Good morning, and welcome to another Thursday.
All 201 legislative seats – and control of the House and Senate – are on November's ballot.MPR's Brian Bakst reports a raft of retirements and new district boundaries have scrambled the playing field. With the governor's office also in the hands of voters, this election offers DFLers and Republicans the tantalizing prospect of a clean sweep at a Capitol. But Minnesota's history shows the state is more prone to deliver divided leadership. One party has held the governor's office and both legislative chambers at the same time for only two years in the past three-plus decades. That matters because it determines whether a party can easily advance its agenda, if policy shifts are more gradual or if gridlock is more likely. Most legislative races won't be competitive. The DFL has a bunch of safe legislative seats in Minneapolis, St. Paul and first-ring suburbs they'll probably win handily; Republicans likewise have locked down most rural-area districts. It's largely the regional centers – such as Rochester and St. Cloud – and the big-lawn suburbs where the action is. There are only one or two dozen seats per chamber where the majorities hinge. And barring a wave election, neither party can expect to win all of the swing seats. For the House, districts comprising second-ring suburbs are crucial.
And Brian has compiled a list of races to watch in the House and Senate campaigns. That list could grow and change as we get more information, but it's a good place to start as we wait for voters to decide what the next Legislature will look like.
Across Minnesota, county officials are encountering people questioning the results of the 2020 election, and demanding changes to the voting process, even though there is no proof of widespread fraud or other problems.MPR's Kirsti Marohn reports Crow Wing County is one place where it's happening. The 2020 election went very smoothly in Crow Wing County, in spite of the pandemic and more people than ever casting ballots early or by mail, administrative services director Deborah Erickson said. She said there was no evidence of any discrepancies. "What we've been trying to do is explain our processes and show what all the safeguards are that are in place, hopefully to instill some confidence in folks," she said. In Minnesota, those safeguards include testing optical scan machines in public before election day; not connecting the machines to the Internet during voting so they're not vulnerable to hacking; using paper ballots so there's a record that can be checked; and having election judges from different political parties at polling sites. There's also a requirement to audit the votes in randomly chosen precincts after the election. The Crow Wing County board recently voted to double the number of precincts it will audit this fall, from two to four. But that didn't satisfy all of the skeptics. Some want the county to stop using vote counting machines altogether and return to the days of hand counting paper ballots. With the number of races on the ballot, Erickson said that's impractical, and likely would be less accurate.
The three-day nurses' strike has ended.MPR's Michelle Wiley reports union members limited the strike to just three days, so nurses expect to return to their jobs Thursday but it's still unclear how the strike will impact negotiations going forward. Several negotiation sessions were canceled during the strike. Some hospital officials said that was so they could ensure bargaining staff could focus on patient care during the strike. On Tuesday, Paul Omodt, spokesperson for the Twin Cities Hospital Group said they would not lock out nurses. "Hospital work is a dynamic work environment where things change all the time. But our plan is to begin to transition people back," he said. At the last press conference of the strike outside M Health Fairview Southdale hospital Wednesday afternoon, Minnesota Nurses Association President Mary Turner said the nurses are inspiring others. "We are the ones that are showing all the workers, all across America, how it is to fight and what it means to stand up for your contracts but not only that — stand up for the working people of America," she said. Still, Turner said she wasn't sure if the action this week has moved the needle on contract negotiations.
The Duluth News Tribune reports Republican Rep. Pete Stauber has declined an invitation to a Duluth forum held by the Duluth News Tribune and Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, marking the first time a congressional candidate has opted out of participation in the forum's 12-year history. His Democratic challenger, state Rep. Jen Schultz, of Duluth, had accepted the invite and sent in available dates, her campaign manager, Ash Northey, said.
A potentially costly and disruptive rail strike has been averted.President Joe Biden announced early this morning that the parties had reached a tentative agreement to avoid a shutdown that would go to union members for a vote. The Democratic president hailed the deal in a statement for avoiding a shutdown and as a win for all sides. "These rail workers will get better pay, improved working conditions, and peace of mind around their health care costs: all hard-earned," Biden said. "The agreement is also a victory for railway companies who will be able to retain and recruit more workers for an industry that will continue to be part of the backbone of the American economy for decades to come." | 
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