Minnesota Republicans feel good about their chances in 2026.

They’ve got lots of opportunities to break through on the statewide map — with several key offices on the line. None is more tantalizing than the governor’s office. DFL Gov. Tim Walz is after a third term, and Republicans are out to convince voters he’s worn out his welcome.

One of the candidates working to make that case is GOP state Rep. Kristin Robbins, who has made fraud a campaign focus from her position as chair of the House Committee on Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight.

Rep. Robbins talks with MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst about why she’s running and how she’ll navigate a field of GOP hopefuls.

Later, we’ll get an update on the impending closure of the Stillwater prison from Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell. His department is under orders to shutter the facility by 2029.

Gov. Tim Walz has divided attention these days as his political past, present and future all collide.

A new book offers details of the vice presidential run that turned him into a national figure. Ongoing issues with fraud in government programs and efforts to combat gun violence have him at loggerheads with legislative Republicans. And he’s in the early days of a run for an unprecedented third, four-year term.

Walz talked with MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst about all of it.

Later, a conversation about the state of speech in current times as political leaders, companies and everyday Americans assess the way we communicate.

Guests:

• Tim Walz is a second-term Minnesota governor and 2024 Democratic vice presidential candidate.
• Jane L. Sumner is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. She is the author of “The Cost of Doing Politics: How Partisanship and Public Opinion Shape Corporate Influence.”
• Thomas C. Berg is the James L. Oberstar professor of law and public policy at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

As the midterm campaign approaches, the political winds are starting to kick up around Minnesota.

Places that used to send Democrats to St. Paul or Washington no longer do — or at least not as much. Meanwhile, Republicans are working to head off the historical trend of the president’s party losing ground.

On this special broadcast of Politics Friday, MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst heads to Moorhead, Minn., where he and his guests talk about the shift toward Republicans in the northwestern part of the state. Plus, we learn how the parties are trying to connect with voters in these tense political times.

Then, a conversation about the relationship between local, state and federal government and how it’s also undergoing a makeover. What does that mean for how the public gets served? A county commissioner offers her take.

Later, we’ll meet the newest MPR News reporter based in Moorhead, followed by a politics panel with Dan Gunderson and Dana Ferguson.

Guests:

• Sen. Robert Kupec is a Democrat representing District 4 — the Moorhead-Detroit Lakes area of the state. He is a former TV meteorologist for KVRR in the Red River Valley.
• Paul Harris is the DFL chair for Clay County.
• Rodney Johnson is the Republican chair for Clay County.
• Jenny Mongeau is the District 3 Commissioner for Clay County. Her current term expires in January 2027. Mongeau has served on the Board of Commissioners since 2015.
• Dana Ferguson is a senior politics reporter for MPR News covering Minnesota politics and state government for Forum News Service. She has also reported on state legislatures in South Dakota for the Argus Leader and in Wisconsin for The Associated Press and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
• Tadeo Ruiz Sandoval is a reporter for MPR News based in Moorhead focusing on agriculture.
• Dan Gunderson is a correspondent based in Moorhead. He covers general news for a wide swath of western Minnesota and eastern North Dakota with a focus on the environment, agriculture and Indian Country. He has been reporting for MPR News since 1987.  

This discussion was recorded at the Trollwood Performing Arts School in Moorhead, Minn. on Sept. 17.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation. Subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.