GOOD MORNING
The last of the nice fall weather this week. How about that JJ McCarthy kid? A Sunday nap is more challenging with a good QB. Wolves are in Brooklyn tonight.
Testing some minor format changes in the tip sheet – the goal is shorter, but smarter. Send the feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
The Demuth gubernatorial launch starts the day at 9, Gov. Walz driving his own news in Mankato today. The 2026 election is off and running. Let’s pace ourselves.
Donald Trump says his plan to end the shutdown is to wait until Republicans change filibuster rules or Democrats give up. CBS: https://fluence-media.co/43wrBzF
Sunday Take previewed Speaker Lisa Demuth’s campaign for governor, the Minneapolis mayoral race, and school board elections with Kyrstin Schuette. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3WACTik
It’s National Sandwich Day…what’s the go to?
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/
FIRST
Later this morning, Cozen O’Connor will announce it is merging with 125-year old law firm Moss & Barnett. This represents the first local firm to be bought by a national firm with a strong local office. Cozen opened the Minneapolis office 13 years and has grown to 20 lawyers. Moss & Barnett merges into Cozen with another 50 lawyers. The Minneapolis Cozen office has been led by Tom Wallrich. The merger creates the largest real estate and corporate law practice from a national firm in the market.. The combined firm has 70 lawyers locally, and over 1,000 nationally.
CAIRMN: In ads CAIR Action Midwest calls out its endorsements for Minneapolis races to “Invest in Muslim Political Power”. While the post doesn’t only highlight Muslim candidates, it’s a message that if pushed by a Christian or Jewish organization would undoubtedly draw outrage from the far left and CAIR. In fact, progressive social media commentators from Minnesota have called out candidates in the Anoka-Hennepin race as “White Christian Nationals” as a criticism. TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3JDjL05
THISMORNING: Speaker Lisa Demuth live with WCCO Radio’s Vineeta Sawkar at 7:10. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/WCCOLive
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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 launched a campaign for governor last night, first reported in the Sunday morning take, and interviewed with multiple news outlets. Via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The move to run for higher office comes ahead of the 2026 legislative session, when Demuth will have to run the House and negotiate legislation with Democrats again, including with [Gov. Tim] Walz. She said she’ll aim to keep the campaign outside the Capitol. … Demuth said she’s seeking the Minnesota Republican Party’s endorsement in the race and said she was disappointed that other candidates signaled they’d move to a primary election if they didn’t get it. She also said she will seek the endorsement of President Donald Trump. … To make November’s ballot, Demuth will first have to navigate a Republican Party endorsing convention next May and possibly a primary in August.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/48Zk2EZ
CAUCUS: Yesterday in a note to GOP Caucus members Demuth said that Republican Leader Harry Niska will take over duties of the HRCC (the campaign committee), VERBATIM: “This was not a decision I came to lightly – for the last two months I have weighed the pros and cons with the impact on our caucus being at the top of the my decision making factors…As part of my decision, effective immediately Leader Niska has agreed to assume all duties related to the operations of the HRCC. I will, only at Leaders Niska’s invitation, continue to assist if asked with fundraising and any other campaign efforts if it is helpful in our effort to take full majority in 2026, but to avoid the appearance of any conflict he will be fully in charge of those decisions moving forward…I will be fulling committed throughout this process to leading our caucus through the important work that is ahead of us in the 2026 session. The power sharing agreement leaves us zero opportunity for a change in the Speakership and reopen that agreement would almost certainly lead to the loss of our sole-Speaker control, as well as the Fraud Committee…”
MORE: Via Rep. Kristin Robbins, GOP candidate for governor, a statement previewing her messaging in a Republican endorsement/primary fight. ROBBINS: “Speaker Lisa Demuth has been a friend since we were both elected in 2018, but I’m the only conservative Republican who’s a proven winner in the suburbs, and the only one who can actually defeat two-term Governor Tim Walz. … There’s no appetite for a Republican who sides with Tim Walz on raising taxes and making our streets less safe. Lisa Demuth agreed to a backroom budget deal that raised taxes and shut down the Stillwater prison with no plan, which will result in releasing criminals back into our communities. Demuth and Walz raised our taxes and made our streets less safe, and that’s exactly what I’m fighting against.”
MORE: GOP Rep. Jon Koznick publicly shared thoughts on Rep. Kristin Robbins’ response to Speaker Lisa Demuth’s gubernatorial announcement. Via social media, KOZNICK: “Bush league statement and timing from [Robbins], who until now was running a good enough campaign. Hard to believe she out-A4L’ed [Action 4 Liberty]. Demuth clears the field almost instantly and clearly the front runner.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4hNZiCE
MORE: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “[Lisa] Demuth plans to keep the speaker’s gavel next year. … That puts her in the thorny position of [uniting] a caucus that includes primary rival Kristin Robbins and negotiating deals with a governor she’s trying to challenge. Plus, backlash to bipartisan deals at the divided Capitol could continue to generate resistance from conservative factions in and outside of her caucus as she seeks to win over GOP voters. … One such group, Action 4 Liberty, recently named Demuth a ‘RINO’ — Republican In Name Only. … Amy Koch, a former Senate majority leader, said juggling the speakership and a statewide campaign is ‘incredibly hard,’ especially if there are intra-caucus divides related to the governor’s race. But delegating well can make it doable, Koch said, especially given that legislators have a lighter to-do list in a non-budget session.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43bYiCa
VIDEO: Speaker Lisa Demuth’s first gubernatorial video is on YouTube. Her campaign website is also online. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Jhw2aB WEBSITE: https://fluence-media.co/4hBWcRY
INTERVIEW: WCCO-TV aired an interview with Speaker Lisa Demuth discussing her campaign for governor. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/47GSGkQ
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)
ELECTIONS
MAYOR RACES: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The candidates for mayor in both Minneapolis and St. Paul scrambled across town Saturday [and Sunday] in a final sprint to sway voters in Tuesday’s elections. … St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and his supporters gathered in a leafy park in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood before heading out to door knock, while challenger and state Rep. Kaohly Her convened volunteers at an Ethiopian restaurant in Highland Park. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey gave a fiery speech before a packed crowd in Northeast, while opponent Omar Fateh, a DFL state senator, wound his way through the Mill City Farmers Market. … At his rally, [Frey] and Gov. Tim Walz embraced before the cheering crowd. … Meanwhile, Fateh [campaigned] alongside U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar with a rally and door knocking Sunday.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WxOWgr
MORE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “In the final days of the race for Minneapolis mayor, incumbent Jacob Frey is leaning into his support from top state officials. … But Frey’s critics say his high-profile endorsements paper over fraught relationships with the progressive City Council majority and their allies. They point to the absence of endorsements from Minneapolis-based lawmakers who represent the city’s interests at the state and county levels. … Underlying the politics is an understanding that whomever voters elect as mayor on Tuesday can’t succeed without the ability to build strong relationships at the county, state and federal levels. Millions of dollars in funding is on the line.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/47HGKzh
40A: Mounds View Mayor Zach Lindstrom announced he will not be running for the seat in House District 40A that’s being vacated by Rep. Kelly Moller’s retirement.
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)
MN-DC
SNAP: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Minnesotans who rely on food assistance payments are on edge as political and legal jostling over the program threatens access. … Two federal judges [shared] rulings Friday that require at least partial payment from a contingency fund. But the rulings could still face appeal. … The Trump Administration has warned that new SNAP payments may not be processed as scheduled. The impact will vary for recipients across Minnesota. … Not everyone gets their monthly allocation on the same day, [so] this month’s first payments are slated for Nov. 4 and some go out as late as Nov. 13. … Nicole Worlds, a financial assistance manager for Health and Human Services, [said] even if benefits come through, there will be delays in getting them processed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3WDp6Yj
MORE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Twenty-five states, including Minnesota, filed the Boston lawsuit seeking the release of SNAP contingency funds. … [Attorney General Keith] Ellison said that while the court rulings mean the USDA will be required to use its $5 billion contingency fund to continue to provide SNAP benefits nationwide, the fund does not have enough money to pay for full SNAP benefits throughout the month of November.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4qDPdfp
ICE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump’s administration has had limited success persuading Minnesota law enforcement agencies to sign partnerships with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to help with its mass deportation effort. So far, only eight of 87 Minnesota counties — Cass, Crow Wing, Freeborn, Itasca, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Mille Lacs and Sherburne — have signed the agreements. … Most of the sheriffs [said] they’re trying to balance limited resources with helping federal law enforcement partners while maintaining their community’s trust. None of those who responded thought it would be a significant source of revenue, but they did say it would make it easier to help ICE when asked. Several sheriffs who haven’t signed on said it was largely due to staffing shortages and a lack of need.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4oogD7A
OMAR: via Politico, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump on Saturday went after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for her Somali heritage, urging her to leave the country in a social media post, reprising an attack he’s used several times throughout his time in office. ‘She should go back!’ he wrote on Truth Social. … [Omar] became an American citizen in 2000. … The four-term lawmaker [said] she isn’t concerned by rhetoric around her immigration status.” QUOTE: “I have no worry. I don’t know how they’d take away my citizenship and deport me. … I’m not the 8-year-old who escaped war [in Somalia] anymore. I’m grown, my kids are grown. I could go live wherever I want, if I wanted to.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hEVVhh
ACROSS MN
STEARNS CTY: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “In the St. Cloud area, two candidates are vying for an open seat on the Stearns County board. One of them would be the state’s first Somali American county commissioner. … Six people filed for the District 4 seat, which represents the city of Waite Park and south St. Cloud, [but] Amin Ali and Bob Johnson received the most votes in the August primary election. Ali is a 39-year-old youth soccer coach, community advocate and housing program director. … Johnson was executive director of CentraCare’s Heart and Vascular Center for 23 years. He also led the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud for nine years and served three terms on the St. Cloud City Council.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ooq1bo
BAGLEY: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Bagley City Council hosted a public meeting this past week to consider disbanding the local police department, following a path pursued by a few dozen cities around the state. Bagley, with a population of nearly 1,300, is the Clearwater County seat. City leaders say the police department accounts for about a third of the annual budget. They’re considering contracting with Clearwater County for law enforcement services instead. The goal, Mayor Duane Lewis told the audience, [is] to look for cost savings.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JqtlDF
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “East Center Street property owners are facing combined assessments of nearly $575,000 for a planned $7.4 million street reconstruction project. … The council will be asked Monday to approve seeking construction bids for the street and utility work expected to start in 2026, as well as the proposed assessments for property owners seen as benefiting from the project.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3LnFolC
WILLMAR: via West Central Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Willmar City Council on Monday, Nov. 3, will conduct a public hearing related to an amendment to its sanitary sewer system ordinance. … The amendment is aimed at preventing rain and groundwater, also known as inflow and infiltration, from entering the sanitary sewer system and comes on the heels of significant rain events this year that overwhelmed the city’s system. The ordinance will call for inspection of a home’s or business’s private lateral sewer line [following] the sale or transfer of the property, any property remodel valued at $50,000 or more or a building remodel that alters its current plumbing system.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3JEBbJI
COMING UP
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will meet with 3M leadership, break ground on the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Facility, and visit Rolls-Royce Solutions America Inc.
TODAY: MNsure CEO Libby Caulum will host a virtual press conference to provide information on open enrollment for health insurance, what’s changed from last year, and what resources are available to Minnesotans in need. The event is at 9:00 a.m.
TODAY: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison and U.S. Representative Betty McCollum will be joined by food-shelf managers and Minnesota SNAP recipients to highlight the harmful effects of the Trump Administration’s attempted refusal to fund the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the federal government shutdown.” The event is at 9:30 a.m.
TODAY: The MN Center for Fiscal Excellence is hosting its 99th annual meeting and policy forum at the St. Paul RiverCentre on the morning of Monday, Nov. 3. Per a release, the forum will “deliver an agency-focused perspective on the policy and budget challenges arising from recent federal actions. State agency leaders and subject-matter experts will explore the potential budgetary, programmatic, management and intergovernmental impacts and consequences — intended and unintended.”
TODAY: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and CD1 DFL candidate Jake Johnson will host a press conference in Rochester to “highlight how the [federal] government shutdown is hurting Minnesotans’ ability to feed their families,” per a release. Afterwards, Flanagan will work a shift at Channel One Food Bank. The event is at 2:00 p.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
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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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