Good morning. If you’re a prospective primary voter who hasn’t voted, you’ll probably get a knock on your door or a text burst this weekend.

Minnesota’s early vote for a midterm election is already at a record level. As of yesterday morning, the number of accepted ballots sent in by mail or completed in person is now just shy of 158,000 . That tops the figure from four years ago by a couple of thousand with a bunch of ballots still in the hands of voters to send back in. As we’ve been writing, the competitive statewide races and a smattering of closely watched races down the ballot mean that this will be a bigger-than-normal turnout year. The early vote might also be higher because it’s easier than ever to get a ballot or show up at an early vote location. Whether Minnesota reaches or exceeds 1 million primary votes for the first time is something we’re watching (the record is 925,554 in 2018 and that was still under a quarter of all eligible voters). The 2020 primary is the all-time record holder but that was because many people voted by mail during COVID-19. This year’s turnout most likely won’t be even between the parties because Democrats have tended to have higher primary turnout numbers even in years when they don’t have the biggest ballot clash. Who does higher primary turnout favor? Who knows. We’ll all know by Wednesday morning.

The latest polling suggests we’ll see some blowouts and some barnburners. Republican Michele Tafoya appears to be coasting toward a win, according to the new KSTP-TV/Survey USA poll . While not in the poll batch, Amy Klobuchar is the presumed Democratic nominee for governor. From there, it gets dicier. Mike Lindell maintains an edge in the Republican governor’s nomination race, but his lead is smaller than last check and there are still quite a few undecided voters. There are routes for Lisa Demuth and to some extent Kendall Qualls. In the DFL Senate race, Angie Craig has a lead that falls well within the poll’s “credibility interval” and undecideds are still out there. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: It all comes down to turnout! Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s approval rating is in the tank — 37 percent. So is that of Gov. Tim Walz — 41 percent. Klobuchar is way off her pre-race water mark but still has a 47 percent approval rate (although more respondents rendered no opinion of her in contrast to fairly firm views of the president and governor).

The casual political observers — and there are probably more of those out there than the hardcore participants — are in search of candidate information in these closing days if traffic trends are any indication. We’ve got you covered at mprnews.org with all of our prior stories, interviews, debate coverage and videos. The crown jewel for many might be the voter guide that goes deep down the ballot into races that aren’t attracting daily coverage. Find that here and keep checking back to our site ahead of the primary for additional information.  

Mike Lindell released a budget plan that aims to cut income taxes in Minnesota, and make cuts in many state programs, especially those affected by fraud. Lindell looks to make a lot of changes to state systems that he says will cut state spending and help to eliminate income taxes in the long run. As of now, income tax makes up just more than half of the state’s general fund. The 72-page plan talks about eliminating programs that have too many allegations of fraud, making major changes to healthcare and punishing companies that hire undocumented workers, among other proposals. It relies on estimates, including using a not-yet-proven estimate of the cost of fraud in Minnesota to calibrate cost reductions. Lindell also promotes a plan where people request for help in a government catalog, and private donors can fund those requests.

A Mike Lindell pillow-tossing complaint will go forward for further investigation. An administrative law judge has determined there is probable cause to believe Lindell violated the law with a pillow giveaway at a Fourth of July parade in Delano. At issue is whether the value of the pillow, made by MyPillow that Lindell has led, is more than the nominal amount allowed to pass on voters before infringing on a bribery law. This isn’t the final word in the matter. The case now moves to a three-judge panel with a hearing date to come. This isn’t a criminal probe just yet but candidates never want to be dealing with situations where they are accused of breaking the law. 

A conservative news site is going to the state Supreme Court in another effort to unlock body camera footage related to Nicole Mitchell’s 2024 arrest now that she’s a political candidate again. The former DFL state senator is running for Woodbury City Council, which is noted in the Alpha News petition to the high court. “Ms. Mitchell is seeking to revive her political career,” it reads. Last month, the Court of Appeals upheld a judge’s ruling to deny Alpha News access to unedited footage of former Mitchell’s arrest on felony charges she broke into her stepmother’s home. Mitchell was convicted last summer and resigned. Alpha News first sued in 2024 to try to obtain police footage. The bid was denied on grounds it was still an active case. Some of the footage was played during her trial, which received extensive media coverage. After her conviction, the conservative news site again tried to get the full video files and was denied again. Appeals judges have let the ruling stand. The new petition says continuing to suppress the footage “will distort the law and breed public distrust.” Justices could solicit briefs in the case before deciding whether to take it up.

There is a new court challenge over absentee ballot board makeup. A conservative group is suing three local governments on grounds they have not properly established election ballot boards. The Minnesota Voters Alliance claims the city of Plymouth and counties of Hennepin and Anoka failed to follow proper procedure in appointing the ballot boards to accept or reject absentee ballots and administer early voting. “As the role of the absentee ballot has grown, so has the responsibility of the people who make the decision whether to accept or reject those ballots. This is the role of election judges on ballot boards,” the group’s lawsuit says. In the filing with the Minnesota Supreme Court, the group asks for an order that declares the board makeups as unlawful for the jurisdictions involved. The voters alliance wants the case on a fast track given that absentee voting begins in mid-September.

In the 8th District, DFL voters will choose the party’s congressional candidate Tuesday, choosing between a reality TV personality and a former federal worker. Jimmy Lovrien with the Duluth News Tribune reports on the primary battle between Luke Gulbranson, who was on the reality shows “Selling the OC” on Netflix and “Summer House” on Bravo, and now runs a maple syrup company, and Trina Swanson, who spent nearly two decades working with U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, before leaving early in President Trump’s second term. Swanson is the DFL-endorsed candidate. The two are trying to make the case they’re in the best position to upset incumbent Republican Rep. Pete Stauber.