Sen. Amy Klobuchar is set to become the first woman governor in Minnesota’s history when she’s sworn into office on Jan. 4 next year, but it’s not for lack of trying. Former Lt. Gov. Joanne Benson began her career in politics in the state Senate in the 1980s but eventually ran for governor in 1998 as a Republican before losing out on the party’s nomination to former St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman. The DFL’s Margaret Anderson Kelliher went from House speaker to gubernatorial candidate in 2010, eventually losing to Mark Dayton in the primary.
Departing governor Tim Walz hasn’t said much about his future plans (beyond saying he would rather eat glass than go back to Washington) but now he’s revealed plans to get in his 2017 Buick and hit the road for a while before returning to teaching.
Walz’s remark came after a ceremony dedicating Highway 610, which goes from Coon Rapids to Maple Grove, to late lawmaker Melissa Hortman, who was murdered last year by Vance Boelter. Hortman was instrumental in getting the highway finished, but she died five months before construction was completed.
Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan is known for her proud Native heritage and her support for Indigenous communities, and she often wears that support in a conspicuous location: her ears. The cascading earrings she wore on Election Night were created by Native artist Jessica Mendez, a member of the Yurok tribe in Northern California, and made from dentalium shells.
“It makes me sit up a little straighter and put my shoulders back,” Flanagan said. “It’s just a reminder that we are still here, that we, as Native women, belong in every place where decisions are made about us.”
Sure, there were some close races in Minnesota like the one between Brad Finstad and Jake Johnson, which has come down to a few hundred votes among more than 300k cast, but did you know there was a literal TIE in the Spring Lake Park mayoral race? Candidates Robert Nelson and Halyn Roth each received exactly 1,401 votes, and if a public meeting to double check the totals still results in a tie, the winner will be decided by a game of chance. Seriously. I hope it’s Chutes & Ladders.
And finally in your Minnesota news roundup: Area dads will say we needed all this rain we’ve gotten, but there’s a championship football game in Willmar on Friday night that might disagree. If the 9-0 Willmar Cardinals can defeat the 7-2 Marshall Tigers, they can advance to the Class 4A state tournament. To assess the field conditions, the 100 Yard Club brought in a helicopter — *holds finger to earpiece* — sorry, I’m being told they brought in a helicopter to dry the field.
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