Trail mix: Mayor Pete's Minnesota battleground endorsement
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It's official: House Speaker Lisa Demuth and running-mate Ryan Wilson will compete in the Republican primary for governor after losing the MNGOP endorsement.
- Their announcement — a reversal from Demuth's earlier pledge to drop without it — came one day after the MNGOP chair issued a rare statement giving his blessing for candidates to proceed to the primary given problems with the voting tech.
What they're saying: Demuth cited that "unprecedented action" in her announcement, as she argued she's "much more well positioned financially" to win in November.
Endorsed candidate Kendall Qualls accused Demuth of "putting vanity and political ambitions ahead of giving Republicans their best chance in decades to elect a conservative governor."
- MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and several other candidates also filed for the Aug. 11 primary ballot.
🗳️Christopher Rocco, the delegate who ignited a multi-day media controversy for MNGOP by calling for a moment of silence for Derek Chauvin from the convention floor filed to run for a St. Paul state Senate seat.
- The intrigue: Demuth didn't give a direct answer when asked Tuesday whether the move was appropriate and declined to say whether she'd vote to pardon Chauvin as governor.
🫏 Pete Buttigieg is throwing his support behind Democrat Jake Johnson in Southern Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The endorsement, which drops Wednesday morning, the latest sign that national Democrats see a pickup opportunity in the one-time swing seat.
What he's saying: Buttigieg, a former U.S. Transportation secretary and Democratic presidential candidate, praised Johnson for being "focused on what matters in everyday life: bringing down costs, making government work for people, and investing in our small towns so that success for the next generation doesn't have to mean leaving home."
Reality check: The political lean of the district has shifted considerably since it was a true toss-up: Current GOP Rep. Brad Finstad and President Trump both won there by double digits in 2024.
👯 #Mnleg matchups: MPR's Capitol View counted at least 20 rematches brewing in state legislative districts as of Monday.
- The list includes several swing seats expected to decide the majorities in both chambers.
🙋♂️ In other filing news, Democrats say they've recruited candidates for all 201 legislative districts for the first time.
- Republicans filled most, but will leave a handful of safe DFL seats in the metro uncontested.