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Get smarter, faster about what’s happening in your backyard with local reporter Torey Van Oot.

Axios Twin Cities Thought Bubble

Axios Twin Cities

Demand for Omicron boosters in Minnesota is off to a tepid start. 

The big picture: Just over 197,000 Minnesotans have received a dose of the updated boosters, called bivalent vaccines, since they rolled out earlier this month, state data shows.

That's just 5.5% of residents 12 and older who finished their primary series and are considered eligible for a new shot. 

Why it matters: Health experts say the boosters, which target one of the newest and most contagious strains of COVID, could provide extra protection from serious illness heading into the fall. 

State of the virus: New cases in Minnesota recently fell below 1,000 a day for the first time since April, per the Star Tribune.

The latest wastewater surveillance data shows COVID levels remain slightly elevated but are trending down.

Yes, but: A recent rise in cases in the U.K. has some experts worried that another wave will hit the U.S. later this fall, per CNN.

Between the lines: The expedited way in which the shots were rolled out — and unknowns on how well they'll work — have left many people leery and full of questions, Axios' Tina Reed and Adriel Bettelheim write.

Plus, many Minnesotans who had COVID or got an earlier version of the booster over the summer may be waiting to maximize its effects. 

Experts suggest waiting at least 60 days for the new dose in those situations.

Zoom out: Overall vaccine uptake for the updated booster across the nation has also been slow.

Approximately 4.4 million people nationwide have received updated boosters so far, which amounts to less than 2% of those eligible, per the CDC. 

Flashback: About 1.1 million booster and third doses were administered in Minnesota in the initial months following the rollout of the earlier generation booster last year.

What to watch: Pfizer and BioNTech announced Monday that they are seeking emergency use authorization from the FDA for its Omicron-specific COVID-19 booster for children ages 5-11, Axios' Erin Doherty and Adriel Bettelheim write.

The shot is currently available for those 12 and older. Moderna's version is for those 18 and up. 

Go deeper: What to know about new COVID boosters

Boosters, anyone? Demand for Omicron shot off to a slow start in Minnesota

Just under 165,000 Minnesotans have received a dose of the updated vaccines since they were rolled out earlier this month.

Illustration of a turtle carrying a vial of liquid

Demand for Omicron boosters in Minnesota is off to a tepid start. The big picture: Just over 197,000 Minnesotans have received a dose of the updated boosters, called bivalent vaccines, since they rolled out earlier this month, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="state data shows" data-vars-click-url="https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/data/index.jsp" data-vars-content-id="064be42d-ff4d-470b-9e77-ca241d4f25b3" data-vars-headline="Boosters, anyone? Demand for Omicron shot off to a slow start in Minnesota" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://mn.gov/covid19/vaccine/data/index.jsp" target="_blank">state data shows</a>.

COVID

Axios Twin Cities, anchored by Torey Van Oot, Nick Halter and Audrey Kennedy, is here to help readers get smarter, faster on the most consequential news and developments unfolding in their own backyard

Data: Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board; Chart: Tory Lysik/Axios

Most Democrats running for statewide office in Minnesota entered the final seven-week stretch with a big cash advantage. 

Why it matters: Campaigns need cash to get their message to voters.

Zoom in: Several GOP candidates posted strong fundraising numbers since the last reports were due, but it wasn't enough to close the gap.

Committees for the DFL caucuses in the state House and Senate also have an edge, the reports, which cover money raised and spent through Sept. 20, show. 

Individual state legislative candidates didn't have to report this week.

Of note: Ryan Wilson, the GOP candidate for auditor, paid for most campaign expenses himself and reported those expenditures as "in-kind" contributions, which boosted his bottom line.

What to watch: Independent groups that can quickly raise and spend unlimited sums can have a big impact late in close races. 

Filings show Democratic candidates have edge in Minnesota campaign cash wars

Yes, but: Outside groups can tip the scales.

Most Democrats running for statewide office in Minnesota entered the final seven-week stretch with a big cash advantage. Why it matters: Campaigns need cash to get their message to voters.

Politics

More than 1,000 Ramsey County voters have received ballots that erroneously list a dead state House candidate who is no longer in the running for the East St. Paul seat. 

What happened: Beverly Peterson, the GOP's candidate for House District 67A, died in early August. Republicans were able to nominate Scott Hesselgrave to replace her and face Democrat Liz Lee in the November election. 

Ramsey County says the Secretary of State's office informed election officials that a change was needed on Aug. 29. Officials updated and proofread the ballot, but due to a "clerical error," the county sent the wrong version to the printer, according to a court filing.

The problem: Local election officials didn't notice the error until Sept. 23, the first day of early voting. Under state law, they can't pull the ballots or print new ones without the state Supreme Court's permission. 

What they're doing: The county filed an "errors and omissions" petition with the court asking justices to allow elections officials to print new ballots. 

Officials also want the court's permission to reach out to early absentee voters to tell them that they can "spoil" their ballot and cast a new one with the correct match-up. 

Of note: Under the proposal, votes for the deceased candidate that were not clawed back will not count toward the final tally.

What he's saying: Hesselgrave, who faces long odds in a district that heavily favors the DFL, told the Star Tribune he didn't know about the error until he read about it in the newspaper.

"[My campaign] is a long shot for a lot of reasons, even what led to me running begs for a healing message," he said. "Maybe this will help it get out there."

What's next: The Supreme Court plans to expedite a decision on the matter. 

The court set end-of-week deadlines for parties involved to file memos in the case.

A county spokesperson told Axios that the elections office should be able to receive reprinted ballots within four days of ordering them. Some corrected ballots would be available immediately for in-person voting. 

"Clerical error" leaves dead candidate on St. Paul House ballot

Beverly Peterson, the GOP's candidate for House District 67A, died in early

Illustration of error pop-up in the ballot box slot

More than 1,000 Ramsey County voters have received ballots that erroneously list a dead state House candidate who is no longer in the running for the East St. Paul seat. What happened: Beverly Peterson, the GOP&#x27;s candidate for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="House District 67A" data-vars-click-url="https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/docs/67A.pdf" data-vars-content-id="87cf8b26-0906-4a95-bca2-58e8893795d5" data-vars-headline="&quot;Clerical error&quot; leaves dead candidate on St. Paul House ballot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/docs/67A.pdf" target="_blank">House District 67A</a>, died in early August. Republicans were able to nominate Scott Hesselgrave to replace her and face Democrat Liz Lee in the November election.

Data: Wesleyan Media Project; Chart: Axios Visuals

Democrats have vastly outspent Republicans in the Minnesota gubernatorial race ad wars so far. 

The big picture: More than eight in 10 TV ads tracked by the Wesleyan Media Project between Sept. 5 and Sept. 18 were meant to boost DFL Gov. Tim Walz over Republican Scott Jensen.

More than half the DFL ads came from outside groups. 

Of note: No independent committees backing GOP candidate Scott Jensen had weighed in as of the analysis, which used Kantar/CMAG data. One such group, Foundation for Minnesota's Future, announced its first statewide buy on Monday. 

What to watch: Updates to campaign finance filings showing how statewide candidates and independent groups have been spending their cash — and how much they have left in the bank — will be posted online at 8am Wednesday. 

Catch up quick: The battle for the Capitol

MinnPost is out with a helpful explainer breaking down the state legislative races that will probably determine political control of the state Capitol.

Why it matters: The new Legislature will decide how to spend the state's huge surplus and pass (or block) proposals on issues that will directly impact your life. 

State of the campaigns: Democrats say abortion is the driving issue for voters, while Republicans counter that crime and inflation will tip the scales in their favor, Peter Callaghan reports. 

Get smart on 20 top legislative races via MinnPost.

"Since abortion is not on the ballot, let's talk about the ongoing issues that affect Minnesotans every day: crime, inflation, the economy and education."

MNGOP chairman David Hann in a reportedly "confidential" memo urging candidates to respond to questions about abortion by saying it's a "constitutional right" in Minnesota. 

Why it matters: The letter, which was posted online by a political operative and an outside group, reflects Republicans' efforts to limit political blowback over the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. 

Reality check: While the right to an abortion in Minnesota is protected by a state Supreme Court ruling, the Legislature could pass bills seeking to restrict or expand access to the procedure or put a constitutional amendment on the ballot.

Of note: Both sides routinely circulate talking points to campaigns and other surrogates — that's why you hear so many politicians singing such similar tunes on hot issues.

A spokesperson for the Minnesota Republican Party did not respond to Axios' request for comment on the memo's authenticity.

Go deeper on the memo via The Star Tribune.

Trail mix: Minnesota Democrats dominate the airwaves

Democrats have vastly outspent Republicans in the Minnesota gubernatorial race ad wars so far. The big picture: More than eight in 10 TV ads <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tracked by the Wesleyan Media Project" data-vars-click-url="https://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-092222/" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://mediaproject.wesleyan.edu/releases-092222/" target="_blank">tracked by the Wesleyan Media Project</a> between Sept. 5 and Sept. 18 were meant to boost DFL Gov. Tim Walz over Republican Scott Jensen.

Top Republicans are calling for the resignation of Department of Education commissioner Heather Mueller over the agency's response to the Feeding Our Future fraud allegations.

Driving the news: In a statement issued Monday, Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) cited a judge's statement disputing assertions by Mueller and Gov. Tim Walz that the court ordered the agency to keep paying the embattled nonprofit last year.

"If it is true MDE was under no obligation to continue to pay Feeding our Future, and Commissioner Mueller was dishonest before a Senate Committee about the Judge's actions, I have no choice but to call for the Commissioner to resign," Miller said. 

GOP gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen renewed his own call for Mueller's resignation at a Monday news conference. 

The other side: The MDE has said the judge's actions forced its hand — while he did not issue an order on the payments, he did find the state in contempt of court for not processing site applications quickly enough in June 2021. A spokesperson for the governor defended Mueller and the agency's actions on Monday.

"MDE blew the whistle on this fraud scheme. They detected it early and worked diligently to stop it," she said in an email. 

Between the lines: The Senate has the power to confirm or reject the governor's agency heads, but the Legislature isn't scheduled to be back in session until January. 

Zoom out: Prosecutors say Feeding Our Future was at the center of a "brazen" scheme to defraud the government of $250 million meant for needy kids. 

The nonprofit's executive director, one of dozens of people facing charges in connection with the case, has denied wrongdoing. She pleaded not guilty.

Situational awareness: Fallout over the scandal is fueling attacks on the campaign trail. 

Two other Republicans running for statewide office — attorney general nominee Jim Schultz and auditor candidate Ryan Wilson—held their own events criticizing their rivals over their office's roles in the case. 

DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison responded with a lengthly statement defending his office's actions, which included representing MDE in court and pressing the embattled nonprofit to register as a charity. 

His office is conducting a civil investigation into potential violations of state charity regulations.

Feeding Our Future: Republicans call for Minnesota education commissioner's resignation over fraud case

The Senate has the power to confirm or reject the governor's agency heads, but the Legislature isn't scheduled to be back in session until January.

Education commissioner Heather Mueller testifies at a Senate hearing. Screenshot: Senate Media Services 

Top Republicans are calling for the resignation of Department of Education commissioner Heather Mueller over the agency&#x27;s response to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the Feeding Our Future fraud allegations" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/09/21/feeding-our-future-indictment-minnesota" data-vars-content-id="c0e52b54-0d6d-4bfc-accf-c362327bf7df" data-vars-headline="Feeding Our Future: Republicans call for Minnesota education commissioner&#x27;s resignation over fraud case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/09/21/feeding-our-future-indictment-minnesota" target="_self">the Feeding Our Future fraud allegations</a>.Driving the news: In a statement issued Monday, Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller (R-Winona) cited a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="judge&#x27;s statement disputing assertions" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/09/23/feeding-our-future-indictments-tim-walz-state-response" data-vars-content-id="c0e52b54-0d6d-4bfc-accf-c362327bf7df" data-vars-headline="Feeding Our Future: Republicans call for Minnesota education commissioner&#x27;s resignation over fraud case" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2022/09/23/feeding-our-future-indictments-tim-walz-state-response" target="_self">judge&#x27;s statement disputing assertions</a> by Mueller and Gov. Tim Walz that the court ordered the agency to keep paying the embattled nonprofit last year.

Torey Van Oot

Featured stories

Filings show Democratic candidates have edge in Minnesota campaign cash wars

"Clerical error" leaves dead candidate on St. Paul House ballot

Trail mix: Minnesota Democrats dominate the airwaves

Boosters, anyone? Demand for Omicron shot off to a slow start in Minnesota

Feeding Our Future: Republicans call for Minnesota education commissioner's resignation over fraud case