In the Know

February 22, 2016
214 days before people can begin to vote by no excuse absentee ballot, Sept. 23
259 days until Election Day, Nov. 8
8 days until DFL SD48 Caucus, Mar. 1

Events today

• 9:30 a.m. – The Senate Committee on Judiciary meets. Room 1200, Minnesota Senate Building.
• 6:30 p.m. – The DFL Senate District 13, in partnership with the College Democrats of the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University will host “An Evening with Secretary of State Steve Simon.” Gorecki Conference Center on the campus of the College of St. Benedict.
• 7 p.m. – Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL-Minneapolis) and other legislators will host a pollinator forum at Washburn High, 201 W 49th St., Minneapolis.

Precinct caucuses March 1

• 7 p.m. – Help spread the word that people can find their precinct caucus locations here.

Mark your calendars

• Feb. 23 – Republican caucuses in Nevada.
• Feb. 23 – Marco Rubio holds an event at 3:15 p.m. at the Hyatt in Minneapolis.
• Feb. 23 – Rep. Erin Murphy will hold a meeting from 8-9 p.m. at Gustavus Adolphus College to talk with students about student debt. Rep. Murphy is currently working on legislation in legislature on student debt and is seeking opinions on the legislation. Everyone is invited to attend this event hosted by the Gustavus Democrats.
• Feb. 23 – Rep. Ron Erhardt, Rep. Paul Rosenthal and Sen. Melissa Franzen will host a Town Hall Meeting at 7 p.m. at Edina City Hall, 4801 W 50th St, Edina.
• Feb. 23 – Sen. Ron Latz, Rep. Cheryl Youakim and Rep. Peggy Flanagan will be host a Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. at St. Louis Park City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd, St. Louis Park.
• Feb. 25 – Secretary of State Steve Simon will host the “Secretary’s State on the State of Elections” at noon at the Wellstone Neighborhood House, St. Paul. After the speech, participants can attend one of two workshops, “What happens at a precinct caucus,” or “Building the next generation of poll workers.” For more information, click here.
• Feb. 25 – Forum News Service will host a unique preview of the Minnesota legislative session. Gov. Mark Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, House Speaker Kurt Daudt, Senate Minority Leader David Hann and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen will sit at the same table to answer questions from Minnesota reporters.
• Feb. 25 – Join the Senate District 61 DFL for a discussion about current issues in transportation policy, featuring:Sen. Scott Dibble; Rep. Frank Hornstein; Jessica Treat, executive director, Transit for Livable Communities; and Ethan Fawley, executive director, Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition. 7 – 8:30 p.m., Lynnhurst Park, 1345 E Minnehaha Pkwy, Minneapolis.
• Feb. 26 – Republicans debate in Houston on NBC. The co-sponsors are Telemundo and National Review.
• Feb. 27 – Some 800 people will gather at the RiverCentre for Gov. Mark Dayton’s “Water Summit: Our Water. Our Challenge. Our Future,” called to bring attention to the challenges facing ground and surface waters in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
• Feb. 27 – The Democratic primary in South Carolina.
• Feb. 27 – The DFL African American Caucus will meet, 10 a.m., 3240 Library Ln, Minneapolis.
• March 5 – 2016 DFL Elected Officials Convocation, 10 a.m., DFL Headquarters, 255 Plato Blvd E., St. Paul. The convocation will elect representatives to various roles in the party: five persons from each Congressional District to serve as delegates to the State DFL Convention; 10 persons to serve as delegates to the State DFL Central Committee for a two-year term; three persons to serve as directors on the State DFL Executive Committee for a two-year term; and six persons who are DFL endorsed, elected members of the Minnesota House of Representatives or State Senate, State Constitutional Officers, or members of the U.S. Congress to serve as members of the State Platform, Issues, and Legislative Affairs Committee for a two-year term.
• March 6 – Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will debate in Flint, Michigan.
• May 14 – CD 3 DFL Convention, 10:30 a.m., Osseo Senior High School, 317 2nd Ave. NW, Osseo.

Fundraisers

• Feb. 27 – SD36 DFL Fundraiser and Elections Pre-Caucus Rally. North Hennepin Community College, College of Business & Technology, Grand Hall, 7411 85th Ave N, Brooklyn Park. Participants will discuss the importance of Elections in Minnesota and your local Senate District. Keynote speakers are Minnesota Secretary of State,
• Steve Simon and Minnesota Human Rights Commissioner Kevin Lindsey. Suggested donation $20. All donations appreciated. Please RSVP with Reva Chamblis at  or call Reva at 763-657-1459.
• March 12 – Senate District 63 DFL hosts its annual Spaghetti Dinner. 5 p.m., Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4120 17th Ave. S, Minneapolis.
• March 12 – The Senate District 16 DFL fundraiser will be held at Jackpot Junction, Morton. It kicks off at 5 p.m. and will feather a buffet meal, silent and live auctions and speakers.

2016 election

Legislature
Nystrom to seek House District 10A seat, Echo Journal
Moore announces District 1B candidacy, Bemidji Pioneer
8th District GOP endorses Farnsworth for 6A, Grand Rapids Herald Review
Lake Shore mayor announces candidacy for House, Brainerd Dispatch
Brooklyn Park mayor defies conservative conventions, aims for state Senate, Star Tribune
Quinn Nystrom announces run for DFL endorsement, Lakeland TV

Congress
Lewis’ book offers provocative analysis on slavery and civil rights, Star Tribune
Republican official says Jason Lewis’ comments ‘demonstrate ignorance,’ Star Tribune

President
Rubio plans Minnesota stop, MPR
Marco Rubio plans Minneapolis rally on Tuesday, Pioneer Press
Most people who love Pope Francis already hated Donald Trump, Washington Post
Fight over Cruz’s ballot eligibility moves to courtroom, Star Tribune
Sanders’s claim that the African-American community ‘lost half of their wealth’ in the Wall Street collapse, Washington Post
Bernie Sanders is burning through cash, Washington Post
ANALYSIS: Despite Hillary Clinton’s win in Nevada, Bernie Sanders continues to be a serious threatABC
With Jeb out, former Sen. Norm Coleman throws support behind Rubio, Star Tribune
After South Carolina, GOP race becomes Trump’s to lose, Star Tribune
Winners and losers from the Nevada caucuses and South Carolina primary, Washington Post
For Cruz and Rubio, the moment has arrived: A three-man race with Trump, Washington Post
Dolores Huerta says she was shouted down with ‘English-only’ chants from a Sanders crowd,Washington Post
Sanders has the resources and a plan to go the distance. Will it matter? Washington Post
Clinton-Sanders battle stirs passionate Facebook debate, Washington Post
Analysis: Bernie Sanders pushes Hillary Clinton to the left, Star Tribune
Trump solidifies front-runner status, but who is his most dangerous rival? Washington Post

• The race will become ever more nationalized, favoring someone who has shown mastery for dominating media coverage at the expense of his rivals.
• His coalition appears similar to that of past winners of the nomination, as he is doing better than the others among Republicans who call themselves ‘somewhat conservative’ or ‘moderate,’ rather than those who say they are ‘very conservative.”
• Against a divided opposition, Trump can continue to win primaries and caucuses with less than half the vote. That could become significantly more valuable starting on March 15, when states award delegates on some version of a winner-take-all basis.”

The big question on the Democratic side now is: Where does Bernie win next? Most of the states that vote on Super Tuesday should be Hillary country, from Alabama to Georgia and Virginia. Sanders’ team argues that he’s making inroads in each of those places, but they think he can win outright in Massachusetts and Vermont, with possible victories in Minnesota, Colorado and Oklahoma. Washington Post
And don’t forget that John Kasich is still running. He got the outcome he wanted last night, which was squeezing Bush out. His strategy requires continuing chaos – and the nominee being decided during an open convention this summer, at which he could play a kingmaker role or emerge as a consensus alternative to Trump. But first he’ll need to win the Michigan primary on March 8. “To survive until then, however, he will have to weather 16 earlier contests, with more than 750 delegates at stake,” Balz notes. “The more he finishes behind the three leaders across a swath of states before Michigan, the more difficult that will become.” Washington Post



Trump supporter in South Carolina.


 
Black History Month
A black president, yay’: 106-year-old finally meets the Obamas, dances like a schoolgirl, Washington Post
This photo of Obama and a little visitor at a Black History Month celebration is remarkable,Washington Post


Bush, Jeb!
Friendship battered, Bush faces pressure to back Rubio, Politico
Ten moments that doomed Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign, The Hill
Consider this as a sign: Jeb Bush’s “Right to Rise” super PAC raised more than $100 million in its first six months. In January? It brought in $380,000. CNN 
The Bush Dynasty is over. (Until George P. is ready to run…) Almost a year ago, I wrote a piecethat explained why Jeb could not count on South Carolina, which had delivered big time for his dad in 1988 and his brother in 2000. It was based on more than two dozen interviews here with folks who should have been for Bush but were not. The story generated some of the most profane pushback I’ve received this cycle, from members of the former Florida governor’s high command. This was back when no one thought Trump would actually run, but it was a wake-up call that Jeb and his inner-circle were full of hubris, that their “shock and awe” strategy was not going to scare anyone away and that they really did not grasp the buzz saw they were walking into. (He had not been on the ballot since 2002, and it took him many months to get the rust off.)

• Since I wrote that story, Bush’s super PAC spent more than $95.7 million and Jeb shook up his campaign, but it was all to no avail. He finished sixth in Iowa and then fourth in the last two contests.
• Last-minute visits from Bush 43 and Barbara Bush did nothing to arrest his continuing decline in the polls. “The people of Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina have spoken, and I really respect their decision,” Jeb said last night in Columbia.
• Finance reports due last night showed that Bush had only $2.9 million in cash at the start of this month. His super PAC, Right to Rise, only raised $370,000 in January. The Post’s Ed O’Keefe, who has been following Jeb full-time for a year, has written his political obituary. (Read it here.) Washington Post 

Campaign finance
Commentary: People should vote on ‘dark money,’ West Central Tribune 
Cuba
Emmer lobbies U.S. Cuban community in effort to end embargo, Star Tribune
Education (E-12)
Legislators offer preview of upcoming education debate, Star Tribune
Pools at all Minn. schools too costly, so state recommends buddy system, Star Tribune
Education (higher)
SCC students talk debt with U.S. senator, Mankato Free Press
Environment
Scientists are floored by what’s happening in the Arctic right now, Washington Post
Minnesota Conservation Leadership Awards announced; Sen. Saxhaug, Christine Brown recognized; The Trust for Public Land honors outstanding conservation and park leaders, The Pilot Independent
Dayton calls summit on saving state’s water, Duluth News Tribune
Can we save Minnesota’s water? These 800 are going to try, Pioneer Press
FEC filings

• Of the $15.6 million that Clinton raised, $2.4 million was collected through the Hillary Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee with the DNC and 32 state parties. She is also helped by a well-funded super PAC, Priorities USA Action, which collected $9.6 million in January, including $3.5 million from hedge-fund billionaire James Simons.
• Cruz was the money leader among the Republicans, raising nearly $7.6 million in January. He began the month with $13.6 million in the bank. He raised $3.2 million from contributors who gave $200 or less — 42 percent of his entire haul in January.
• Behind Bush, Rubio has been the beneficiary of the second-largest amount of super PAC spending: His group, Conservative Solutions PAC, has poured more than $30 million into ads touting him and attacking rivals. In January, the group raised just under $2.5 million. Oracle’s executive chairman, Larry Ellison, gave $1 million. Rubio’s campaign raised $4.9 million and spent twice that in January. He began the month with $5 million in the bank.
• Trump lent his campaign $4.9 million in January. In all, he has now put in $17.5 million. He reported $973,000 in donations from supporters. Washington Post

Florida

Klobuchar, Amy
Rosario: Supreme Court Justice Amy Klobuchar? Could happen, Pioneer Press
Area FFA members get real facetime with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, West Central Tribune
Labor
Labor Commission on race hears strong message from workers of color, Workday Minnesota
Inver Hills Community College instructor banned from campus; supporters call it retaliation for union action, Star Tribune
How the birthplace of the American labor movement just turned on its unions, Washington Post
Tevlin: At 72, Jessica cleans offices while workers sleep, Star Tribune
An endorsement by any other name: Nevada is still Harry Reid’s state — and the Senate Democratic leader, who hasn’t endorsed in the race and even said he thought a brokered convention would be “fun,” made one big move that helped Clinton. Reid called D. Taylor, who heads the parent union of the Culinary Workers Union — and represents 57,000 Las Vegas workers, mostly in casinos. He pushed Taylor for six at-large caucus sites, and to provide transportation to those sites. The union’s big late move, backed by Reid and by Clinton’s campaign, allowed low-wage employees to have paid time off to go to the caucuses at six major casinos on the Las Vegas Strip. The Culinary Workers Union is a force in Nevada Democratic politics, but it opted against endorsing a candidate in 2016’s race. Still, the flexing of local muscles — by Reid and by the union — gave Clinton’s campaign an important boost. And she worked it. Clinton found an extra gear in the days before the caucuses, aggressively courting Las Vegas casinos, taking big and small meetings with just about any group of employees she could find. CNN

Legislature
The fall of the farmer, the rise of the full-timer, and other trends in the side-gigs of the Minnesota Legislature, MinnPost

Nevada
Clinton defeats Sanders in Nevada; black voter support appears decisive, Washington Post
Cruz lands in Nevada and restarts the expectations game, Washington Post
Hillary’s firewall is holding, and Nevada gave Clinton her first clean win. Iowa was basically a tie. New Hampshire brought a 22-point shellacking. A clear victory is exactly what the campaign needed to soothe anxious donors and elites. “Some may have doubted us, but we never doubted each other,” she told supporters at Caesar’s Palace. Clinton’s much-needed win comes as the calendar moves to much friendlier terrain. A deep look at preliminary network entrance polls shows two exceptionally important data points: Hillary won women by 16 points and carried African Americans three-to-one. Whites made up 59 percent of the electorate, far less than in Iowa and New Hampshire, while 19 percent were Hispanic and 13 percent were black. Washington Post
Sanders’s eight-point win over Clinton among Latinos was one of the most surprising elements of the Nevada caucuses.  It also means that Latinos will become a hugely targeted bloc of voters in virtually every state from now on. Clinton leaves Nevada with a win, yes, but with a problem that she needs to solve between now and the end of primary season: how to reach and win over Latinos. Washington Post

Polls
AP-GfK Poll: Voters increasingly see Sanders as electable, Star Tribune

Precinct caucus
Get ready to caucus, Southwest Journal
Minnesota’s 2016 election: How to caucus, Pioneer Press
Want to caucus in Minnesota but have to work? State law has you covered, Pioneer Press
Hillary vs. Bernie: Minnesota Caucus voting is March 1, Detroit Lakes

Public safety
Appleton’s economic future hinges on fight to reopen prison, Star Tribune

Republican National Convention
Trump: Brokered convention not happening, The Hill
RNC chief: Presidential nominee is ‘not my choice,’ The Hill

Scalia, Antonin

Soccer stadium
Soccer stadium move complicates already complicated deal for St. Paul site, MinnPost

South Carolina
SC win would be redemption for Clinton after ’08 loss, The State
Cruz failed to carry a single county, including here in the deeply-religious Upstate, which should be tailor-made for someone with his profile. As National Review executive editor Rich Lowry put it, “If tonight is any indication of his strength versus Trump, how is Cruz going to win any March 1 statebesides Texas?” Washington Post
An endorsement that mattered: Nikki Haley throwing her support to Rubio demonstrably hurt Bush. In the exit polls, 26 percent of voters said the governor’s endorsement was important. Half of them voted for Rubio. Rubio also fared 9 points better among voters who said they decided in the final few days voting than those who decided earlier (27 vs. 18 percent). This is why Bush had been polling in the double digits but wound up with 7.8 percent. Washington Post
There’s no debate that Cruz and Rubio had better organizations than Trump in South Carolina. So, for that matter, did Bush. Didn’t matter. Trump won relatively easily — as he did in New Hampshire where his organization was not the match of many of the people he beat.  Once the race moves beyond Nevada, organization will matter less and less, with lots of big states voting March 1 and March 15.  Trump is well on his way to proving that the vaunted organizations don’t matter — or that they matter a whole lot less. Washington Post
The crowd of 5,200 that came to see Bernie Sanders here last night was overwhelmingly white, and most were college students. That’s not the way to win a Democratic primary in South Carolina, where most voters will be older African Americans. At his first rally after losing the Nevada caucuses to Hillary Clinton, the Vermont senator was introduced by a trio of black activists, including a local councilman, actor Danny Glover and former NAACP leader Benjamin Jealous. But Sanders’ biggest applause lines had nothing to do with criminal justice reform. They were for decriminalizing marijuana and free college. In a deeply religious region, he touted his promises of increased funding for Planned Parenthood and for three months of paid family leave to argue that he is the true candidate of “family values.” Washington Pos 

Supreme Court
Conservatives: Court nominee must be stopped at all costs, The Hill

Taxes
OUR OPINION: Don’t pay St. Peter by robbing St. Paul, Grand Forks Herald

Transportation
Dan Fabian and Deb Kiel: Roads, bridges a priority for Minnesota House GOP, Grand Forks Herald

Trump
Donald Trump relishes wrecking the GOP, Washington Post
The moment of truth: We must stop Trump, Washington Post 
 

Vikings
Fix needed for new Vikings stadium roof leak, MPR
U.S. Bank Stadium’s leaky gutter system means a $4 million do-over for the black siding, Star Tribune

State DFL
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