Almost a year after an assassination attempt, state Sen. John Hoffman is making another run to keep his seat in the Minnesota Senate and saying now is not time for a retreat. Dana tagged along as Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, filed for office last month. They say it was a difficult decision to remain in public life after an act of political violence nearly claimed their lives but they couldn’t let evil win. The Hoffmans said they’ve been trying to encourage colleagues and others to tone down the political rhetoric to ensure no other elected officials experience what they did. “People would understand if we would have just said, ‘Time to find something else.’ Right?” the senator said. “But then it would win, evil would win, and there's so much that needs to be done.” 

Some Republicans are calling for ending party endorsing conventions in favor of earlier primary elections following a fumbled GOP gathering in Duluth. Star Tribune reporter Walker Orenstein reports that the two-day event saw electronic voting device glitches and unforced errors that will likely be highlighted by Democrats heading into the November election. While the central point of the convention was to unite behind endorsed candidates, Republicans came out of the event with three-way contests in two of the biggest races on the August primary ballots. While endorsed candidates will have additional resources from the party, the campaigns will cost candidates. Several GOP delegates told the Strib that the endorsing convention process had outlived its usefulness.  “We should change to a primary state for statewide office,” former state Sen. Dave Osmek said. “That’s the end of this silliness, that’s the end of this garbage.” Come for Walker’s solid analysis but stay for the play-by-play of some of the truly goofy things that went down in Duluth that include but are not limited to DJ BennyK urging delegates to make out, Rep. Danny Nadeau wielding a T-shirt cannon and some delegate likening the situation to the Elmo on fire meme.

Downballot races are also worth watching. Five candidates filed to run for the open Hennepin County attorney’s office, the largest prosecutorial entity in the state. Notably, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi is running unopposed for a fifth term. In Scott County, a candidate for commissioner has perhaps the best built-in slogan: “Vote for Beer.” Dave Beer is running unopposed and his website “about me” section says “It’s time 4 more Beer!” County boards of commissioners are often landing spots for ex-legislators (often with higher salaries than what they made at the Capitol). We counted at least 15 former legislators on ballots for commissioner slots, some of which they already hold.

A beginning farmer tax credit has gotten a boost from lawmakers. It’s expensive and competitive for young farmers to get started, even for those with family roots in the industry. In 2017, the Minnesota Legislature created the Beginning Farmer Tax Credit to incentivize established farmers to rent or sell equipment, livestock and land to younger farmers. Cait reports that  for the last few years, demand has outstripped funding and hundreds of farmers have been turned away. Mark Wehe, a farm business management instructor, said if the program isn’t fully funded, something meant to build a bridge between newer and established farmers can do the opposite. When landlords don't get the credit after all, he said, “it just creates a contentious situation.” Lawmakers voted this year to remove the cap on the credit for the remainder of 2026, but expect farmers back at the Capitol next year advocating for the cap on funds to be removed permanently.

Rural hospitals worry about the future of a drug discount program they rely on after state lawmakers decline to strengthen it. Molly Castle Work reports that bipartisan legislation meant to strengthen a critical discount drug program ultimately failed to get a House floor vote. It was a big win for the pharmaceutical industry, which ran an aggressive ad campaign opposing the measure. The program, called 340B, is a whole can of worms in and of itself. Critics say big hospitals are pocketing millions from it and rural hospitals say it keeps their lights on. Check out the full story to dive into those details. But hospitals accuse drug companies of circumventing the program by removing medications from the 340B list. This legislation would have authorized the state attorney general’s office to enforce the program and extended a provision that allows hospitals to qualify for the discount at a wide range of contract pharmacies. Since the bills failed, starting in July 2027, manufacturers will be able to limit which pharmacies hospitals can use to qualify for a discount.