Good morning. Our thoughts go out to all those with triskaidekaphobia today.

A year ago, Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization program ended, but disability advocates say the closure has left a gap for legitimate users. Housing Stabilization Services was meant to be a new way to combat homelessness and provide new housing options for people with disabilities in Minnesota. Unchecked growth and major fraud concerns led to its abrupt cancellation last year. To date, prosecutors have charged 22 people for their roles in fraud schemes tied to the program, and 15 people have pleaded guilty. But  as Ellie Roth reports, many disability advocates and lawmakers still wonder how the program could have made a positive impact if proper guardrails and oversight had been put in place.

U.S. Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan is counting on relationship building to bring fellow Democrats to push for progressive plans. Fresh off her decisive win and a trip to Washington, she spoke to host Clay Masters of All Things Considered . She said while there are fractures in the new majority over what to do about pressing issues, she thinks there is common ground to work from. "People want us to be fighters, and you know that I think is the mandate for us. It is you know again to fight to roll back those cuts to Medicaid and to SNAP,” she said. “It is to make sure that we are bringing this endless war to an end, and it's fighting for things like Medicare for all." 

There is already friction between Flanagan and the top Republican in Minnesota’s delegation, Rep. Tom Emmer, who is a member of GOP House leadership. Emmer has spoken derisively of Flanagan since the election. This week on Fox News he called her "a girl who stood by Tim Walz's side while fraud was going on." He has also broadly attacked newly empowered Democrats, saying they will regret running for office. After listening to some of his remarks that were played during Clay’s interview, Flanagan responded: “What a joke! Give me a break. I can't even begin to tell you how much Tom Emmer has misread this moment.says he's misreading voters' message from this election.” Emmer has had a testy relationship with several top Minnesota Democrats, most notably Gov. Tim Walz. Gov.-elect Amy Klobuchar said last week she spoke to Emmer since her win, but she didn’t characterize how that conversation went.

Coming up this afternoon on All Things Considered, Clay connects with Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin about the midterm election results and what comes next. The former Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party chair has highlighted monthly payments to state Democratic Party units as a key factor in clinching close contests in states that swung to Democratic control after long stretches of electing Republicans. Martin has endured plenty of criticism of his approach, but he didn’t gloat about proving doubters wrong. “Part of the secret in these jobs because there’s always a lot of critics out there is to drown out the noise, focus on your North Star, focus on the work ahead of you and not get distracted,” he said. “And that’s what I’ve been doing the past two years.” Clay asked whether the Minnesota blueprint worked nationwide and what voters can expect to see from the party heading into the 2028 presidential election cycle. The recorded interview airs this afternoon.

Democrats say they’re hopeful that 2027 is the year they can get an equal rights amendment through the Legislature and tee it up for a vote in 2028. DFLers and a variety of advocacy groups packed the Capitol press conference room yesterday to stump for the proposal that would prohibit discrimination based on a person’s race, color, national origin, ancestry, disability and sex. The amendment would also cover protections for pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation. The measure has come forward in various forms for decades. Its supporters say the current iteration is designed to meet the moment. And, they said, having broader majorities in each chamber will make the bill’s path clearer. “Minnesotans confirmed this election cycle, and especially after the horror of (Operation) Metro Surge and the constant stripping of human rights at the federal level, that every single one of us deserves equal protection, dignity and the freedom to live without discrimination,” said Sen. Mary Kunesh, one of the bill’s sponsors. “A promise of fairness is strongest when we put it into practice, not just in our laws, but in the highest law of Minnesota.” Republicans have opposed the measure, saying it’s too broad. If both chambers of the Legislature approve it, it will come before voters in the 2028 general election.

A St. Cloud lawmaker who is leaving the Legislature after this term has had his second DWI run-in in the past few years. DFL state Rep. Dan Wolgamott was arrested Wednesday night after he struck an occupied parked car in St. Cloud and injured a man, according to police. He was believed to be impaired, records associated with Wolgamott’s arrest say. He didn’t seek a new House term because he ran unsuccessfully for the DFL nod for state auditor instead. Wolgamott pleaded guilty after a 2023 traffic stop involving alcohol. He received a 45-day stayed jail sentence and was on probation for two years.

Minnesota Star Tribune reporter Sofia Barnett traveled down to New Ulm to report on how U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad lost ground in his home town.  Finstad has called for a recount in his loss to Democrat Jake Johnson. New Ulm is the seat of Brown County and while Finstad won his race there by 44 percentage points two years ago, his margin over Johnson this year was a 20 percentage point lead. In New Ulm, Johnson managed to pick off a precinct and nearly win another. Independent and Republican leaning voters in the region told Barnett they were unhappy with the president’s tariff and immigration policies, as well as the war in Iran. And they said Finstad didn’t put in as much face time as other elected officials. More on that contest and a banger of an Amy mix-up quote here.