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PODCAST

Politics Friday

Minnesota Public Radio

Weekly updates from Brian Bakst and the Minnesota Public Radio newsroom staff covering politics in Minnesota.

government

All Episodes

00:54:30

Minneapolis mayoral candidates make their cases to...

Politics Friday ·

2025/10/31

Voters in Minneapolis are electing a mayor this fall, and it's a crowded race with 15 names on the ballot. Four of the leading candidates for Minneapolis mayor address key issues and how they intend to lead their city in a MPR News/Minnesota Star Tribune debate. The candidates were selected because they’ve been the most active in their contacts with voters and in putting resources into the race.Incumbent Jacob Frey, state Sen. Omar Fateh, business owner and attorney Jazz Hampton and

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00:51:48

Politics Friday Special: Rochester's growth spurt is...

Politics Friday ·

2025/10/24

Rochester is changing in many ways. City blocks are filled with construction work zones. Streets are littered with detours. Cranes tower over the skyline as a massive makeover plays out.Much of it is tied to a major medical expansion associated with the largest employer around — Mayo Clinic. There have also been political shifts. Rochester is one of the shrinking number of places outside of the Twin Cities-area where Democrats seem to have an upper hand. It wasn’t always that way.On this

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00:57:00

Politics Friday: St. Paul mayoral candidates lay out...

Politics Friday ·

2025/10/17

Three candidates for St. Paul mayor addressed key issues and how they intend to lead the capital city in a MPR News/Pioneer Press debate. Incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter, DFL state Rep. Kaohly Her and scientist and business owner Yan Chen talked about their plans for addressing economic development, taxes, crime, homelessness and rising city costs. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and Pioneer Press reporter Fred Melo moderated the St. Paul mayoral candidate debate from the UBS Forum in

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00:43:48

Republican Jensen makes another try for Minnesota...

Politics Friday ·

2025/10/10

Former state Sen. Scott Jensen maneuvered his way through a crowded governor’s race field to gain the Republican Party’s backing in 2022. Now, he’s hoping to do it again. Jensen, a family physician, won the Minnesota Republican Party endorsement in 2022 but lost in November to Gov. Tim Walz by more than 7 percentage points. He says he’s running again to “restore the values, safety and opportunity that once made Minnesota a national model for prosperity and fairness,” he said in July as he

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00:50:01

A Minnesota lawmaker with focus on fraud tries to...

Politics Friday ·

2025/10/03

Minnesota Republicans feel good about their chances in 2026. They’ve got lots of opportunities to break through on the statewide map — with several key offices on the line. None is more tantalizing than the governor’s office. DFL Gov. Tim Walz is after a third term, and Republicans are out to convince voters he’s worn out his welcome. One of the candidates working to make that case is GOP state Rep. Kristin Robbins, who has made fraud a campaign focus from her position as chair of the House

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00:50:05

Politics Friday: Walz sounds off on new book, 3rd...

Politics Friday ·

2025/09/25

Gov. Tim Walz has divided attention these days as his political past, present and future all collide.A new book offers details of the vice presidential run that turned him into a national figure. Ongoing issues with fraud in government programs and efforts to combat gun violence have him at loggerheads with legislative Republicans. And he’s in the early days of a run for an unprecedented third, four-year term. Walz talked with MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst about all of it.Later, a

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00:49:07

Politics Friday Special: Exploring the political...

Politics Friday ·

2025/09/19

As the midterm campaign approaches, the political winds are starting to kick up around Minnesota.Places that used to send Democrats to St. Paul or Washington no longer do — or at least not as much. Meanwhile, Republicans are working to head off the historical trend of the president’s party losing ground.On this special broadcast of Politics Friday, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst heads to Moorhead, Minn., where he and his guests talk about the shift toward Republicans in the

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00:49:51

Will a special session work without prior deal? House...

Politics Friday ·

2025/09/11

Minnesota’s House of Representatives has been tested in the last year by a political tie, a lawmaker’s assassination and now consideration of a special session to respond to high-profile acts of violence.In their first joint interview, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with Republican Speaker Lisa Demuth and new DFL Leader Zack Stephenson about their hopes and expectations for a special session. Gov. Tim Walz might call one even if lawmakers lack a prior agreement on what gets

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00:53:15

Politics Friday: Hunt for 2026 ballot spots is on...

Politics Friday ·

2025/09/04

With just a little over a year until the 2026 midterms, office-seeking Minnesotans are building their campaigns for the state’s top political positions.On the Republican side, several candidates are vying for a GOP nomination to replace Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, although Walz has yet to state if he’ll try for an unusual third term.Some prominent DFLers are campaigning hard for an open U.S. Senate seat as Sen. Tina Smith prepares to retire at the end of her term.MPR News politics editor

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00:29:53

Politics Friday special: Walz, Demuth, Flanagan...

Politics Friday ·

2025/06/17

Minnesota was rocked over the weekend by the politically targeted shootings of two state lawmakers. State Rep. Melissa Hortman, a former DFL House Speaker, was fatally shot along with her husband, Mark. DFL State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, are still recovering after sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. Political leaders and many Minnesotans are still trying to make sense of it all. In the hours after the suspect in those shootings was arrested, MPR News politics editor Brian

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00:19:56

Politics Friday: Digging into the one-day special...

Politics Friday ·

2025/06/13

Minnesota lawmakers are breathing a bit easier now that they’ve finally adopted a new budget — roughly $66 billion over the next two years. The Legislature met earlier this week for a special session to get the work done. There were protests, long debates, stories of immigration, but lawmakers managed to pass 15 bills in less than one day. On this special podcast edition of Politics Friday, MPR politics editor Brian Bakst and reporter Ellie Roth take us through the action.Use the audio

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00:50:19

Politics Friday: Lawmakers slog toward budget...

Politics Friday ·

2025/06/05

It’s been about three weeks since the the Legislature adjourned from the 2025 session without completing a state budget.Since then, teams of negotiators have met, mostly in private, to try to chart a path to the end and craft remaining budget bills. Lawmakers will have to complete this task to avoid a partial government shutdown that would interrupt services in state parks, key health programs, driver’s licensing exams and more. A one-day special session has been called for 10 a.m. Monday

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01:00:01

Politics Friday: Walz weighs in as state lawmakers...

Politics Friday ·

2025/05/22

The Minnesota Legislature is hanging around a bit longer. The yearly work was supposed to end Monday, May 19 but lawmakers adjourned with unfinished business. Now, they’re gearing up for a special session. Most of the budget is unresolved and the final points of agreement are still not in hand. So when might this be done and is a government shutdown a possibility?MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with Gov. Tim Walz about the legislative session and his role in settling the budget

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00:39:17

Politics Friday: Is the Legislature on the doorstep...

Politics Friday ·

2025/05/15

The end of the Minnesota Legislature’s session was supposed to be right around the corner — Monday, May 19 — but just like the choppy start of this year’s session, the ending is proving to be difficult. Back in January, a politically tied House got off to a delayed start. Now, the possibility of a special session looms over the Capitol. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with legislative leaders about the state budget and the final push to the end of this session. Guests: GOP

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00:50:07

Politics Friday: Incomplete grade as lawmakers hammer...

Politics Friday ·

2025/05/08

Almost 40 percent of the state budget goes to preschool through high school education – around $25 billion over two years. For school districts, state dollars make up most of what gets spent on classroom costs, from teacher salaries to specialists to materials. So it’s no surprise that the education budget bill is always one of the last to come together. MPR News politics editor discusses what’s happening in schools and the direction state lawmakers might go when setting a new education

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00:55:02

Politics Friday: Slow so far, a big phase of...

Politics Friday ·

2025/05/01

This month marks two years since Minnesota lawmakers passed the bill to legalize marijuana use and possession for adults 21 and older. Commercial sales have taken a bit of time to get going. Outside of Minnesota tribal communities and the medical cannabis program, the retail space is still taking shape. The initial licenses around cultivation, transportation, distribution and sales could be issued soon. Even then, it will take time for everything to shake out. What might it look like and

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00:57:38

Politics Friday: Washington is top of mind for a pair...

Politics Friday ·

2025/04/24

Gov. Tim Walz had his chance this week to assess the condition of Minnesota in a speech where he spent a lot of time focused on what the president is up to.Had November’s election ended differently, Peggy Flanagan would have been the one delivering the State of the State address at the Minnesota Capitol. Instead, the DFL lieutenant governor was seated beside Walz at this week’s speech. She’s running for the U.S. Senate in 2026. Flanagan has competition for the DFL nomination. So how is she

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00:16:48

Land speculators and lawmakers: How St. Peter nearly...

Politics Friday ·

2025/04/21

Minnesota history is filled with stories of political chicanery, backroom deals and other unpleasantness. For sheer chutzpah, however, it’s hard to beat the tale of how land speculators in 1857 nearly got lawmakers to move the capital to St. Peter. "People are familiar with bits and pieces of the story, they don't always get the details correct, and that's not surprising because it's been discussed and written about so frequently," said Bob Sandeen, a St. Peter native

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00:52:02

Politics Friday: Digging into Minnesota‘s political...

Politics Friday ·

2025/04/17

The Minnesota House and Senate chambers and all the committee rooms have been quiet this week while the Legislature is on recess.The Capitol will be a busy place though as the dash-to-the-finish begins next week. That phase can be filled with strategy, hijinks and downright trickery. In one respect, it’s how the Capitol wound up in St. Paul in the first place. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst and associate digital producer Anika Besst will revisit that caper — and how one spurned city

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00:50:21

Affordable housing is a bipartisan focus, but what...

Politics Friday ·

2025/04/11

The Legislature’s spring recess is approaching and with about six weeks left in the session, many issues still unresolved.Housing is top of mind for many Minnesotans and lawmakers at the Capitol — whether to rewrite zoning standards statewide to encourage construction of more low-to-moderate cost housing. The issue has created some cross-party alliances, but the bills in front of lawmakers haven’t satisfied all who have a stake in the decisions. MPR politics editor Brian Bakst talks with

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