Good morning. Driving through swing districts and seeing the lawn-sign wars makes you wonder how the fall barbecues go on blocks where the yards themselves seem to be screaming at each other.

It’s a shame there will be only one all-topics, back-and-forth debate in Minnesota’s race for governor because last night’s showdown offered a contrast for voters. On style and substance, Lisa Demuth and Amy Klobuchar sharply made their points and scrutinized the way the other has conducted herself in politics. The Fox9/Gray Media debate was a traditional format — each gets the same questions, time for some rebuttals — but it allowed for enough room for two skilled politicians to get their points across. Questions were mere launching points for well-honed lines about loyalty to unpopular party figures, Gov. Tim Walz in the case of Democratic nominee Klobuchar and President Donald Trump in the case of Republican nominee Demuth. The topics were familiar: Fraud, affordability, taxes, etc. Klobuchar came ready to address her plans in detail and her opponent’s record in the same fashion. Demuth had a clearer task: Talk about why it’s time for the party in power in Minnesota to be shaken up. It’s up to voters now to decide which argument carries more weight as the race ticks toward Nov. 3. 

Former governors are speaking up as the election campaign hits the homestretch. A pair of them — ex-GOP Gov. Arne Carlson and ex-DFL Gov. Mark Dayton — made a joint endorsement in the state auditor’s race, backing DFLer Zack Filipovich in his race against Republican Scott Jensen and the Forward Independence Party’s Jay Reeves. Both Carlson and Dayton were state auditors who went on to higher office. Meanwhile, former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty is blunt in his assessment that his party is in for a rough election night. He told CNN this week that a “blue wave” is building. “We just don't know if it's knee deep, waist deep or going to hit us right in the face,” he said. Pawlenty did hold out the possibility of a GOP win in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race, calling it “way closer than people realize.” He said he “wouldn’t be shocked” if Michele Tafoya defeats DFL nominee Peggy Flanagan.

A report questioning Lt. Gov Peggy Flanagan’s credentials went from campaign boom to bust in the course of a few hours. A Wall Street Journal story that alleged Democratic Senate nominee claimed improper membership in the academic honors society Phi Beta Kappa, has been updated after Flanagan’s campaign provided documentation of her membership. It was a case of a potential problem for Flanagan turning into an opportunity. She appeared on WCCO Radio later in the day and used it as an example of misplaced campaign attention by rivals. “What folks are talking to me about is not my academic record at the U, but they're talking to me about, you know, being able to afford their lives, the high cost of healthcare,” Flanagan told Jason DeRusha. The biographical questions come as Republicans consider putting more resources into the state. The Journal story suggests a start to opposition research unloading in the Minnesota race, which can signal stepped-up national interest. Most political handicappers rate Minnesota as “lean Democrat,” which is still more tenuous than the “solid” or “likely” rating it had for the party earlier in this cycle.

If the Senate race breaks late, it could be because Republicans decided to drop some late investments into a state that was low down the ladder earlier in the campaign. Since Sept. 21, $1.1 million has been spent against Flanagan by outside groups, according to records on file with federal regulators. That compares to just $71,000 spent against Tafoya by Democratic groups. It’s important to note that Flanagan allies have spent about $1.5 million in supportive messaging and canvassing efforts, which is far more than Tafoya’s GOP allies have deployed in supportive efforts. All told, there has been about $2.7 million in independent expenditures in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race, which is pennies compared to the eight- and nine-figure sums unloaded in tossup races elsewhere in the country.

President Donald Trump endorsed Minnesota Republicans running in midterm races on Wednesday. In a post on X citing early voting in Minnesota, Trump encouraged Minnesotans to vote Republican up and down the ballot. “Republicans must SWAMP the Radical Left Dumocrats with massive turnout!” the president wrote. The Minnesota DFL was quick to jump on the tweet — statewide Republican candidates Lisa Demuth and Michelle Tafoya have tried to distance themselves from the president and have dodged questions regarding his endorsement in the final weeks leading up to the midterms. 

Rep. Ilhan Omar made her first remarks since federal agents executed a search warrant at her Washington home amid renewed scrutiny of her immigration status. Officials in the Trump administration have zoomed in on Omar, a persistent critic of the president, over paperwork in connection to her immigration as a child and her ensuing naturalization. President Trump himself has condemned Omar and suggested she leave the United States. In Omar’s video posted on social media, she said the probe of her is an intimidation tactic right before the midterm election. “We know that they're running scared. We’re not going to be intimidated. We're not going to be silenced. We're not going to be scared,” she said. Aside from the raid, there have been reports about a grand jury being impaneled to review materials, although those proceedings are typically kept quiet unless they result in indictments.

In southern Minnesota, the increasingly competitive race for the 1st Congressional District seat has attracted a boom in outside group spending. At least $5 million has now flowed into the district where Republican Rep. Brad Finstad is seeking a third term and faces a stiff challenge from teacher and political newcomer Jake Johnson. Democrats think they can flip the seat in a deteriorating environment for Republicans by leaning into struggles for farmers due to tariffs and diesel prices and broader economic anxiety. It would take a huge surge for Johnson and DFLers to take a seat the party last held in 2018. But watch the spending. This year, about $2.8 million has been spent against Finstad by Democratic groups. Republican groups have spent about $1.6 million against Johnson, with that pace picking up within the last two weeks. Johnson’s allies have spent about $437,000 on ads, canvassing and other efforts to boost him while Finstad’s allies have put the bulk of their $213,000 in supportive efforts behind the incumbent since Oct. 1.

Head way down to the southern part of southern Minnesota and way down the ballot to find one of the more colorful campaigns of the year. The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Trey Mewes has this amazing dispatch from Twin Lakes that involves shouting matches and “dead rodents flung onto tables.” The 134-person city south of Albert Lea (so practically in Iowa) is deciding whether to dissolve amid intractable political squabbles. The infighting has spilled into races for mayor and other city posts. We’ll let Trey take it from here.