Good morning. The caucus count is still going as of when this newsletter was sent. 

Voters jumped at the chance last night to sound off on the immigration and fraud themes that have kept Minnesota in the headlines for weeks. Tens of thousands of voters across Minnesota convened at schools, community centers and other gathering places to vent and to choose the top contenders in an open race for governor. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar cemented her place as the DFL Party’s frontrunner and likely nominee, while House Speaker Lisa Demuth and businessman Kendall Qualls separated from the pack on the Republican side, with MyPillow’s Mike Lindell also in the top three. At 71 percent reporting, Demuth is leading with 31 percent of the votes, Qualls is close behind with 25.9 percent and Lindell brought in 17 percent caucus votes. 

The results could lead to some campaign soul-searching in the days ahead for GOP candidates that had subpar performances, although some have vowed to press on through a May endorsing convention and into an August primary. The nonbinding straw polls were only a small part of the night’s story. Turnout was off the charts in some locations as voters used caucuses to voice their displeasure with the state of affairs, whether it’s in their own Capitol or coming out of Washington.

The straw poll was just one of the key metrics out yesterday, with key campaign finance reports providing the other look at who’s got the juice. This is only going to be about the Republicans because the main DFL contender, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, wasn’t in the governor’s race in 2025 so didn’t have any financial activity. So here’s the pecking order for the top Republican hopefuls, listed by the amount they brought into 2026 but also what they raised last year:

• Lisa Demuth had the biggest bankroll with about $447,000 after raising roughly $507,000.

• Chris Madel , who is now out of the race, would have been in the two spot with $385,000 left from $427,000 raised.

• Kristin Robbins had just shy of $373,000 banked after $564,000 in fundraising, some of that transferred from her state House account.

• Scott Jensen carried over about $225,000 from $397,000 raised (with a $20,000 personal loan).

• Patrick Knight had $127,000 available after raising $159,000.

• Kendall Qualls started 2026 with $119,000 after raising $605,000 last year, which included a $37,000 personal loan.

• Mike Lindell was left with about $80,000 after raising $353,000 in the few weeks he was a candidate.

Gov. Tim Walz is sitting on a pile of money he now has to decide what to do with. If his recent statements about never running for office again hold up, Walz will have to dispense with his campaign money before closing his account. And there’s a lot: He entered 2026 with a whopping $3.89 million in reserve after raising almost $6 million in the prior year. Much of his spending last year was on small-dollar fundraising drives, direct mailing and other campaign finance consulting. Walz could sprinkle the money out in bite-sized amounts to DFL candidates or put a big splash amount into the DFL Party account or politically aligned groups. He might also choose to hang onto some of it to pay for political activities in the remaining months of his term.

Several candidates made personal infusions into their accounts, either as contributions or loans. One of them was Forward-Independence Party governor candidate Mike Newcome. Of the nearly $239,000 he counted as raised last year, about $200,000 was from personal funds. He had $115,000 left to spend as of Jan. 1.

MyPillow’s Mike Lindell got something out of his campaign account.  His report shows that his governor’s campaign spent $187,000 on “advertising.” The subcategory was Mike Lindell books. That’s a good amount of the $272,000 the campaign spent overall. Also notable in the Lindell report is the amount he pulled in from non-itemized givers — those under $200. That accounted for $130,000 of the $350,000 he raised overall.

Top White House border official Tom Homan will host a press conference this morning. You can see it on our website . It’s the second media availability he’s held in the week that he’s been on the ground. Most of his time has been spent behind the scenes. He spoke again with Gov. Tim Walz yesterday, who gave cryptic hints that a big shift might be near. But the governor also said he won’t bend on some things: his demand for a swift force drawdown and the inclusion of state investigators in the Renee Macklin Good and Alex Pretti killings. Walz also said the federal pressure campaign on other fronts isn’t letting up, whether that’s by cutting off money for programs or continued demands for voter rolls. Walz said his state has been under assault by the Trump administration, “I think we're the frogs in the boiling water, and man, it is bubbling now.” Attorney General Keith Ellison said Minnesota would continue pushing back in court on the withholding of funding and on the immigration campaign. 

Two brothers of Renee Macklin Good spoke yesterday to lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Luke and Brent Ganger shared thoughts about their sister  who was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis last month. Brent compared her to a dandelion that can grow in places where no one expects and bring beauty to the world. “In sunlight, warm, steady, life giving because when she walked in a room, things felt lighter, even on cloudy days,” he said. “Renee had a way of showing up in the world that made you believe things were going to be OK, not because she ignored the hardship, but because she chose optimism.” Luke shared how it was difficult to tell his 4-year old daughter what happened. “She knows that her aunt died and that somebody caused it to happen. She told me that there are no bad people, and that everyone makes mistakes. She has ‘Nee’s spirit.” Other U.S. citizens who were injured by immigration officials also spoke at the forum.