IT’S STILL ONLY JULY
Lynx win they are .793 Twins win they are .500
The Twins will be buyers…STRIB: https://fluence-media.co/4pHWpqG
Amazon saw the nation’s largest increase in grocery market share from June 2025 to June 2026, ahead of Target and all others. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4yKp6rl
As early primary voting begins, DFL Sen. Omar Fateh endorsed socialist candidate Francesca Hong for Wisconsin governor. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4yN5mTV
Iran is targeting U.S. military bases again, but its missiles have been intercepted so far. AXIOS: https://fluence-media.co/4ftzDiY
Good to see friends at NCSL…in one week the Gubernatorial and Senate panel’s from FarmFest.
Meanwhile when the news gives you unbelievable content, we have to laugh or we might cry about the state of our politics.
Happy National Lasagna Day!
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured Rep. Angie Craig discussing her Senate campaign, the Iran war, the state of agriculture and more. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4wZg8od
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HOLD THE MUSTARD
We thought WWE Summer Slam was going to be the best soap opera of the week in Minneapolis but St. Paul stepped up and said…Brock Lesnar and Iyo Sky have nothing on us.
It’s still only July, and two weeks from today the general election field should be set.
However the news cycle suggests that Minnesota is not well, or at least the political players are not well. We’ll see if the previously schedule fundraiser with Mayor Kaohly Her and DFL legislators will still happen tonight. I’m not a prude, but I learned a new term yesterday. It’s not one I needed to know. Still not a sandwich.
The playbook for Mayor Hermay be taken from California Governor Gavin Newsom who as Mayor of San Francisco had a relationship with a staff member, she wrote about it in Vanity Fair yesterday. In that case, Newsom stepped out and admitted it to the public.
Meanwhile, rise of the DSA in the WSJ suggests that the mainstream inability to differentiate is likely more apathy than scrutiny. Via the WSJ, VERBATIM: “Just this month, the DSA called for defunding the Defense Department, abolishing police and getting rid of the Senate, and replacing the president and Supreme Court with representatives “chosen by and subordinate to Congress.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45sxdv0
Scrutiny may still happen, but the shrug from followers in cases like Maine give it less impact and the shrug from mainstream voters, who don’t tune-in deep reflects the despise of the entire political class.
It seems as though in Wisconsing DSA candidate Francesca Hong is favored to win the Democratic primary and will face Congressman Tom Tiffany. That would create quite the contrast in competitive candidates if Minnesota Republican’s choose Mike Lindell vs. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. The thing about populism is that sometimes it too makes poor decisions. That gives us a reprise of the 2010 paths of both states.
It also makes us curious what the DFL primary voters, and delegates would have chosen in a competitive primary.
News that the Trump administration is ending prescription drug benefits connected to Medicare, has more potential for Democratic ads to hammer Republicans this Fall, and further strain the budgets and economic squeeze next year. NYT: https://fluence-media.co/4fD1hsD
If Lindell is the nominee, Republicans will be demoralized and Democrat leaders will quietly fret managing a trifecta that will require more discipline than the last.
The cyber attacks on water systems across the state are a reminder that basic local functions face challenges that we need to be prepared for, add that to fires and storms a reminder of the critical role of local government.
Finally, drivers test failures and a decline of 16 to 17 year olds to get their license to avoid classroom and behind the wheel adds to the head scratching. Via the Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Perhaps not surprisingly, the rise in failed driving tests coincides with a 24% increase in crashes resulting in a serious injury in the past five years. Serious injury crashes rose from 1,649 in fiscal 2021 to 2,037 in fiscal 2025, according to Minnesota’s Advisory Council on Traffic Safety, a state-mandated group established in 2023 to advise the governor and state agencies on reducing traffic deaths and serious injuries…Collins said she didn’t take driver’s ed because she didn’t want to take a structured class and be forced to put in the prescribed number of practice hours.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3RXkNs2
MAYOR HER: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her is being investigated after a formal sexual harassment complaint was filed against her. … St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed the formal complaint against the mayor, alleging that Her made inappropriate sexual comments toward him and other city employees. That document, which is addressed to the city attorney, [adds] that ‘litigation is reasonably foreseeable.’ Henry has participated in extensive interviews with investigators on at least two occasions. … The letter to the city attorney claims that Her ‘used one or more mobile phones to communicate inappropriate and, indeed, unlawful text messages.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3TJJWqB
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The City of St. Paul has hired an outside law firm to investigate [the] sexual harassment allegations against Mayor Kaohly Her. … [A] person familiar with the investigation said it also includes sexualized communications and unwanted physical contact from Her directed at [Axel] Henry.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wpcd4f
HEALTHCARE: Strong communities depend on sustainable nonprofit healthcare. By planning to join leading, nonprofit healthcare system Sutter Health, Allina Health will be better positioned to expand access to high-quality, innovative care in Minnesota and Western Wisconsin - supporting patients, caregivers, and communities for generations to come. Learn more about the Allina-Sutter partnership.. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/AllinaHealth (SPONSORED: Allina Health)
FROM THE TRAIL
FUNDRAISING: The latest state-level fundraising reports from the Campaign Finance Board are now public. Reports from major candidates and party units covering Jan. 1 through July 20 are summarized below. DATA: https://fluence-media.co/4fXWaoe
GOVERNOR: Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised $9,312,380 with $4,480,911 on hand. Republican Mike Lindell raised $725,757 with $87,847 on hand. Speaker Lisa Demuth raised $553,430 with $456,443 on hand. Republican Kendall Qualls raised $411,888 with $67,466 on hand.
SEC OF STATE: Sec. Steve Simon raised $352,359 with $509,481 on hand. Republican Tad Jude raised $77,305 with $30,491 on hand.
ATTY GENERAL: A.G. Keith Ellison raised $748,132 with $733,951 on hand. Republican Ron Schutz raised $406,857 with $407,514 on hand.
AUDITOR: Republican Scott Jensen raised $110,339 with $60,534 on hand. DFLer Zack Filipovich raised $60,514 with $31,287 on hand. Republican Nate George raised $44,513 with $23,429 on hand.
PARTIES: The Minnesota GOP raised $959,166 with $212,475 on hand. The Minnesota DFL raised $7,758,135 with $3,528,980 on hand.
CAUCUSES: House Republicans raised $1,018,954 with $1,654,767 on hand. House DFLers raised $2,825,044 with $2,465,404 on hand. Senate Republicans raised $1,460,572 with $3,211,647 on hand. Senate DFLers raised $2,946,066 with $3,672,138 on hand.
LINDELL: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Republican primary voters who want to know how pillow mogul Mike Lindell is spending his campaign dollars won’t have much to go on. … The campaign’s last reported expense for the MyPillow CEO’s campaign was on June 30 — $545 to reimburse mileage, according to the campaign’s pre-primary finance report. It reported no expenses in July. … Lindell [said] the campaign has spent about $200,000 recently, but it only got billed for the charges in the past few days — after the campaign finance reporting period. The $200,000 in expenses should show up in the next campaign finance report, Lindell said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45zeT3n
MOVE: Longtime Lindell advisor and previous campaign manager Rick Weible has left the campaign.
DFL POLL: The Democratic Lt. Governors Association released a poll of 672 likely DFL primary voters in Minnesota. Results are summarized below. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4x8riY6
SENATE: Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan leads the DFL Senate primary at 46% with Rep. Angie Craig at 32% and “undecided” at 22%.
FAVORABILITY: Views on Flanagan are 49% favorable, 17% unfavorable and 34% unsure. Views on Craig are 48% favorable, 22% unfavorable and 29% unsure.
TRUMP: Among surveyed DFLers, Pres. Donald Trump has 4% approval and 94% disapproval with 2% unsure.
CRYPTO: Respondents’ views on cryptocurrency are 5% favorable, 78% unfavorable and 17% unsure.
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TECH
DEEPFAKES: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company is suing Minnesota over a first-in-the-nation law banning technology that allows users to create and post deepfake videos or images of people naked without their consent. … The law passed the Legislature this year with nearly unanimous support and is set to take effect on Saturday. … Attorneys for the company say, if enacted, the law would significantly abridge Grok and Grok Imagine users’ First Amendment rights. The company’s legal complaint said should the law take hold this week, the platform will limit services for users in the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fttoM4
PREDICTIONS: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz today signed an executive order to prevent state employees from using nonpublic information for insider trading on prediction markets, following a federal judge’s preliminary injunction blocking Minnesota from implementing a law banning prediction markets. … The restriction applies whether an employee realizes a profit or incurs a loss from a transaction. Employees who violate the order may be subject to discipline up to and including discharge.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4x7eQaQ
ROBOCALLS: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s attorney general is urging federal regulators to tighten phone company rules aimed at blocking illegal robocalls. … Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Tuesday that he joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 attorneys general urging the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to strengthen its ‘Know Your Customer’ rules. The coalition is asking the FCC to verify who is using their networks to stop unlawful calls.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4x5YuPE
CYBERATTACKS: Via MinnPost, an update on the cyberattacks covered in yesterday’s morning take. VERBATIM: “A coordinated cyberattack on more than 30 Minnesota community drinking water systems this week is the latest in a growing number of cyberattacks on drinking water systems nationwide. … Only four of the estimated 30 systems affected have been publicized: Braham, Maple Plain, Plymouth and South St. Paul. The rest of the systems that were affected are classified as ‘nonpublic,’ according to a spokesperson at Minnesota IT Services. … The source of the attack is currently being investigated by state and federal agencies.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pMs0b0
CAMPAIGNS
DNC: via NOTUS, VERBATIM: “A thief scammed the cash-strapped Democratic National Committee out of nearly $29,000 last year, according to interviews with committee officials and previously unreported federal records. … An unknown party sent a fraudulent email to a committee staffer pretending to be Chairman Ken Martin. … The staffer, who is no longer at the DNC, made a payment to the fraudster. … The committee caught the error within minutes and reported it to its financial institution, [but] could only recover $7,000 of the lost money. The theft is one of numerous high-profile swindles from prominent political committees — liberal and conservative alike.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w04ZTs
CD1: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced that CD1 DFL candidate Jake Johnson has been added to its “highly competitive Red to Blue program,” per a release, which “arms top-tier candidates with organizational and fundraising support.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4frYYtK
CD2: Via WCCO-TV, a look at how the three DFLers in the CD2 primary are differentiating themselves. VERBATIM: “State Rep. Kaela Berg’s ads tout her as a working mom, while state Sen. Matt Klein is making health care his central issue. Former state senator and former Lakeville Mayor Matt Little is focusing on his experience. Berg and Little are the more progressive candidates, while Klein is running as the Angie Craig-style moderate. ‘[Klein] is positioning himself very openly as the one who can win [a] swing district,’ said political analyst Larry Jacobs.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/44Yw6mL
MORE: KARE 11 has published interviews with the three major DFL primary candidates in CD2 plus Republican Eric Pratt. DFLers Matt Little, Sen. Matt Klein and Rep. Kaela Berg will face a competitive primary on Aug. 11. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4fsNF4x
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
RAMSEY CTY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “With understaffing a longtime problem at the Ramsey County jail, county commissioners on Tuesday approved hiring an additional 32 workers. … The commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the county manager to transfer up to $1 million from the county’s general contingency account to this year’s sheriff’s office operating budget for the jail to begin hiring immediately.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bd85Mo
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “On Tuesday, the Minneapolis NAACP called on city officials to do more to help people at the dilapidated Heritage Park housing development in north Minneapolis and said it may take legal action on behalf of the residents. Minneapolis NAACP Vice President Thomas Berry said some units have mice coming out of stoves and toilets and demanded city leaders stop dragging their feet and get all of the tenants moved out.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4z15teO
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)
FRIDLEY: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “At a Fridley City Council meeting, [residents] voiced concerns over the usage of Flock cameras and its data while officials explained how the system works. Access to the city’s automated license plate reader data is now limited to Minnesota law enforcement agencies, with immigration-related searches disabled. Residents expressed both support and concerns about privacy and surveillance.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3TZtti6
HABITAT RESTORATION: Flint Hills Resources has earned Tandem Global WHC Gold Certification for habitat restoration at its Cottage Grove fuel terminal. The certification comes after two years of work in partnership with Friends of the Mississippi River to implement a restoration and monitoring plan to re-establish the 6.5-acre site’s natural prairie and savannah. Flint Hills has held gold certification for its work done with community partners over the past 25 years to restore more than 200 acres of the Pine Bend Bluffs, a critical natural area along the Mississippi River that is adjacent to Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery. This makes two Flint Hills gold-certified sites in Minnesota and the first two gold-certified sites ever in the Twin Cities. LEARN MORE: https://fluence-media.co/3VASKg4 (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
ACROSS MN
RPS: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Three incumbents and eight challengers have filed to run for the four open positions on the Rochester School Board during the November election. … The Rochester School Board voted not to host a primary, so all the candidates will proceed to the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 3. … The four candidates to win the election will serve four-year terms on the seven-member governing body and will join the sitting board members. … This will be the first election cycle in more than 50 years under a [no primary] system.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fA0gl6
BEMIDJI: via Bemidji Pioneer, VERBATIM: “Childcare for All has gained notable traction across the state, including the Bemidji area. … Childcare for All [supporters] were handily represented during a ‘Candidate and Community Conversation’ event. … Local [DFL] candidates served on a panel for a discussion on their plans for universal childcare. Panelists included U.S. House Congressional District 8 candidate Trina Swanson, Minnesota Senate District 2 candidate Dan Rogers and Minnesota House 2A candidate Reed Olson. Minnesota House 2B candidate Emily Thabes was unable to attend.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xcUP2U
WILLMAR: via West Central Tribune, VERBATIM: “The Willmar City Council will conduct interviews for two of the finalists for the Willmar city administrator position on Thursday, July 30. … Andrew Lathrop is scheduled to be interviewed at 6:30 p.m. and Kyle Box is scheduled to be interviewed at 7:30 p.m. … A third finalist announced earlier has declined a final interview.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bhl5jY
DAYBOOK
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will take part in a groundbreaking for Lohmann Therapy Systems.
TODAY: DFL Sen. Erin Maye Quade will host a press conference at 10:30 a.m. to highlight a new ban on AI “nudification” technology that takes effect on Saturday, Aug. 1.
TODAY: Attorney General Keith Ellison will host a community forum on the proposed acquisition of Allina Health by Sutter Health on Wednesday, July 29 in Faribault at 6:00 p.m.
TOMORROW: SD35 DFL candidate Angela Nelson will host an affordability roundtable in Coon Rapids with “local residents and stakeholders,” per a release. The event is at 11:30 a.m.
TOMORROW: DFL Sen. Ann Rest will throw the ceremonial first pitch for Thursday’s Twins game at 12:20 p.m.
TOMORROW: DFL Rep. Kelly Moller and GOP Rep. Paul Novotny, co-chairs of the House public safety committee, will host a bipartisan press conference to “spotlight important new domestic violence laws that will take effect on August 1,” per a release. Attendees will include GOP Rep. Marion Rarick, DFL Rep. Athena Hollins, GOP Rep. Peggy Scott, DFL Rep. Dave Pinto, DFL Sen. Bonny Westlin, DFL Sen. Heather Gustafson and DFL Sen. Clare Oumou Verbeten. The event is at 3:30 p.m.
NEXT WEEK: Minnesota Farmfest runs from Aug. 4 to Aug. 6 in Redwood County. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/4pQIEGw
AUG 4-13: Fluence sponsor Xcel Energy and industry partners will host a series of open houses on their planned “PowerOn Midwest” electric transmission projects from Aug. 4 to Aug. 13. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/4yHUlDi
We won’t ask for “membership” to list your BDAY, and we won’t have pledge drive but you can support the Fluence work by paying for premium content.
BDAYS: MSPBJ’s Dirk DeYoung, fmr. Rep. Andy Dawkins, public affairs veteran Patrick Sexton and belated to MN Banker’s super walker Therese Kuvaas
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.
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.