Daily Digest: Another Democrat runs for governor
Good morning, and welcome to Monday and the start of a new month. Today also marks the start of a new baseball season, as the Twins play the opener at Target Field. Here's the Digest.
1. State Rep. Tina Liebling of Rochester is the fifth Democrat to throw her hat in the ring after Gov. Mark Dayton said he would not run for a third term next year. Liebling is an attorney, and has served in the Minnesota House since 2005. Despite heavy DFL losses in greater Minnesota, Liebling said she'll be able to connect with rural voters. "I don't think we have to be Republicans to get elected in rural Minnesota," said Liebling. "People in rural Minnesota are diverse, too. We shouldn't think and pretend that they're all the same. I think that there's a lot of opportunity there because people want change." (MPR News)
2. As the Republican majorities in the Minnesota House and Senate pass a series of budget bills the broad themes of their plan are becoming clear. They want to cut taxes, reduce regulations on businesses, reduce spending growth in subsidized healthcare programs, and shift transportation dollars from the metro area to greater Minnesota. They're also targeting some of the governor's key programs. (Star Tribune)
3. Democrats have lost support in areas of the state outside the Twin Cities, and some of Gov. Mark Dayton's policies may have contributed to that. From this piece: From Dayton’s drive for environmental policies disliked by some farmers and mining advocates, to his stewardship of a state health insurance system that has struggled to function in many rural counties, to his blunt remarks on polarizing issues like racial bias in policing, immigration and transgender rights, the governor’s liberal bearing on a range of issues has helped define the DFL’s image outside the metro. (Star Tribune)
4. Minnesota legislators say they want to ensure that local government records are public under the law. They’ve expressed outrage over slow and redacted information from state agencies. Some have even sought Gov. Mark Dayton’s emails to find out more about state business. But what about legislators’ own emails and correspondence? The public has no legal permission to see them because that's the way the Legislature wrote the law. (Pioneer Press)
5. Neil Gorsuch almost certainly will end this week confirmed as a Supreme Court justice. And the Senate’s rules and the institutional character of the chamber seem just as sure to end up severely eroded. Senate Democrats are quickly closing in on the 41 votes needed to block the nomination of President Donald Trump’s first pick for the Supreme Court. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his GOP majority aren’t backing down in the face of the filibuster threat, continuing to insist that Gorsuch will be installed as the next high court justice, whether Democrats like it or not. (Politico)
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