Good morning. Groundhog saw its shadow so … it’s caucus day.

For most voters, it’s just another Tuesday. But for others, it’s time to get into a room with neighbors to talk politics. Precinct caucuses will happen – all starting at 7 p.m. – around Minnesota this evening. The political parties are the hosts and anybody 16 and up can attend, some participation is limited to voting-age adults. At precinct caucuses around the state, voters will cast straw poll ballots. Those could narrow the field of candidates running for governor. The preference ballot results aren’t binding but they can help propel candidates to frontrunner status or shrink the pack in races with lots of hopefuls. While voters won’t be asked to weigh in on the up-for-grabs U.S. Senate seat, several candidates will have a noticeable presence as they try to win over prospective delegates to their party’s endorsing conventions later this spring.

A Minnesota man convicted of, imprisoned for and later pardoned for assaulting police officers during the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol has jumped into the race for state Senate in southwest Minnesota. Brian Mock, 47, is hoping to get the GOP nod to be the party candidate in the race. Mock was convicted in 2024 of 11 federal counts. Prosecutors say he was on video shoving at least two police officers and kicking one. Mock said portrayals of the incident and Jan. 6th are incorrect. He faces off against a newcomer with a familiar name in Braxton Seifert, whose father Marty was a long time state representative in the area. Seifert said knows Mock and has talked to him over the years about different issues, including the criminal justice system. Seifert said voters should weigh character and who has a platform most focused on issues that affect people in the district most. 

The full rundown of state-level campaign finance reports will post today (the candidates and other committees had until yesterday to file them).  But we do have another datapoint in the party tug-of-war over the Legislature. Yesterday, we noted what the DFL caucuses had pulled in. The House Republican Campaign Committee has now put up its totals. It said it had a record of money raised during the off year. But it’s what you have that matters most. And the HRCC says it entered 2026 with $1.167 million on hand. That trails what the House DFL reported in cash-on-hand: just shy of $1.6 million banked. Outside groups stand primed to put millions of dollars more into key races. We’ve said it before, but candidates themselves are often bystanders in their own campaigns as the gushers of money used by party units and groups swamp what the candidates can do on their own.

The longest-serving Republican in the Minnesota Legislature announced he’s stepping down at the end of his term.  Sen. Warren Limmer is the 20th state legislator to announce a retirement ahead of this year's election with 16 others pursuing offices other than the one they hold now. Limmer has represented the Maple Grove area since 1989, first in the House but the last 30 years in the Senate. His suburban district is sure to see a competitive race to replace him. Limmer previously worked as a corrections officer and he is a well-known figure on public safety issues. He previously chaired that committee and has been the ranking Republican member for many years. DFLers currently hold a 34-33 Senate advantage heading into the next session, which begins on Feb. 17.

As the state tries to clamp down on fraud, the Minnesota Department of Human Services announced it will be doing 5,800 site visits across the state to inspect Medicaid providers. DHS says it will start a statewide revalidation of 5,800 Medicaid providers by this summer. The department announced it is transferring 168 qualified workers to help do the work. “The effort is a cornerstone of the state’s efforts to convince the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reverse course on a highly unusual action to withhold over $2 billion in annual Medicaid funding for low-income Minnesotans,” DHS said in a statement. The department said that CMS rejected a corrective action plan. DHS says that rejection was based on inaccurate and off topic reports and appealed the decision. The department submitted a revised corrective plan on Jan. 30.