Good morning. How are we past the halfway point in June already?

Independent polling data shows Democrats with the early edge, but a lot of voters are still left to convince. The Star Tribune, KARE 11 and the Hubbard School of Journalism released the first major poll since endorsements for both the U.S. Senate race and the Minnesota governor’s race which shows DFL U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar leading GOP contenders. In the poll, Klobuchar leads 48 percent to GOP State Rep. Lisa Demuth’s 40 percent. Against GOP gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls, Klobuchar leads 48 to 37 percent, and against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell she leads 53 to 36 percent. There was also some polling data released on the U.S. Senate race . One poll asked which party’s candidate voters would be more likely to support if the election was held today, finding 49 percent would support a DFL candidate while 41 percent would support a Republican candidate. The polling also looked at recognition and favorability for each major candidate in that race. For favorability, U.S. Rep. Angie Craig polled at 28 percent and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, both DFLers, at 33 percent. Favorability for GOP candidates Adam Schwarze, a former Navy SEAL, was at 5 percent and for former sports broadcaster Michelle Tafoya at 16 percent. About 15 percent of respondents said they didn’t know Craig and Flanagan’s names, while 68 percent didn’t recognize Schwarze’s name and 35 percent didn’t recognize Tafoya’s name.

Another important metric in the poll: voter enthusiasm. Midterm elections don’t see as much turnout as presidential election years. That makes it all the more vital that parties and candidates motivate the political base. The Star Tribune/KARE/Hubbard poll found that Democrats are considerably more enthusiastic to vote this year. In the poll, 68 percent of those who described themselves as DFLers or leaning that way say they’re very enthusiastic about the midterm elections and 26 percent said they are somewhat enthusiastic. That’s compared to 51 percent as very and 32 percent as somewhat for GOP-affiliated voters. Another 12 percent of Republican or Republican-leaning voters said they are not too enthusiastic. About half of independent voters marked themselves as very enthusiastic, 30 percent somewhat and 13 percent not feeling it. Another way the polling partners measured it was among those who voted for Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in 2024; 62 percent of Harris voters are in the most driven category compared to 54 percent of Trump voters.

The New York Times is out with a riveting story about how top Trump administration officials heartily debated whether to take extraordinary steps in their immigration enforcement campaign. The deeply reported story says suspension of habeas corpus was seriously considered to give detained immigrants less legal recourse. As compelling was the discussion about whether the Insurrection Act should be declared to deal with an ICE surge that went awry in Minnesota. The newspaper reported that Vice President JD Vance favored invoking the act. “It would be painful in the short term, he said, but the message it would send — that paid agitators could not get away with disrupting ICE operations — would make sure no one tried it again,” is how the story describes his stance. But other officials said it would further stoke chaos and add to the public relations mess that the White House was struggling with. At that point, Vance “appeared to soften.” The act wasn’t used to quell demonstrations. 

Gov. Tim Walz is out of the country at a conference in Austria. Word of the trip comes via the governor’s public events schedule that comes with a Vienna dateline. He’s due to participate in the Austrian World Summit and meet with some of that country’s top officials. Since departing the governor’s race, Walz has been freer with the out-of-state travel.

Turnover is here at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry.  Last week, Gov. Tim Walz announced the appointment of Nicole Blissenbach as a district court judge in Minnesota’s Fourth Judicial District. Blissenbach is leaving behind a big agency job: she’s led the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry since 2022, first as temporary commissioner and then as commissioner. DLI oversees a variety of things for the state, including construction codes and licensing, occupational safety and health, wage and hour standards, workers' compensation and youth skills training programs. Deputy Commissioner Kate Perushek will assume the role of commissioner after Blissenbach. More commissioners will surely start departing as the governor’s second and final term moves toward conclusion. It’s not unusual for many to leave before the administration turns out the lights, although some might find roles in a new administration if the governor’s office stays in the party’s hands.

A Blue Earth man charged with Medicaid fraud is defending himself against the allegations. Last month, federal authorities announced criminal charges against 15 people in Minnesota who allegedly defrauded federal programs. One of the defendants, Charles Healey, is accused of exploiting a Medicaid program to buy luxury cars and Rolex watches. But as Bill Lukitsch with the Star Tribune reports, Healy argues he ran a growing program amid confusing state rules. Healy ran a small healthcare business for years called Healy Homes. Almost two dozen disabled clients rented homes and received Medicaid-backed support services. The state reimbursed Healy nearly $23 million over four years for those services and now prosecutors allege Healey inflated billings for personal enrichment. Healey says his billings can’t be fraudulent, because he says the amounts are set through service agreements that only the state can change. Now Healey says the criminal charges have ended his business, “destroyed my family” and forced most of his clients to move out.

Finally, hail can do a number on your home roof, but consider a glass-like roof on a massive stadium. The authority that manages U.S. Bank Stadium says a 2023 hailstorm caused enough damage to the facility’s translucent ETFE roof that it must be replaced. The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority advertised earlier this month for roofers to replace the ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene roof that, in its words, “has become the defining visual element” of the stadium. It appears to be covered by insurance, according to documents posted by the authority . The documents don’t indicate how much the replacement will cost, when it must be complete or whether there will be any interruptions. Aug. 22 is the first Vikings home preseason game with other events slated for the stadium in between now and then, including WWE’s SummerSlam and an Ed Sheeran concert. The damage hasn’t impacted the structural integrity of the not-quite-a-decade-old stadium that cost more than $1 billion to construct. The timetable for picking a contractor is swift. Proposals are due on June 25 with the selection of a firm to do the work by a month from today.