Good morning. It’ll be a short week at the Capitol View assembly line. We’ll have an edition tomorrow and then be out until July 8.

GOP-endorsed gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls’ running mate says he has no regrets about demonstrating with President Donald Trump’s supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Star Tribune duo Walker Orenstein and Jake Steinberg report that Brian Nicholson, a candidate for lieutenant governor, was on the Capitol lawn that day. “I don’t apologize for being there,” Nicholson said. “There were a lot of questions about the results of the 2020 election and I wanted to hear from, and show my support for, the greatest president of my lifetime.” Nicholson was there the day hundreds of people who doubted the outcome of the 2020 presidential election broke into the building and clashed with police officers, resulting in seven deaths, three of whom were in law enforcement. The Star Tribune didn’t implicate Nicholson in any of the violence and he said he left before things got tense, adding that he opposes violence against law enforcement. Qualls called the story a “hit piece” and said that he knew of Nicholson’s presence in Washington before the paper approached the campaign. The Qualls/Nicholson ticket is one of several on the August ballot, where GOP voters will choose a nominee. That electorate is likely to receive the story much differently than a general election set of voters given that Trump, who has promoted a debunked stolen election theory and pardoned Jan. 6 participants, still holds much sway among Republicans.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth says she’ll bypass debates ahead of the August Republican primary. On Friday, Demuth told reporters she’d focus on a primary win, followed by a debate with the DFL-nominated candidate, likely U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. Qualls, a former healthcare executive, and MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell have called for additional face-offs between Republican hopefuls ahead of the primary. "As Republican candidates, we have done 16 forums between the time that I announced my run for governor. And just less than a month ago we had a debate down in Rochester,” Demuth said at an event highlighting the kickoff of early voting. “I am looking forward to winning the primary and debating Amy Klobuchar." Republican voters will choose which candidate advances to the November ballot. Asked about Qualls’ proposal last week to cut $9 billion in state spending, Demuth said she’d already helped cut more than $5 billion in state spending in the last two years. She said there could be additional cuts to come. “The first way we will do that is ending fraud and cutting back, and right-sizing the government,” Demuth said. “There's been an explosion of new FTEs (full-time equivalent employees) and growth within government in a way that Minnesotans and their family budgets have not experienced, and we look forward to doing further reductions as appropriate.”

Over the weekend, DFL governor candidate Amy Klobuchar released her latest campaign plank that she said would strengthen workforce readiness. It contains an array of measures to promote programs to feed vocational and science/technology jobs that will be in higher demand. She wants to incentivize apprenticeships in the trades and encourage employers to ramp up continuing skills training, perhaps through tax credits. There are nods to preparations for an economy jolted by the spread of artificial intelligence. Her plan also addresses various K-12 school concerns. One is to enact a ban on “cell phones and other personal mobile devices in K-12 classrooms, with narrow exceptions for genuine emergencies and medical needs.” It’s a pathway some districts have begun on their own but seemingly would take that to a state level. Screen time limits in classrooms are also part of her plan.

Decided voters started showing up to the polls Friday. The window for early voting – 46 days before an election — came open. Voters can vote absentee by mail or in person, and they don’t need an excuse to do so. Voters can request absentee ballots online or show up in-person to polling places to apply for an absentee ballot, and cast their ballot then and there. Early voters in Minneapolis reported a smooth process and showed off their special, “I voted early” stickers. Candidates also held get-out-the-vote events Friday, hoping to bank lots of votes early. Check out first day photos and learn more about the early voting process here.

State Rep. Elliott Engen entered a not guilty plea during a short court hearing on his DWI charges Friday. Engen, the White Bear Lake Republican, turned up at the Ramsey County Suburban District Court, wearing a blue suit, alongside his attorney Chris Madel. Madel spoke with prosecutors and the two left the courthouse — nothing was said in front of the court. According to court documents, Engen entered a not guilty plea. His next court hearing is set for Aug. 28. Engen had been a candidate for state auditor, but quietly bowed out of that race. He briefly filed to run for re-election for his current seat, but then dropped that bid.

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer has gone from courting Somali voters to criticizing the community as he runs for reelection. As Sydney Kashiwagi with the Star Tribune reports, Rep. Emmer, who is the No. 3 Republican in the U.S. House, once again disparaged Somalis last week, saying they should “go the hell back to where they came from.” Emmer has ramped up his rhetoric about the Somali community over the years and defended President Donald Trump's attacks on Minnesota Somalis, a sharp contrast to when Emmer spent his first years in office trying to make inroads with the relatively large voting bloc in his district. Kashiwagi explains that before Trump was elected, Emmer defended Somalis in St. Cloud. Emmer said as long as they moved into the community legally, “You don’t get to slam the gate behind you and tell nobody else that they’re welcome.” Emmer is currently serving his sixth term as the representative for Minnesota’s 6th District and he’s running for reelection.