Capitol View for July 17

Good morning. Everyone deserves a convention for people to say nice things about them at least once in their life.

Day two of the Republican National Convention was punctuated by speeches of former campaign rivals to Donald Trump from this year’s nomination race and the 2016 presidential race. None was more anticipated than that of Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and Trump’s U.N. ambassador in his first term. Haley began by “making one thing abundantly clear: Donald Trump has my strong endorsement. Period.” That was something that was in question until recently. Haley said the nation “is at a critical moment” and she backs Trump “for the sake of our nation.” She then turned her remarks to people not fully bought in on Trump “You don’t have to agree with Trump 100 percent of the time to vote for him.” That permission slip could be what some voters need to hear if they are in doubt. Haley went on to herald Trump as a strong president on the world stage, keeping adversaries in check or on their toes.

One of the goals this week for Republicans in Milwaukee is to get voters thinking about a Washington led by one party again. Rep. Tom Emmer, the highest-ranking Minnesota Republican, previewed what a GOP-controlled Congress and second Donald Trump presidency would mean for America in fiery remarks Tuesday night at the partys national convention. As Dana Ferguson reports, Emmer gave only a high-level look during his five minutes on the big stage. “We will turn ‘America First’ principles into law. Next year, Donald Trump, with the support of Trump majorities in the House and Senate, will put America first again.” After the Emmer remarks to the convention, Emmer took in the rest of the night next to vice presidential nominee JD Vance and just one seat away from Trump. It’s the latest turn in a hot-and-cold relationship with Trump. While Emmer has been solidly in Trump’s corner for years, that loyalty hasn’t always been reciprocal.

We’ve seen a number of reports over the past several weeks about the Trump campaign putting Minnesota on their list of states they’ll seriously contest. Yesterday, that word came from someone with the Trump name. Republican National Committee Co-Chair Lara Trump talked about her father-in-law’s prospects in the state while speaking to a Pennsylvania Republican breakfast. Democrats in Minnesota have been saying they expect a close finish, or at least far closer than 2020. We’ll know for sure if the dollars start pouring in.

Additional details are emerging on the investigation into security lapses that allowed a gunman to fire into a Trump rally and graze the former president with a bullet. The man who carried out the shooting was seen pacing outside of the event’s metal detectors and police had reports of his behavior. He was the same person that witnesses saw on a roof outside the perimeter with a rifle. The man was killed by Secret Service snipers after he fired off several rounds toward the Trump rally, one of which hit the former president in the ear. Meanwhile, U.S. officials said they had recently boosted security around Trump due to an unrelated threat on his life from Iran.

In Minnesota, a state agency said it is investigating an employee’s social media post in ill-taste after Saturday’s rally shooting incident. The Department of Natural Resources called the comment “reprehensible and inconsistent” with the agency’s values. It declined to comment further. Other public employers, including one in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, have taken action against staff members who went too far.

A sidelight of this week’s Republican convention involves independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He and Donald Trump have apparently been speaking by phone and in person. A recording of the phone call with Trump surfaced online after Kennedy’s son briefly posted it on social media. The call involved talk of vaccines, the weekend assassination attempt on Trump and a cryptic ask of Kennedy. After the video spread, Kennedy apologized for letting it out. He denied that he is considering leaving the race and said he hopes to meet with Democratic leaders, too.

JD Vance speaks tonight to the convention, his first major remarks since his selection to the Republican ticket. The Ohio senator is less than two years into his first elective office, but he’s already shot to the big leagues. Minnesota delegates see opportunity, although this might be one of those cases where those who live and breathe politics place a greater emphasis on a No. 2 pick than the general public. After all, Trump has been president and almost everybody has an opinion of him. Same with Democratic President Joe Biden. Minnesota Republican delegate Kip Christianson told our Mark Zdechlik yesterday that Vance will help Trump’s efforts to attract blue collar workers. “Skilled trades and labor are absolutely aligning with Republicans with Trump and with him into the future." DFL Party Chair Ken Martin told Dana Ferguson yesterday that he believes union workers in particular will stick with Democrats. We’ll know in four months who had the better read on the voting bloc.

Programming note: We’re going with JD, no initials, even though some other outlets are using J.D. It stands for James David. The Associated Press — the AP — has been using JD, so we will, too.

New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez has been convicted on multiple corruption charges. His Democratic Senate colleagues ramped up calls for him to resign. That includes Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. Menendez said he plans to appeal the conviction for bribery, fraud and extortion. If he leaves, the state’s Democratic governor would install a new senator for the remainder of his term, so the party’s slim hold on the Senate wouldn’t change prior to the election. The forecasts for November aren’t good for Senate Democrats, however, and control could very well flip.

Sens. Klobuchar and Smith were in Minneapolis yesterday for a building dedication. A federal building was named for former U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone, who died in 2002 in a plane crash with his wife, daughter and staffers. As Jon Collins reports , the building currently hosts passport offices, the National Labor Relations Board and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Klobuchar said the building will continue Wellstone’s legacy. “Paul’s philosophy fit this building, it was that our job was to improve people’s lives,” Klobuchar said. “That’s what this building is about.”