Good morning. The gales of November will be fierce.
The Minnesota Supreme Court quickly got rid of the hot potato that is a ballot-access case surrounding former President Donald Trump. MPR’s Dana Ferguson has the rundown on the high court’s dismissal of an attempt to disqualify Trump from presidential primary ballots in the state in 2024, but left open the possibility of revisiting the matter later. Less than a week after attorneys presented oral arguments in the case, the court said it was moving fast to allow for an orderly election. An appeal is possible. “There is no state statute that prohibits a major political party from placing on the presidential nomination primary ballot, or sending delegates to the national convention supporting a candidate who is ineligible to hold office,” wrote Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.
The reaction came in fast, too. Trump and his campaign says it was a validation of his argument that the 14th Amendment challenges don’t hold up, calling them “desperate” election interference efforts. The group that brought the case, Free Speech for the People, called the ruling disappointing but noted it has challenges pending in other states. The Minnesota Secretary of State’s office, which remained neutral on the merits, said it’s glad to have an answer well before primary ballots are finalized. “We respect this decision and will uphold the outcome,” Secretary Steve Simon said.
Trump might be cleared for the ballot, but he is still steering clear of the debate stage. The GOP frontrunner skipped the third presidential candidate debate for his party, held last night in Miami. Trump appeared at a rally instead. The five candidates on stage tried to make the case why they would be better than Trump. They declared hawkish positions around world conflicts, tried to navigate the abortion issue that’s become a political weight for Republicans, suggested a need to rework Social Security to shore up the retirement safety net and hurled a few personal jabs at one another. NPR has six takeaways.
Back to presidential ballots: Minnesota’s Dean Phillips is all signed up in South Carolina. The Democratic Party there says the congressman has filed to be on the Feb. 3 ballot, signed a statement saying he wouldn't challenge the eventual nominee and plunked down the requisite $20,000. He’ll know by Monday night if he’s met all the requirements when that state party’s executive committee meets. Since announcing his campaign against fellow Democrat President Joe Biden, Phillips has been frequently campaigning in New Hampshire. He's trying to make a splash in the Granite State even though its early primary will not be sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee. Phillips has already missed the deadline to get on Nevada's ballot, which is second on the Democratic voting calendar. Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports Phillips is taking on more seasoned campaign staff previously associated with Bernie Sanders and Andrew Yang.
Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig broke with others in the state’s U.S. House delegation on a censure resolution of a Democratic colleague. The Star Tribune’s Ryan Faircloth and Hunter Woodall write about the 2nd Congressional District lawmaker voting with Republicans on the resolution to censure Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib. The censure related to comments Tlaib made in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. Rep. Dean Phillips missed the vote but said he would have opposed censure.
The intense race for spots on Minnesota school boards delivered some wins and losses for competing entities.MPR’s Elizabeth Shockman reports that Minnesota voters on Tuesday approved union-endorsed school board candidates and school funding in competitive and unusually well-funded off-year elections. The conservative Minnesota Parents Alliance saw 10 of its 44 endorsed candidates win board seats in seven districts throughout the state – including two seats in Anoka-Hennepin, the state’s largest district, and three seats on the Hastings school board. Teachers unions, though, continued to show their longtime strength getting their candidates elected. Voters approved 85 percent of union-endorsed school board candidates, according to Education Minnesota, the state's teachers union. Two thirds of referendums for school operating or building funding passed, although that success rate wasn’t as strong in greater Minnesota.
A couple St. Paul city council races are yet to be fully decided and await ranked-choice tabulation on Friday. But the Minneapolis City Council is set. That includes current Minneapolis Council President Andrea Jenkins who survived a strong challenge, as MPR’s Jon Collins reports. All Things Considered Host Tom Crann spoke to Jenkins (the audio is attached to Jon’s story). The council pushed further left as a whole.
Ok, Minnesota you had a lot of … creative … ideas about a new state flag. The commission overseeing the reimagining of the flag and official seal released images of qualified entries yesterday. It’s clear flag artists like their stars and their loons — lots and lots of loons. There are loony ideas, too, including a pitch with a hot dish at the fore. Now the winnowing begins. | 