We’re still waiting to hear more from gubernatorial candidate Mike Lindell about his investigation into the results of the GOP primary. He told our colleague Peter Cox to expect more today about his “findings.” On Tuesday night, he refused to concede the race after losing to House Speaker Lisa Demuth. The outcome is well outside of the range for a recount at public expense and any attempt to do one would come at a cost to Lindell. He could also try to file an election contest in court, but the hurdle would be high. The Minnesota canvassing board will meet next Tuesday at 2 p.m. to certify the primary election results.

Minnesota voters teed up a national first this week: Two top -of-the-ticket races where women will win, no matter which party emerges victorious. Dana reports that Minnesota, apparently on its slow road to a “Barbie” government era, set up two races – for governor and U.S. Senate – where women are sure to succeed. Nationally, it’s unprecedented that that should happen in one election. "It's the first time that we have a state that is going to have what we would call all-women contests at both the gubernatorial and Senate level in one election cycle," said Kelly Dittmar, director of research and scholar at the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. You can read more about additional firsts that could be on the horizon in November and flex a little Minnesota exceptionalism. When it comes to female participation in politics, Dittmar said Minnesota “was the state that really shone in this in this particular week of primaries.”

If you thought you’d get a break from political ads in the weeks after the primary, think again. The progressive Alliance for a Better Minnesota began running an ad against Republican Minnesota attorney general candidate Ron Schutz. In the ad, a woman named Sydnee talks about how the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid helped her pay for treatment for a rare form of cancer. The ad says Schutz supports President Trump’s cuts to both the ACA and Medicaid. The ad mentions Schutz, in his work as an attorney, representing health insurance companies  and says some of those companies were later accused of overbilling Medicare (it’s not clear from court records if Schutz represented companies in any cases involving those Medicare accusations). What is clear is that a downballot race is already getting ad time which could be a sign of what’s to come in some of the major races this fall.  

The legislative group charged with recommending finalists for a new state watchdog office has set its first meeting. Peter Cox reports that the Legislative Inspector General Advisory Commission will convene on Aug. 26 . The commission will consider applicants to head the newly formed office of inspector general, which will act as an independent watchdog for state agencies and programs. It was created in response to widespread fraud issues in state social service programs.The commission, made up of four House and four Senate members, is split evenly along party lines. A majority of the commission has to recommend candidates to head the new office. Those will be forwarded to the governor. The Senate has confirmation authority. The office is expected to launch early next year.

In investigating anti-ICE protests, the federal government extended its investigations into the finances of some of the state’s largest unions, including SEIU, MAPE and the Communications Workers of America. According to a trove of court filings, in January the government opened investigations into several left-leaning organizations they believed were backing what they termed “violent opportunists.” As some U.S. Attorneys in the Minnesota office quit, others began combing through the financial records of several major unions, an environmental organization and a bike shop, among others. MPR’s Jon Collins reports the investigations were opened just days after the killing of Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents. None of the organizations have been charged with anything. The court filings also say DHS officers sat outside a church in Roseville where a protest was happening, taking down license plate numbers, searching social media for attendees and working up detailed information about the people who attended. “These agents surreptitiously recorded dozens of conversations with ordinary people who were simply exercising their First Amendment right to protest ICE’s lawless rampage in our state,” defense attorney Kevin Riach wrote in a court motion. “The agents gathered information about Minnesotans from law enforcement databases and internet searches, and created dossiers that are apparently now available agency-wide.”