local nonprofit partners that provide free, healthy food to neighbors. The funding, directed from the Minneapolis Health Department’s Homegrown Minneapolis program, will go out this week to help food shelves restock and meet rising demand. … More than 60,000 Minneapolis residents — about 14% of the city’s population — rely on [SNAP]. … Frey emphasized that Minneapolis will continue monitoring the situation closely and could consider additional local action depending on what happens at the federal level.”
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Greater Twin Cities United Way has launched an emergency food relief campaign, warning that demand for help is spiking as the availability of federal food assistance remains in question. Calls to the organization’s 211 helpline about food have risen 82% in recent weeks. … United Way says many of those affected are working Minnesotans who earn too much to qualify for most assistance but not enough to cover basic needs. The organization has already distributed $105,000 in emergency grants to partners.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qGfOs9
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The city of Bloomington is allocating $250,000 to make grants to local nonprofits that offer food assistance programs. Nearly 8,000 Bloomington residents rely on federal programs to feed their families. … [Officials] are also making a plan in case WIC benefits dry up in December.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47o2rpd
40 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP: Flint Hills Resources and Ducks Unlimited (DU) are celebrating 40 years of partnership, a longevity landmark that makes Flint Hills one of DU’s longest-standing corporate partners. Working together over the past four decades, Flint Hills and DU have contributed to conserving more than 250,000 acres of wildlife habitat and natural areas in Minnesota and over 900,000 acres across North America. LEARN MORE: Flint Hills Resources and Ducks Unlimited Celebrate 40 Years of Partnership (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
ISSUES
TRANSIT: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Construction on the Blue Line Extension is not expected to begin [soon], but planning and promotion for the $3.2 billion light rail project have been ongoing for years. Now, a 5 INVESTIGATES review of government contracts reveals Hennepin County has already spent more than $2.6 million of taxpayers’ money on a public engagement effort around the new line that [includes] thousands on a dancing robot, yoga classes, and a life-sized puppet. … Dan Soler, director of transit and mobility for Hennepin County, described the spending as an effort to develop ‘out-of-the-box’ ideas. … Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, called it an ‘astonishing waste of money.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47kPyw0
HOUSING: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “New data shows that in broad swaths of Minnesota, including all of the Twin Cities metro and some rural counties, a potential buyer would need to make more than $100,000 to afford a median-priced home. The median household income in the state is [$87,000], meaning many Minnesotans are priced out. … Listings are rising nationwide, but that hasn’t been the case in the Twin Cities metro this fall, where listing inventory at the end of every month has fallen or remained flat. That’s stifled sales and caused prices to rise.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4nECaaZ
MNSURE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Open enrollment has started for state health care plans, and some Minnesotans shopping for that coverage are seeing big price increases. Officials at MNsure [said] rising health care costs and the expiration of federal tax credits are driving up prices. Premiums for 2026 on the individual market are 22 percent higher on average than in 2025, and that’s before accounting for the loss of federal tax credits. … MNsure CEO Libby Caulum [said] about 90,000 Minnesotans benefit from the federal tax credits. About 19,000 of them will lose all those benefits if they expire as planned; the rest will still be eligible, but the amount will be lower.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ooPQIl
ACROSS MN
MANKATO: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz joined other state and local officials in Mankato on Monday to break ground on a new regional headquarters and crime lab for the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. … It’s expected to be operational by early 2027. … The $67 million crime lab will support law enforcement across southern Minnesota and will employ about 50 forensic scientists and criminal investigators. The new facility will eliminate the need to send critical evidence to the state’s crime lab in the Twin Cities. … Public Safety Commissioner Bob Jacobson said funding for the new crime lab was approved with bipartisan support in the Minnesota Legislature.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43dEm1M
LSCB: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Former Lake St. Croix Beach City Clerk/Administrator Dave Engstrom said he plans to sue the city for age discrimination following his termination last month. Engstrom, 71, who had held the city’s top administrative position since October 2017, was terminated on Oct. 20 after a 3-2 vote. … Engstrom, who left city hall immediately after the vote, was put on a performance improvement plan in July following his first performance review during his eight-year tenure with the city. The council voted to give him 90 days to make ‘measured improvements.’ … The council voted to appoint Deputy Clerk Mary Ashby as interim city clerk.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ny6oMR
DAKOTA CTY: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) road project is causing concerns for many homeowners in rural Dakota County. … [Locals] said MnDOT told homeowners they intend to buy 17 feet of land on each side of Highway 50 as part of a safety improvement project. If homeowners don’t sell, they say the state could take the land through eminent domain. Homeowners are concerned the state is getting too close to property lines and are considering taking legal action.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/481mdpF
OLMSTED CTY: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “A pair of public meetings have been scheduled by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to provide information and gather public input on a utility-scale solar project proposed for northeast Olmsted County. Ranger Power, an Illinois-based company, is proposing to construct the Lemon Hill Solar project, a solar farm installation that would generate 180 megawatts of power [using] 1,945 acres of agricultural land in Viola and Haverhill townships. … Public meetings are scheduled for Nov. 19.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hHmQc1
COMING UP
TODAY: Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will vote with his family at 8:00 a.m.
TODAY: Sec. Steve Simon will visit a polling place in Hennepin County to “provide a brief update on the election and answer questions,” per a release. The event is at 8:00 a.m.
WED-THURS: via MN House, VERBATIM: “The House Capital Investment Committee will begin their fourth regional tour of the fall, visiting communities in Southeast Minnesota. This bipartisan tour will consist of state infrastructure project proposals, which will be considered for inclusion in a 2026 Capital Investment Bill.” On Wednesday, they’ll tour Apple Valley, Lakeville, Northfield, Faribault, Waseca, Albert Lea, and Austin. On Thursday, they’ll tour Rochester, Forestville, Winona, Wabasha, Hastings, Newport, and South St. Paul. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/3WAu4oQ
BDAYS: radio guys Chris Reuvers, US Solar’s Nikki Miller
SPEAKER: If you’re looking for a speaker about the “Signal vs. Noise” dynamic of today’s politics and the 2026 election. EMAIL: BloisOlson@gmail.com.
FORUM: The agenda for the Fluence Advisory - Fluence Forum – The State of Health Care forum will be released later this week. Email bolson@fluence-advisory.com for more information and sponsorship information.
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take from now to the future is in memory of Melissa Hortman her accessibility, leadership and commitment to public service.
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