Good morning. A fresh batch of campaign finance reports for state-level candidates and causes hit today.

A federal judge in Minneapolis placed Minnesota’s ban on prediction markets on hold — at least for the time being. Judge Katherine Menendez blocked a law days away from taking effect that would make it a felony to host or advertise a prediction market in the state. The sites let people wager on everything from sports to politics to celebrity weddings. State legislators passed the law this spring, saying the markets could become addictive for young people. They also raised concerns about insider trading and a lack of a regulatory framework from the state. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, along with Kalshi and Polymarket sued, saying the federal government has the authority to regulate the markets — not the states. Menendez said the CFTC and markets proved they could face “irreparable harm” from the law if it’s allowed to be enforced starting next week. She granted a preliminary injunction — preventing enforcement — while the case plays out. Dana and our colleague Matt Sepic have more here.

U.S. Senate candidates Angie Craig and Peggy Flanagan spared no jabs yesterday as they faced off in the final head-to-head debate before the Aug. 11 primary. The pair aired what they viewed as one another’s greatest vulnerabilities heading into a general election matchup: Craig said Flanagan’s was fraud and not doing enough to stop it; Flanagan said Craig’s was not doing enough to push back on the Trump administration, especially when it came to immigration enforcement. Craig cast herself as the Democrat willing to work across the aisle to get things done for Minnesotans. Flanagan said she was more of a fighter who embodied what voters are looking for — big changes. Despite the tough talk, each said she would be willing to support the other if they came up short in the primary contest. You can read a recap here.

Craig says her campaign didn't ask for DFL state Sen. John Hoffman's backing while he was in intensive care. Hoffman said a mutual friend requested an endorsement while he was recovering from multiple bullet wounds during an assassination attempt. Hoffman has endorsed Peggy Flanagan and mentioned the exchange during a campaign event for Flanagan over the weekend. Craig denied putting out the request. "I would never, ever do that, and nor would David Wellstone ever go to the ICU on anyone's behalf and talk about politics,” Craig said during the debate. Flanagan steered clear. "I adore John Hoffman and Yvette and Hope, and I am so glad that they're alive, and that you know this conversation is absolutely between Congresswoman Craig and the Hoffmans,” Flanagan said. Craig notched a big endorsement in the race yesterday — from first lady Gwen Walz. The seal of approval is significant because Gov. Tim Walz hasn’t weighed in on the contest. It could be perceived as a snub of Walz’s No. 2 in charge. Neither Flanagan nor Craig would say if they have asked the governor for an endorsement.

The debate comes as early voting is already a month in progress. The latest statistics from the Secretary of State’s Office show more than 60,000 completed ballots are already in the hands of election administrators. That’s out of 319,000 ballots requested or sent to voters on a permanent absentee list. Almost a quarter of the accepted ballots are in Hennepin County, the largest and a traditionally Democratic county. Beyond that, Ramsey County (4,186)  and Dakota County (4,158) are neck and neck, which is notable given that the 2nd Congressional District primary is another motivating race this primary season.

Aug. 12, the day after the primary, is the tentative date for a special legislative session to deal with wildfires. At a news conference in Ely, Gov. Tim Walz said that he’s talked with legislative leaders about the need to help out residents and businesses in the area. Walz declared a peacetime emergency earlier this month, but under state law, needs lawmaker approval to extend that emergency beyond 30 days. That clock is up on Aug. 11. He said the special session would be used to address the economic impact of the wildfires, and he said he and lawmakers have already started the groundwork for what an economic recovery package might look like. “It’s really important for us to keep this narrowly focused to the fires and recovery in northern Minnesota and not try to add anything to that special session,” Walz told reporters. “I don’t think that would be appropriate but that's a negotiation that would have to happen.” 

We’ve heard plenty about the candidates for governor in each party, but their running mates have — mostly — been out of the spotlight. Mary Murphy with Forum News Service rounded up bios on the four running mates of the major contenders in the race. They include; business owner and former Fergus Falls Mayor Ben Schierer, who is running with Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Phillip Parrish, a retired Naval intelligence officer who works as a school administrator, who is running with Mike Lindell; Ryan Wilson, an attorney and one time GOP-endorsed candidate for state auditor in 2022; and Brian Nicholson, a businessman who has never held political office, who is running alongside Kendall Qualls.

Nicholson, Qualls’ running mate, has been more in the spotlight than others in the race because of past conduct, faces wage theft complaints by former employees at the company he ran. Michelle Griffith with the Minnesota Reformer reports that Nicholson told employees at an Albertville manufacturer earlier this month that he was doing everything in his power to pay them what they’re owed. Griffith reports he told employees they would be furloughed and that he’d find money to pay them as soon as possible. They have not been paid since June 19. Some workers have filed wage theft claims with the state. The company has ceased operations. Nicholson said a deal that the company was working on fell through at the last minute. He has also faced allegations of financial misconduct by a former CFO in a different business matter. Outside of his business dealings, Nicholson has also faced scrutiny for attending the Jan. 6, 2021 election results protest outside the U.S. Capitol, which he says he left when things became violent.