Politics Friday

The House's Jan. 6 committee plans to continue its public hearings into July as its investigation of the Capitol riot deepens.

As the campaign for governor and the Legislature nears the summer solstice, where do things stand? Will the headwinds from $5 per gallon gasoline and broader inflation sweep Republicans into top state offices? Are the Jan. 6 hearings in Washington having any impact on Minnesota voters? And what happens if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade? Two top political analysts weigh in from each side of the political aisle.

Republicans believe they have a real chance to unseat DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison this year, but who will be their candidate? We talked to GOP endorsed hopeful Jim Schultz and his primary challenger Doug Wardlow.  And gas prices are an issue in the campaign, why are they so high and how long will prices stay high?

It’s been nearly two weeks since the Legislature went home after missing its deadline to pass tax and spending bills. DFL Gov. Tim Walz and Democrats who control the House want a special session to finish the job, but Republicans in charge of the Senate aren’t on board. MPR News host Mike Mulcahy talks with political reporters from MPR News, the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press about what happens now and how it plays into this year’s political campaign.

Republican Brad Finstad and Democrat Jeff Ettinger will face off in the August special election to fill the remainder of the term of the late U.S. Rep. Jim Hagedorn. Each won their party primary this week. MPR News host Mike Mulcahy talks with them both and also about what’s next after the Legislature ended its session without passing tax cut and spending bills. 

On the heels of a GOP state convention that featured several contested endorsements, it’s Minnesota Democrats' turn to gather in Rochester. But there’s much less suspense because DFLers already hold all of Minnesota’s statewide offices.

Politics Friday broadcasted live on Friday from the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester for Minnesota’s Republican State Convention.

The leak of a draft Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has sparked questions about access to abortion, other rights at risk and how this issue will define the midterm elections. We’ll get reaction from Democratic Sen. Tina Smith and state Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake. Plus, historian Jon Meacham remembers Walter Mondale.

Can you trust that your vote will be fairly counted? MPR News host Mike Mulcahy talks with Secretary of State Steve Simon about election integrity and what’s happening to secure your right to vote. Plus a reporter round up with MPR politics reporter Tim Pugmire and Dana Ferguson, capitol correspondent from the Forum News Service.

This week host Mike Mulcahy continues our conversations with Republican candidates for Minnesota governor. Plus, author and University of Minnesota professor Lawrence R. Jacobs joins the program to discuss his new book, “Democracy Under Fire: Donald Trump and the Breaking of American History.”