Good morning. The last of the Minnesota U.S. Representative races have been called. 1st Congressional District Republican Jim Hagedorn and 2nd District DFLer Angie Craig will return to Washington to represent Minnesota. Nearly complete returns Thursday show Hagedorn winning by about 3 percentage points. The race was marked by accusations of ethical violations on both sides.
Craig defeated Republican Tyler Kistner, a veteran Marine. However, A spokesperson for Kistner said he is not abandoning a federal court appeal over the timing of the election. Find full results from around the state here.
Meanwhile, the presidential election continues on, with Joe Biden making gains in Georgia and Pennsylvania. With millions of ballots left to be tabulated, it's still unclear when a winner could be determined.
President Donald Trump yesterday attacked the integrity of the election, without any evidence. He claimed, with no basis in fact, that election officials in Pennsylvania and Detroit tried to ban election observers from polling stations. Find a fact check of his Thursday speech here.
Jim Ramstad, a nine-term Minnesota congressman who retired in 2009, died at age 74. He was known as a political moderate and a champion for people coping with alcoholism and addiction. Brian Bakst reports:
"Ramstad worked with the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, a Democrat, to solidify insurance coverage for people seeking mental health treatment. ... His own rebound from alcoholism fueled his drive to help others grappling with addiction and aimed to erase the stigma around the illness. He had just marked his 39th year of sobriety before his death."
Coming up on Politics Friday: Should we stop trusting pre-election polling? Tune in to MPR News at 11 a.m. today as politics editor Mike Mulcahy talks all things polling with APM Research Lab managing partner Craig Helmstetter.
We want to hear from you, too. What questions do you have about polling and the science behind it? Give us a call at 651-227-6000 during the 11 a.m. hour to join the conversation. | 