COOLER
Twins added at the deadline including pitcher Jeff Hoffman. GLEEMAN: https://fluence-media.co/3RN5oKU
Despite smaller crowds that are anticipated, early estimates say SummerSlam brought $100 million of impact to Minneapolis. MPR: https://fluence-media.co/45D7Kzb
Glassdoor finds that workers’ confidence in their employers has dropped to a new low at 43.5%. SURVEY: https://fluence-media.co/4zeoqeb
Reuters finds that voters prefer Democrats over Republicans on economic issues (37% to 36%) for the first time in almost a decade. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4xdCfYg
Seven in 10 U.S. adults say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in military veterans, according to new research from With Honor and Gallup… The findings come as With Honor Action reports that 752 veterans across the political spectrum have run or are running for Congress in the 2026 cycle — a 47% increase from 2024. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4gaaTwr
Headed to Farmfest today I’ll have reports on WCCO Radio and Fox Live today and Wednesday. I’ll be moderating the gubernatorial forum Wednesday AM. Forums will be streamed online, and rebroadcast on WCCO Radio.
Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!
Blois - tips: bloisolson@gmail.com
Sunday Take featured a Farmfest preview and Republican Adam Schwarze discussing his U.S. Senate campaign. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3TyEK93
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Minnesota’s August primary elections are one week away, while the Ag Mafia dinner convenes tonight it’s also National Night Out where neighbors will gather to connect. The conversations across Minnesota reflect the mood of back to school, an economy that has significant headwinds including gas and food prices.
Polls have shown that Minnesotans are more negative on the direction of the state than they were last fall, and the flood of attack ads isn’t going to improve our mood. The conversations at National Night Out or Farmfest serve as a serum against the cancer of distrust that is eroding the fabric of our state and country. For candidates there’s a responsibility to live in reality, not create an alternative one. To a person, a handshake and a conversation can soothe the angst or the shrug off of the surreal news of the day.
Take the time to connect and send me any insights on the mood of Minnesota one week before the primary.
SENFORUM: Yesterday, the Schwarze for Senate campaign issued a news release claiming the Farm Fest Senate forum was cancelled. It hasn’t been, it’s Wednesday afternoon and Schwarze will not be on the panel as he didn’t meet the standards set out by American Farm Bureau.
GOV RACE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “The chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party is asking the state to clarify who meets residency rules to run for office as questions surround Mike Lindell. … Republican Party Chairman Alex Plechash [said] the questions center on Lindell’s previous residency in Texas and how long he has been a resident of Minnesota. However, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Secretary of State says the office doesn’t have jurisdiction to investigate residency issues. … Lindell [said] he has pay stubs proving he’s been working and paying taxes in Minnesota since August of 2025.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4xjjeUb
PORK: via the Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “For years a rallying cry at hay-baled farm conferences and rural political stages in swine country has energized crowds: Don’t let California dictate how American farmers, particularly in the Upper Midwest, raise pork…But as tens of thousands of crop and livestock farmers convene Tuesday at a field near Redwood Falls for Minnesota Farmfest, such talks will likely be about how best to comply with, rather than fight, a California law governing the way pigs are raised… Minnesota, with a $3.5 billion pork industry, is the nation’s second largest state for hog production…While not every hog farmer has the same viewpoint, the latest setback in the Senate disappointed many because the language made it into the House-passed version of the bill… Neither of Minnesota’s senators, Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, have supported any override language.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/45FTQfE
AUDITOR: via MPR, VERBATIM: “Next week, voters will choose which Republican runs for auditor in November. There’s Nate George, the current mayor of Braham and an Air Force combat veteran. … He said his experience as a mayor, a military veteran and Director of Licensing & Investigations for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, Tribal Gaming Regulatory Authority gives him an advantage. … And [there’s] Scott Jensen, a family doctor who lost the 2022 governor’s race. … Jensen said his background in the Legislature, as a doctor and in working with several businesses, puts him in a good position for the job. … For Republicans, it’s the state Constitutional office they’ve come closest to winning [since] 2006.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4h8vcLN
TURNOUT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “101,311. That’s how many voters have already cast ballots in the primary, including 65,342 by mail and 35,969 in person. … 344,708 voters have requested absentee ballots with just a week to go until election day. The totals remain a relatively small share of Minnesota’s electorate, but it’s getting closer to the roughly 155,000 early ballots that were accepted in the 2022 midterm primary election in the state.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fCTWL4
PRIMARIES: Via Minnesota Reformer, a look at how the results of tonight’s Michigan Senate primary may provide clues for how Minnesota’s DFL Senate primary will play out one week from today. VERBATIM: “Abdul El-Sayed, who has the backing of Sen. Bernie Sanders et al., is likely on his way to victory over establishment favorite Haley Stevens. … Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is also running in the Sanders lane, [but] it’s harder for Flanagan to run against the Democratic establishment [as she’s] associated with the administration of Gov. Tim Walz. … Given Minnesota’s partisan makeup, ‘electability’ isn’t the issue it is in Michigan, [but] this is not a seat Democrats can lose if they hope to win the Senate.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fDMLSI
SENATE RACE: Rep. Angie Craig spoke to FOX 9 about her Senate campaign yesterday, emphasizing her moderate, bipartisan credentials. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan will appear on the network Friday. A transcript of Craig’s comments is available online. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4wFRgT1
CD1: Via MinnPost, a comparison between Gov. Tim Walz and DFLer Jake Johnson — both teachers who ran against GOP incumbents in CD1. VERBATIM: “Unlike the last time a Democrat unseated a Republican in the district, it has changed — and so has American politics. And while Walz and Johnson share similarities, each man is different. … Walz [originally] ran as a moderate Democrat. … Johnson is also running in the district as a centrist. He is trying to position himself as a fiscal conservative, promising to vote against any legislation that would allow the federal government to borrow more money until Congress balances its budget. … But, like most mainstream Democrats, Johnson has also promised to shore up the federal social safety net.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gbuUTe
TODAY: Congressional candidates will participate in forums at FarmFest.
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)
STATE STUFF
RESTITUTION: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A months-long review of state court records by 5 INVESTIGATES found convicted fraudsters have paid just a small fraction of the criminal restitution they’ve been ordered to return to the state. Since 2019, judges have ordered defendants to pay back nearly $32 million in restitution in MFCU-prosecuted cases. As of May, the amount recorded as paid back in the state court system was just over $3 million. … Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledged it has been a longstanding challenge in the criminal justice system to claw back stolen money.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4g8X2qe
MED FRAUD: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission (MSGC) released their 2026 Sentencing Guidelines, which set the new offense of Medicaid fraud of over $1,000,000 at Severity Level 8 thanks to Attorney General [Keith] Ellison’s urging. Severity Level 8 carries a presumptive commitment to prison, no matter the criminal history of the offender. Other Severity Level 8 crimes include criminal vehicular homicide, 1st degree aggravated robbery, and 1st degree burglary.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w5LOaO
ESSENTIA HEALTH SUPPORTS FREE CLINIC IN VIRGINIA, SERVING INCREASED NUMBER OF UNINSURED MINNESOTANS: Every Thursday night, physicians and care team members from Essentia Health-Virginia volunteer at the Project Care Free Clinic, providing treatment, screenings, and preventive care to patients who are uninsured or may be struggling to afford health care premiums. Essentia also provides lab and X-ray services at no cost to the clinic or its patients. Essentia is proud to support the clinic, ensuring everyone in the community can get the care they need. READ MORE: https://fluence-media.co/4yt7Qqu (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
LOBBYING: via Forum News Service, VERBATIM: “Some of the world’s richest technology companies have increasingly found themselves the center of policy debates in St. Paul. … Sen. Erin Maye Quade, DFL-Apple Valley, who has championed many tech-related bills at the Legislature, said her meetings with Big Tech representatives have been increasing. … Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover, said she thinks lawmakers are less ‘receptive’ to what Big Tech is approaching them with. … Rep. Andy Smith, DFL-Rochester, said he feels like Big Tech’s presence has ‘absolutely’ increased in recent years, [and] it felt like the Big Tech lobbyists were making ‘demands’ to lawmakers.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4pUYbEZ
TREATMENT: via Senate GOP advisory, VERBATIM: “Sen. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) is calling on state officials to create an employee retention program to help experienced Community Addiction Recovery Enterprise (CARE)–Anoka employees remain on the job as services transition to the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC). The request was made in a letter [to] Direct Care and Treatment (DCT) Executive Board Chair Carol Olson.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/4fDTDzG
SCHOOL
SCREENTIME: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “As concerns grow over screen time, mental health and online safety, parents across the Twin Cities are pushing schools to rethink the role of technology in classrooms. From St. Paul to Minnetonka, new parent-led groups advocating for limited technology use have formed to urge changes. Their demands come after noticing worrying behaviors in their children, reports of technology distractions in the classroom and state test scores struggling to recover after the COVID-19 pandemic. … Now, communities are confronting both the pitfalls of technology in classrooms and the fact that so much curriculum relies on coming from a screen or software.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fNFLSd
MORE: Sen. Amy Klobuchar announced on social media that if she wins the governor race, she wants to implement a state ban on cell phones in K-12 classrooms. She also pledged to “limit screen time” because it “keeps kids focused on what matters: learning.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/454HRbs
NOTE: Yesterday’s morning take linked to a new study that finds cell phone bans improve student well-being, but they have little impact on attendance, attention and other academic metrics. ICYMI: https://fluence-media.co/3Tov3dr
HIGHER ED: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “Every year for over four decades, tens of thousands of Minnesota students have relied on a popular grant program to reduce their college bill [called] the State Grant Program. … Yet Minnesota is again stripping away how much aid students receive from the grant program, this time because of a projected $131 million budget hole that lawmakers neglected to fill. It’s the fourth straight fiscal year the program has experienced a multimillion-dollar shortfall — a sign of growing demand, but also structural issues that Republicans and Democrats can’t agree on how to fix.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gaPUJW
PERFORMANCE: via Rep. Brad Finstad advisory, VERBATIM: “Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) recently sent a letter to Governor Tim Walz expressing his concern about the decline in Minnesota’s educational performance. The letter cited a recent report that found Minnesota’s education system has fallen in the national ranking from #7 to #21 in five years, noted declining reading and math proficiency, and called on the Walz administration to conduct a comprehensive review of education policies and performance.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4xdNDTT
ED DEPT: via Rep. Angie Craig advisory, VERBATIM: “Representative Angie Craig pressed the Trump Administration on their continued lack of responsiveness to inquiries directed to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). … Craig cited a significant increase in constituent cases with FSA and OCR since President [Donald] Trump took office, and expressed concern with the low number of cases that have been positively resolved. She also demanded answers from the Administration about why her office has experienced delays in communication.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Tr7oJk
A deep dive into the CD1 race between Rep. Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson for MNSider subscribers. HERE: https://fluence-media.co/49OqNJu
COURTS
BOELTER: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Convicted political assassin Vance Boelter was back in a Minnesota courtroom Monday on the state’s charges against him, asking a judge if Sen. Amy Klobuchar would be brought in to testify. … Boelter [asked] whether the court process would include whether Klobuchar would testify about what he claimed were five meetings he had with elected officials — in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2023 — in Washington, D.C. … Klobuchar responded Monday.” KLOBUCHAR: “We have found no record of my ever meeting or speaking with this murderer. … This is the second time he has falsely brought me into his tormented web.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4bvAYU1
(DISCLOSURE: Fluence Advisory provides media support for the Hoffman family.)
FED SUITS: The Office of the Atty. General announced that Minnesota has joined dozens of states in two lawsuits against the Trump Administration regarding tariffs and privacy. The first suit argues that Pres. Donald Trump’s recent imposition of new tariffs on over 80 countries is harmful to consumers and exceeds his legal authority. The second suit is seeking an end to the Administration for Children and Families’ new rule that recipients of TANF benefits (called MFIP in Minnesota) can have their addresses, Social Security numbers and other personal information shared with federal agencies, including the Dept. of Homeland Security. TARIFFS | PRIVACY
THREATS: via MPR, VERBATIM: “A man who made online threats against Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan was sentenced to two years of probation. Caden Sluder, 23, [has] pleaded guilty to a gross misdemeanor count of threats of violence. He’d originally been charged with a felony level count. … District Court Judge Joy Bartscher [has] sentenced Sluder to one year in jail, which will be stayed if he abides by his probation guidelines.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w1XD1x
EXTRADITION: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “More than two months after his arrest in Texas, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer charged with shooting a man in Minneapolis has yet to be extradited to Minnesota. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, whose office brought felony assault charges against ICE agent Christian Castro, sent a letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last week urging him to sign the paperwork necessary for Castro’s case to proceed.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3RQKASB
FLOCK CAMS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Vandals have been damaging — or outright stealing — license plate-reading cameras in numerous Minnesota cities of late, including one that was swiped from atop a 10-foot-tall pole in Faribault, officials said. Flock cameras have ignited a privacy debate and faced pushback from officials and vigilantes in the Twin Cities and around the country, in part over their use in immigration enforcement. … Police in Winona disclosed on Monday that all eight of their cameras were swiped. … Also on Monday, the Duluth Police Department [said] it has recorded six times when its cameras were either stolen or vandalized.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/450ML9l
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)
METRO
ST PAUL: Via Axios Twin Cities, more details on St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s recent conference call with state lawmakers that turned sour, as seen in yesterday’s morning take. VERBATIM: “Her lashed out at multiple top local officials for asking her [to] delay a homeless encampment sweep. … Many attendees left the meeting concerned that the mayor had done lasting damage to her relationships with St. Paul’s legislative delegation. … What alarmed Axios’ sources wasn’t the mayor’s argument per se, but her tone, her refusal to negotiate and her dismissiveness of other officials. … During the meeting, Her attributed her bluntness to frustration with the ‘fuckery that’s on the news about me.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4yQxYvr
MORE: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “We’re learning more about events preceding the formal sexual harassment complaint that St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry filed against Mayor Kaohly Her. … [The] mayor and police chief had multiple strong disagreements before Henry filed a formal complaint against Her in April. Those disputes involved police actions during federal ICE operations, the police budget and an internal affairs report from 2024.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4fDSYy0
MPLS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Minneapolis Community Safety Commissioner Todd Barnette has agreed to stay in his post until the end of the year as the city searches for his permanent replacement. … Mayor Jacob Frey nominated Barnette to a second term this spring, but the Minneapolis City Council twice rejected his nomination. … Barnette said he hasn’t decided his next steps, but that his work in Minneapolis isn’t yet complete. … A spokesperson for Frey said they don’t yet have anything to share publicly about the search for a new commissioner.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4wEsUc0
HWY 280: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Transportation say they are on track to reopen State Highway 280 before the Minnesota State Fair, but some drivers are endangering workers and themselves by prematurely going around the barriers of the unfinished road. Project engineer Clay Roessler said since the highway closed in mid-April, crews have replaced concrete, drainage piping and asphalt. What’s left is work on bridges, striping, lighting, signage and guard rails.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w7OXqF
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
WILDFIRES: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “As crews continue to battle a rash of wildfires near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Monday, forest officials reported increased fire activity over the weekend. … The amount of acreage scorched by the fires increased from 64,100 on Friday to about 64,718 by Monday. The agency said the area around Loon Lake was particularly affected, while another fire — also caused by lightning — ignited near Finstad Lake.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4w9aWh0
POWER GRID: via Xcel Energy advisory, VERBATIM: “Xcel Energy broke ground today on two major infrastructure projects. … The Minnesota Energy Connection transmission line and Lyon County Generating Station are designed to work together to address two critical energy needs: bringing renewable energy from where it is produced to where it is needed and ensuring reliable electricity is available when demand is high and renewable resources are limited. … The [projects] are expected to be completed in 2028.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4yTeBlo
(DISCLOSURE: Xcel Energy is a Fluence sponsor)
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Nearly 17 acres on the edge of northwest Rochester are slated to be added to the city. The Rochester City Council approved the annexation from Kalmar Township, with the site [planned] for future mixed-use development. … Monday’s annexation, which still requires state-level review, is the third approved by the City Council this year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4w8HTdl
STEARNS CTY: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Stearns County commissioners will have a work session on Tuesday, Aug. 4, to discuss the budgets for Human Services and the Sheriff’s Office. The commissioners will have another work session later in the month to continue discussion on the preliminary budget, which they are expected to vote on in September. Stearns County officials are proposing a 7.14% property tax levy increase for 2027, roughly half of the 14.3% increase initially requested by county departments.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4fV530R
LOOKING AHEAD
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will attend the Minnesota Department of Education’s Back to School Conference.
TODAY-THURS: Minnesota Farmfest runs from Aug. 4 to Aug. 6 in Redwood County. U.S. Agriculture Sec. Brooke Rollins will be a featured speaker today at 10:10 a.m. Candidate forums will be held today and tomorrow. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/4pQIEGw
TODAY: DFL Reps. Cedrick Frazier and Mohamud Noor will host a roundtable on gun violence prevention with Dept. of Public Safety officials in Bloomington at 6:00 p.m.
TOMORROW: Attorney General Keith Ellison and members of the MN Farmers Union will host a press conference at Farmfest highlighting the state’s recent “right to repair” settlement with John Deere. The event is at 12:30 p.m.
TOMORROW: Senator Ron Latz will host a Gun Violence Prevention Campaign Rally to highlight the progress Minnesota has made on gun violence prevention and ensuring that work continues by re-electing Senator Ron Latz.
THURSDAY: U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar will host a town hall in Richfield on Thursday, Aug. 6 at 6:00 p.m.
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 Tuesday, Aug. 4 to Thursday, Aug. 13. SCHEDULE: https://fluence-media.co/4yHUlDi
SEPT 9: The IRRR Board is hosting its third annual “State of the Range” event in Chisholm on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 4:00 p.m.
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BDAYS: DFL Chair Richard Carlbom, GOP strategist David Fitzsimmons, Eagan Mayor Mike Maguire
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IN MEMORIAM: morning take is dedicated in memory of Melissa Hortman.