A fresh set of campaign finance reports were filed by yesterday’s deadline. This chart documents the most recent fundraising period, which runs from July 23 to Sept. 30. EndCash reflects what the candidate had available to spend on Oct. 1.

Voting in the St. Cloud area is key to control of the Minnesota Legislature next year. Our colleague Kirsti Marohn has a look at three contested seats in the area : Aric Putnam, a Democrat, is seeking his third term in Senate District 14, which includes St. Cloud, Waite Park, St. Joseph, St. Augusta and Sauk Rapids. Putnam is a professor of rhetoric at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. He is being challenged by state Rep. Bernie Perryman, a Republican who has served two terms in the Minnesota House. Putnam is no stranger to close elections. He first won his seat in 2020 by just over 300 votes. Along with the Senate race, St. Cloud-area voters also will be choosing two new state representatives. Abdi Daisane, a Somali-American business owner, is running as a Democrat for Perryman's District 14A seat. He's facing off against Republican Mike Conway, a St. Cloud City Council member. In District 14B, Republican Sue Ek is challenging former legislator Zach Dorholt, a Democrat. That seat was left vacant by DFLer Dan Wolgamott, who made an unsuccessful bid for state auditor.

Lawyers for the prediction market companies Kalshi and Polymarket were back in court yesterday arguing Minnesota doesn't have the authority to regulate those markets. Prediction markets let users bet on the outcome of events ranging from the outcome of elections to who will be cast as the next James Bond. The companies – and the federal government – have sued Minnesota to stop a new law that makes hosting or advertising a prediction market a felony. The federal government says only it can regulate these markets. The pretrial hearing was focused on whether the courts should allow discovery in the case, which Magistrate Judge David Schultz says he hopes to decide soon. Minnesota's law is paused until litigation plays out. President Donald Trump's son has had a financial stake in both Polymarket and Kalshi.

The candidates for Minnesota attorney general campaigned yesterday on the two issues that have become central to many races this year: Trump vs. fraud. Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison was joined by Minnesota educators and Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, as he touted the court cases he has brought against the Trump administration. He said he’d keep fighting the administration when the state is specifically targeted for funding cuts and freezes. Ellison criticized his Republican opponent Ron Schutz for calling the state's litigation against the Trump administration “political theater." Ellison said, “Schutz is running to be Trump's lawyer, and we can't afford to stick Trump's lawyer in the Minnesota Attorney General's office." Immediately following Ellison’s press conference, Schutz held one in the same room. The Republican criticized Ellison for allowing “sweetheart plea deals” to several people who’ve been convicted on fraud charges. He said he would take a much more hardline stance against fraudsters. “So there is a clear pathway to put these fraudsters in jail,” he said. Schutz also said he would use the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to bring both criminal and civil cases against those charged with fraud in order to have more avenues to recoup funds. 

Coming up on Monday, our colleague Catharine Richert is launching a new call-in show where she’ll tackle the biggest news of the day. She’s starting with politics just over two weeks out from Election Day. Catharine will talk with two guests: Amy Frederiksen, a Republican political strategist who was the first woman to serve as majority leader in the Minnesota Senate, and Abou Amara, a DFL political analyst and Twin Cities attorney. They’ll try to make sense of the political dynamics at play going into this final stretch of this election season. Listen live in the 11 a.m. hour over the radio or our online stream. And, if you’re so inclined, share your views by calling 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828.