Politics and Government News

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Republican Kendall Qualls launches campaign for Minnesota governor
There’s a new candidate for Minnesota governor on the Republican side, as Kendall Qualls entered the race Sunday. He’s an Army veteran and business executive who ran unsuccessfully as the Republican candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s 3rd district in 2020.
Congress may change this arcane law to avoid another Jan. 6
Lawmakers passed the Electoral Count Act in 1887 after a contested election, and experts say they did a "terrible job." There may now be bipartisan support for revisiting that legislation.
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson to seek third term
Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, one of former President Donald Trump’s biggest backers, announced Sunday that he will seek reelection in the battleground state, breaking his promise not to seek a third term.
Transportation commissioner to head Minneapolis public works
MnDOT Commissioner Margaret Anderson Kelliher plans to leave the state agency to work for the city of Minneapolis. Her nomination by Mayor Jacob Frey requires City Council approval. 
How civil wars start and why it could happen again in America
A contemporary civil war in America wouldn’t much resemble the last one, says political scientist Barbara F. Walter in her new book. But it could happen again — and if you’re skeptical about that, she believes you suffer from a lack of imagination that puts the country at risk.
The immovable Republican Party and 'ink-blot politics'
Several of the key facts of the Jan. 6 insurrection are indisputable. And yet millions on the right do dispute them. Here's a look at how that happened.
Supreme Court conservatives seem skeptical of vaccine-or-test mandate for businesses
Conservative justices on the U.S. Supreme Court appeared skeptical Friday of the Biden administration's vaccine-or-test mandate it imposed on large companies amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Former Republican Rep. Vin Weber reflects on Jan. 6 Capitol attack
One year has passed since a violent mob descended on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Minnesota’s current Republican congressional lawmakers are unwilling to talk about this day, so host Cathy Wurzer called a well-known former Republican Minnesota congressman, Vin Weber.