Good morning. A mixed sports weekend, with big wins for the Vikings and Gophers, and a Twins season-ending victory in a middling year. The Lynx are on the verge of playoff elimination after a storybook season. 

Minnesota’s attorney general race will determine whether voters are considering the midterms as a referendum on President Trump or a referendum on fraud. As Ellie Roth reports , DFL incumbent Keith Ellison and his Republican opponent Ron Schutz both have considerable punching bags in the race. Fraud in Minnesota’s social services leaves Ellison vulnerable, but Trump’s low approval rating and unpopular federal immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota could impact Schutz. Schutz is leading in a recent KSTP/Survey USA poll and has more cash on hand, although that includes a $450,000 personal loan. But Republicans have been on the outside looking in for decades. Minnesota hasn’t had a Republican attorney general since 1971. 

Missed Friday’s airing of Politics Friday? No problem, you can listen online or download the podcast. Brian spoke with Dana in depth about her recent story on gubernatorial candidates Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Demuth’s personal experiences with breast cancer, as well as the historical significance of the race. Barring a major shake up, the state will have its first woman as governor next year. Brian also spoke with research firm CEO Peter Leatherman and political strategist Todd Rapp about how to suss out good polls from bad ones as they rain down on us. Finally, Peter and Ellie talked about the week in politics, looking at what seems to be a close race for state attorney general, and fundraising so far in the governor’s and legislative races. You can hear the show here.

A reminder, coming up this Friday, Brian will be hosting a debate in the attorney general’s race this Friday. We'll air it live on the radio and our stream and you can find a video of the showdown on mprnews.org.

On the debate front, more and more are being held by the day. WCCO Radio hosted the two candidates vying for Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District seat. Hear that debate in its entirety here. And over at Minnesota PBS, the two candidates running to lead the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office next year sat for a meaty debate. If you missed that one on Friday, it’s available here. 

Fraud is the cloud over several races this year, including a U.S. Senate open-seat race. Ryan Faircloth at the Minnesota Star Tribune writes about how Democratic nominee Peggy Flanagan has confronted the question about fraud awareness in this campaign and what officials inside Gov. Tim Walz administration said about what her role was and wasn’t. “Fraud of any kind is completely unacceptable,” she has said when asked about fraud. She was part of some meetings about the fraud response. But Flanagan says her duties in the area were limited. Flanagan said: “I certainly was part of conversations, but I did not lead in this area of work.” Read more here about how the issue is playing. Meanwhile, Republican nominee Michele Tafoya’s past comments on social media about the way she perceived Minnesota are being brought up as she denies badmouthing the state she wants to represent. CNN has been reporting on since-deleted posts.

Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is now an ‘evangelist’ for the solar industry. Pawlenty, the two-term Republican governor, former legislator and one time presidential hopeful, is now the head of the Solar Energy Industries Association. Julian Spector at Canary Media reports that Pawlenty took the role of CEO in June at the organization, which is the largest solar trade group. He takes the reins as the industry has struggled under the Trump administration, which rolled back many of the climate change initiatives pushed under President Joe Biden. Pawlenty is hoping to change the perception of the industry and increase support from policymakers across the political spectrum. Pawlenty says solar panel and battery manufacturing has been growing, and says it’s an area where the U.S. can expand manufacturing jobs. Spector’s story says Pawlenty is making the case to Republican lawmakers by tying solar and conservative values together. “Iran can’t block the sun, and so if you’re into national security, as I am, I like things that Iran can’t block, or North Korea, or China, or Russia, or any of the other folks who want to do us harm,” he said.

Capitol commuters rejoice: The bridge is back! Gov. Tim Walz hosted a ribbon cutting Friday on the John Ireland Bridge across Interstate 94 in St. Paul. The bridge is a key route to the Minnesota Capitol, and was under construction all of the last legislative session. The opening came right before the Twin Cities marathon, which has its finish line at the bridge. Walz, dressed in running gear, led a celebratory run across the bridge Friday. “This bridge is an important part of the St. Paul community and a vital connection to Minnesota’s Front Lawn,” he said. “As someone who runs and commutes across it, I know what it means to the thousands of people who travel this route every day.”