Good morning. This is not a drill: Two weeks left.

In a side-by-side appearance, the major party candidates for governor committed to no new taxes then split on who was best suited to run Minnesota. The hourlong debate yesterday in Brainerd was the first time DFLer Amy Klobuchar and Republican Lisa Demuth shared a stage since receiving their parties nominations in August. Overall, it was a chill conversation centered on business issues, according to our Dana Ferguson . But that didn’t mean the candidates walked away without trading a few barbs. Demuth tried to portray Klobuchar as an extension of DFL control in St. Paul that allowed fraud to take place in state programs. Klobuchar, meanwhile, said Demuth would be a rubber stamp for the Trump administration. Both agreed an overhaul of the state’s permitting process, guardrails on AI and additional funding for county technology used to enroll people in state programs are overdue. The candidates will face off again Wednesday night in Rochester for their second and final debate.

Paid family and medical leave was among the topics discussed in the business forum. Minnesota’s program, one of the most expansive in the country, is now almost 10 months old. So far more than 115,000 people have been approved for the time off to deal with a medical situation or care for a loved one on an extended basis. The most common leave is medical leave for a surgery or long-term treatment followed by bonding leave with a new child and caretaking leave. MPR’s Angela Davis had a status check on the program yesterday. That conversation came at the same time as the candidates for governor were offering their takes. Demuth said she would try to scale back the length of allowable leave or the eligibility for dependent care benefits. She said she would also install more program integrity features. Klobuchar said she would listen to businesses, recipients and other stakeholders over how to improve the program. She said all kinds of things that government does would get a reexamination on her watch and paid leave is among them. 

After months of questioning the outcome of the GOP governor primary race, MyPillow founder Mike Lindell is now backing his opponent in that race and is urging the president to do the same. Lindell endorsed Demuth during a conversation with Forum News Service on Friday . Lindell told reporter Jeremy Fugleberg, “Everyone’s just got to get out and vote, and we’ve got to vote for Republicans and especially Lisa Demuth.” Lindell has challenged the results of the primary election. He also told the Forum he’d recently talked to President Donald Trump, who had backed Lindell in the GOP primary. Lindell said he’d urged Trump to endorse Demuth. Lindell also said he’s planning to sue voting machine companies over some information he claims he found in the primary election voting data. He’s faced defamation claims from voting machine companies in the past, over his claims they rigged the outcome of the 2020 election. 

Progressive standard-bearer Bernie Sanders will campaign for Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Saturday in Duluth. Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats in the Senate, brought his Fighting Oligarchy tour to Minnesota twice during the primary campaign, appearing with Flanagan and Ellison in Rochester and Minneapolis. He’ll do that again Saturday evening in Duluth. Sanders has been a leader on progressive issues such as Medicare for all, addressing economic inequality and fighting the influence of money in politics. The two time presidential candidate has been stumping for progressive candidates nationwide, most recently in Florida and Texas. Flanagan and Ellison both face strong Republican opponents – Flanagan is facing former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya and Ellison is being challenged by longtime attorney Ron Schutz. 

The planned appearance of Hasan Piker with two Minneapolis Democrats is getting criticism not only from Republicans, but also prominent DFLers and the state’s largest Jewish public affairs organization. Piker, a socialist social media streamer, was announced last week as the headliner of a “curated conversation” on Oct. 26. State Sen. Omar Fateh and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar are advertised as part of it. Piker campaigned for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed until El-Sayed distanced himself due to heavy criticism from Republicans and some Democrats. Piker has made controversial statements about Israel and the Sept. 11 attacks, among other things. A spokesperson for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar told Jewish Insider , “The senator believes that a number of the statements he has made are reckless and unacceptable. DFL U.S. Rep. Angie Craig posted on X : “Hasan Piker’s rhetoric is polarizing and dangerous, and embracing him as a party is a mistake. I am disappointed that Minnesota DFLers are hosting an event with him here.” Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said leaders shouldn't share a platform with him. "In Minnesota, we take some pride in elections in which substantive issues are hopefully paramount, and this is the exact opposite, relying upon downright hatred, anti-Semitism, racism, homophobia – you name it – Hasan Piker is associated with it, and that's what's coming to town,” he said.

Omar's office said she's "laser focused on turning out the vote." A spokesperson sent a statement about the Piker event. “Early voting among people under 40 is down, and we need to do everything to get young people to the polls,” the statement said. “The Congresswoman knows the Democratic Party is a Big Tent party, and she’s excited to join Senator Omar Fateh’s event to mobilize young voters and get them to vote in this critical midterm election."

Control of the Legislature could come down to a handful of competitive districts across the state – and one race could be the biggest bellwether. In the vast northeastern Minnesota Senate District 3, incumbent Democrat Grant Hauschild of Hermantown faces a rematch with Republican challenger Andrea Zupancich, the mayor of Babbitt. Dan Kraker reports that four years ago Hauschild won by only 703 votes . “Last time it was a squeaker, and it’s going to be that way again,” said Cindy Rugeley, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth. “I suspect it’s a one percentage point race.” 

Minneapolis is expanding early voting hours and adding pop-up polling places ahead of Election Day. As Cait Kelly reported, Mayor Jacob Frey said the 12 one-day voting locations, which started Monday, are a way to ensure voting access for residents. Minnesotans can still vote early by mail, but the Secretary of State’s Office recommends voters apply for an absentee ballot before Oct. 20. Ballots must be received by Election Day, either by mail or in person. 

The contest between former acting Minnesota U.S. Attorney Anders Folk and Democratic state Rep. Cedrick Frazier will decide who runs the state’s largest prosecutor’s office.  As Jon Collins reported, the Hennepin County Attorney race contains echoes of the election four years ago , when voters elected reformer and former public defender Mary Moriarty over a more traditional law-and-order candidate. Folk is a former military lawyer who later worked as a federal prosecutor for both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations. Frazier has worked as a public defender, as well as an attorney for Minneapolis Public Schools and a labor attorney for the teachers union Education Minnesota.  

The last big bill that Minnesota DFLers passed when they had their Capitol trifecta is attracting another lawsuit. A group of home builders is suing on the grounds that regulations covering their industry were inappropriately included in that 1,400-page legislation. Gun groups previously sued successfully to cancel out a trigger ban clause. The Upper Midwest Law Center is helping drive the new case. The Minnesota Reformer reports on the lawsuit , which seeks to either overturn the building code and contractor regulations or strike the law in its entirety. This is the fifth case of its kind. Many months of legal wrangling lies ahead. 

In case you missed it, there’s a new show on MPR News that invites you into the conversation . Catharine Richert is the host of the 11 a.m. show, which doesn’t have a fancy name yet. (We suggested “Cat Chat,” but that’s under review.) The show aims to talk about things that are the talk of the town, state, country or world and let listeners chime in. The first episode was about the election just two weeks from now. Some interesting calls came in from voters who are in some cases challenging their own conventional thinking as they weigh their choices. The nonscientific sample of callers suggests we could be in for some notable ticket-splitting this year. Tune in each Monday through Thursday for more!