Politics and Government News

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Why are so many Minnesotan politicians running for a third term in office?
A politics professor from the University of Minnesota joined Minnesota Now to explain what’s driving Minnesota’s governor and mayors to seek office over and over again.
Understanding the 2025 government shutdown: Causes, impact and what's next
MPR News guest host Catharine Richert talks with a political scientist about the federal government shutdown — how we got here, how the shutdown is affecting people and what it reveals about the balance of power in Washington.
Funding for Minnesota Head Start programs at risk as federal shutdown continues
If the federal government shutdown continues into November, four large Head Start early childhood education programs in Minnesota likely won't receive the funding they need to operate.
Pair of Minnesota Senate elections will decide chamber control, set tone for 2026 campaigns
Contests in Woodbury and Wright County will restore the Senate to its full complement next week. The result could flip control of the chamber, and campaign messaging could carry through to 2026 when all 201 legislative seats are on the ballot.
In Minnesota and Washington, debate over health care subsidies continues as shutdown drags on
As the federal government shutdown drags on with no end in sight, the debate over whether to extend federal health insurance subsidies continues to play a central role in the impasse — including in Minnesota.
Minneapolis mayor candidates differ over policing, minimum wage at MPR News/Star Tribune debate
Minneapolis mayoral candidates DeWayne Davis, Jacob Frey, Omar Fateh and Jazz Hampton — four of 15 candidates on the ranked choice ballot — met for a debate ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4. MPR News and The Minnesota Star Tribune sponsored it.