In the Know

Minnesota DFL
May 5, 2016
140 days until people can begin to vote by no excuse absentee ballot, Sept. 23
186 days until Election Day, Nov. 8
 
Events today

• Gov. Dayton and Lt. Gov. Smith will have breakfast with DFL legislators at the Governor’s Residence.
• 9 a.m. – The House meets in session.
• 10 a.m. – The Senate meets in session.
• 10 a.m. – Rep. Erin Murphy, Rep. Melissa Hortman and many other House DFL representatives will call out House Republicans for aligning themselves with Donald Trump’s anti-women and anti-family agenda. Room 181, State Office Building.
• 11 a.m. – Three CD2 candidates for the GOP nomination will debate on MPR with Tom Weber.  Jason Lewis, Darlene Miller and John Howe will participate, expected endorsee David Gerson pulled out.
• Noon – Gov. Dayton will host a reception at the Governor’s Residence for the University of St. Thomas Men’s Basketball team, who recently won the Division III National Championship.
• 2 p.m. – Gov. Dayton and Lt. Gov. Smith will meet with county commissioners and legislators to discuss transportation.
• 4 p.m. – 40,000 men and women are still on strike at Verizon and Verizon Wireless determined to fight for as long as it takes to protect good jobs. Join CWA Minnesota for a National Day of Action to fight for good jobs at Verizon and Verizon Wireless. Verizon Roseville, 2325 Fairview Ave. N, Roseville. 4 p.m.
• 5:30 p.m. – A Young Professionals for Nolan fundraiser will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at Sweeney’s, 96 Dale St. N, St. Paul.
• 6 p.m. – Gov. Dayton will attend the 2016 University of Minnesota School of Public Health 2016 Celebration of Giving and Alumni Awards Celebration. McNamara Alumni Center, Memorial Hall, 200 Oak St. SE, Minneapolis.

Mark your calendars

• May 7 – CD 5 DFL Convention, 10:30 a.m., South High School, 3131 S 19th Ave., Minneapolis.
• May 7 – CD 8 DFL Convention, 10 a.m., Duluth Holiday Inn, 200 W 1st St., Duluth.
• May 7 – Chairs, vice chairs, secretaries, treasurers, outreach officers and directors are invited to register for an informative webinar designed to help new DFL leaders. The webinar begins at 10 a.m. Click here to register.
• May 9 – Senior Citizen Forum with Congressman Keith Ellison. 4 p.m., Fridley Community Center, 6085  7th  Street NE, Fridley.
• May 10 – The North Metro DFL Senior Caucus meeting will feature long time union activist and current president of the AFL-CIO Retiree Council, Bill Moore. He will speak to us about the Memorial Day for workers. The statics are sobering. He will all address “Right to Work” legislation currently being considered in the MN legislature – consequences for wages and worker rights.11:30 a.m., Little Venetian Inn, Little Canada.
• May 11 – U.S. Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) will host his sixth annual bipartisan competition to determine which member of the Minnesota Congressional Delegation makes the best hotdish casserole. He is scheduled to be joined by the rest of the Minnesota delegation. Last year, Rep. McCollum’s “Turkey, Sweet Potato, and Wild Rice Hotdish” beat out the competitors to take top-prize. Rep. Walz’s “Turkey Trot Tater-Tot Hotdish” won in 2014, and his “Hermann the German Hotdish” took first place in 2013. In 2012, Sen. Franken’s “Mom’s Mahnomin Madness Hotdish” and former Rep. Chip Cravaack’s (R-Minn.) “Minnesota Wild Strata Hotdish” tied for first place. Sen. Klobuchar took top honors in 2011 with her “Taconite Tater-Tot Hotdish.” 11:30 a.m. (EST), Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 430, Senate HELP Committee.
• May 13 – Community Picnic for Governor’s Fishing Opener. A free picnic will be served from 4 – 7 p.m. at Pine Rail Park in McGregor. Gov. Dayton and Lt. Gov. Smith will speak at the event.
• May 14 – CD 1 DFL Convention, 1 p.m., Worthington Event Center, 1447 Prairie Dr., Worthington.
• May 14 – CD 3 DFL Convention, 10:30 a.m., Park Center High School auditorium, 7377 Noble Ave N, Brooklyn Park.
• May 17 – Please join the Minnesotans for Paid Family Leave Coalition for a rally in support of Paid Family Leave. Tell the Legislature, our families can’t wait. Pass Paid Family Leave this session! Paid Family Leave Rally, noon, State Office Building, St. Paul.
• May 21 – CD 6 DFL Convention, noon, St. Cloud Apollo High School, 1000 44th Ave. N, St. Cloud.
• May 22 – CD 4 DFL Convention, noon, Carpenters Union Hall, 700 Olive St., St. Paul.
• June 7 – Primary season ends.
• June 12 – DFL Women’s Hall of Fame Annual Luncheon, 11 a.m. reception, noon luncheon, 12:45 p.m. award ceremony. Ticket information and list of award recipients are available here.

Fundraisers

• May 7 – The Congressional District 8 DFL will host a dinner beginning a 5:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn in the Duluth. Keynote speaker is Congressman Rick Nolan. The evening will include a program to honor Don Bye for his many years of service to the DFL. For information, visit https://www.dfl.org/cd8/.
• May 21 – Senate District 14 DFL will hold a Red to Blue Post-Convention Party. $20 Suggested Donation. Michael’s Restaurant, 510 US-10, St Cloud. Tickets available at: http://www.eventbrite.com/o/dfl-senate-district-14-3077414154

2016 election
Donald Trump’s position as the presumptive GOP nominee has presented congressional Republicans with what could be a fateful moment: Do they embrace their party’s standard-bearer, and risk being tied to him in Democratic attacks? Or do they distance themselves and risk alienating Trump’s supporters? New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte, who’s up for re-election, “plans to support” Trump, a spokeswoman said. So do Ohio’s Rob Portman and North Carolina’s Richard Burr. CNN

U.S. House of Representatives
Republicans just woke up to a harsh reality: Donald Trump is the Republican Party’s prohibitive nominee. There’s little doubt that the Republican Party is falling apart, and with it, Congressman Erik Paulsen’s reelection chances…It can’t help Paulsen’s self-esteem that Minnesota’s Third District is exactly the type of district where Trump performs terribly – and with state Senator Terri Bonoff making this race even more competitive, local speculation about Paulsen’s reelection chances has already begun…Despite the data, Congressman Paulsen has indicated he will endorse the ultimate nominee, yet he refuses to denounce some of Trump’s most vile rhetoric. DCCC

Vice president
Trump’s VP: Top 10 contenders, The Hill
Donald Trump discusses how he’ll select a running mate, New York Times

One big project for Trump: Choosing a vice presidential nominee. Ben Carson will assist that search. And quickly, three trial balloons a senior Trump aide floated — New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and Ohio Sen. Rob Portman — all said they weren’t interested. CNN

President
Shellshocked GOP donors give Trump a second look, MPR
Donald Trump starts the general election behind Hillary Clinton by a mile, Washington Post
2016 should be winnable for Republicans. But can they win with Trump? Washington Post
3 reasons Donald Trump could beat Hillary Clinton and win the presidency, Washington Post
Trump assured GOP nomination as Kasich plans to exit race, MPR
Kasich follows Cruz, and it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next, MinnPost
Kasich quits presidential race, The Hill
GOP experts choose exile over Trump, The Hill
Clinton releases a brutal anti-Trump ad, Mother Jones
 
Bonding bill
Dayton wants House bonding details, MPR
Dayton and DFLers press GOP for bonding proposal, Star Tribune
Bonding bill ‘dessert’ a Minnesota legislative debate, Duluth News Tribune
Safety coalition hoping for bonding bill money to make corridor of death fixes, Star Tribune
 
Civil rights
Justice Department challenges North Carolina transgender law, CNN
 
Cruz, Ted
Cruz faces a tough decision on endorsing Trump, The Hill
 
Economy
Improving labor market turns tables on restaurant owners, MPR
Minnesota manufacturers confident in their financial future, MPR
 
Education (E-12)
School revenue trends, FY 2003 – 2017, North Star Policy Institute
 
Franken, Al
How the junior senator from Minnesota came to be Democrats’ No. 1 fundraiser, MinnPost
 
GOP
Minnesota Republicans adjust to reality of Trump atop their ticket, MPR
Trump as Republican candidate still a tough prospect for many in Minnesota GOP, Star Tribune
Darth Daudt: Starve the general fund, Minnesota DFL
Donald Trump takes the reins of a divided Republican Party, Washington Post

Guns
Hennepin County sheriff opens new office to make getting a gun permit easier, Star Tribune
 
Kulick, Gail
Dayton appoints Kulick to judgeship, Brainerd Dispatch
 
Labor
Minneapolis $15-an-hour minimum wage advocates say they’re closing in on ballot campaign, Star Tribune
 
Railroads
Railroads promise more Minnesota safety money, Duluth News Tribune
 
Rybak, R.T.
Q&A: R.T. Rybak on his new gig at the Minneapolis Foundation — and whether or not he’ll run for governor, MinnPost
 
Trump, Donald
Donald Trump’s absolutely remarkable 323-day odyssey to the Republican presidential nomination, Washington Post

The New York businessman acknowledged Wednesday that he cannot finance his bid for the next six months, unless he was willing to “to sell a couple of buildings,” as he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” Instead, he told the Wall Street Journal, he plans to create a “world-class finance organization.” It’s very late in the game to be figuring out a fundraising strategy, Fred Malek told me. “Every presidential candidate in recent history has started his or her fundraising operation up to two years in advance of the election,” said Malek, who served as Sen. John McCain’s national finance chairman in 2008 and was a major fundraiser for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in 2012. “By the time they got even close to sealing the nomination, let alone the convention, they had in place a well-organized group.” Washington Post
 
Walz, Tim
Walz deserves kudos for bipartisan efforts, Worthington Daily Globe

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