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

Axios Twin Cities

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Minnesota Republicans endorsed Scott Jensen as their candidate to take on DFL Gov. Tim Walz after a long and contentious debate on Saturday. 

Why it matters: The endorsement unlocks support from the state party and has historically carried significant sway with GOP primary voters. 

The GOP-endorsed gubernatorial candidate has gone on to be the party's general election nominee for nearly three decades.

What he's saying:  "Matt Birk and I have a team, we have a movement, you have fueled much of it," he told delegates of his ticket with the former Viking. "Together, we can absolutely bring that message to Tim Walz: Game over. You're done."

How it happened: The physician and former state senator, who entered the GOP convention as a frontrunner in a crowded field, crossed the 60% threshold needed to secure the endorsement after nine rounds of balloting. 

The process, which included fiery speeches and new alliances as the other four candidates dropped, took more than five hours and came down to a two-way battle between Jensen and former congressional candidate Kendall Qualls.

Bio, in brief: Jensen, a vocal critic of Walz's pandemic response and vaccine mandates, has garnered national attention — and backlash — for his comments questioning COVID-19 death tolls. 

During his one term in the Legislature, he had a reputation as a political wild card willing to buck his party leadership on issues such as gun control and conversion therapy. 

He's tacked right as a candidate, saying he will seek to ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest and suggesting DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon should be jailed for his handling of the 2020 election. On Saturday, he apologized to delegates for his past stance on gun control.

Behind the win: Jensen, who significantly out-raised his GOP rivals, revived some of his most conservative and controversial claims as he made the case to Republican delegates that he and Birk were best positioned to excite voters and defeat Walz. 

Following the vote, he told reporters that he now plans to broaden his platform to have "new issues brought in the mix," including consumer protection, corporate responsibility and water conservation. 

The other side: DFL Party chair Ken Martin blasted Jensen in a statement, saying Republicans selected "the most extreme and dangerous candidate to lead their party in the fall."

What to watch: The filing period for the August primary, which opens this week, will show whether other Republicans follow through on their promises to abide by the endorsement and drop their campaigns, which would allow Jensen to turn his focus to November. 

Qualls said in a statement Saturday that he plans "to transition back to private life."

Minnesota candidate for governor Scott Jensen wins GOP endorsement

The former state senator's COVID-19 comments have garnered national attention and backlash.

Scott Jensen. Photo courtesy of Minnesota Legislature 

Minnesota

Minnesota Republicans endorsed <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Scott Jensen" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2021/03/10/former-state-senator-scott-jensen-joins-race-minnesota-governor" data-vars-content-id="17d52df2-50f5-4d38-bd9c-011c7ade7ad1" data-vars-headline="Minnesota candidate for governor Scott Jensen wins GOP endorsement" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2021/03/10/former-state-senator-scott-jensen-joins-race-minnesota-governor" target="_self">Scott Jensen</a> as their candidate to take on DFL Gov. Tim Walz after a long and contentious debate on Saturday. Why it matters: The endorsement unlocks support from the state party and has historically carried significant sway with GOP primary voters.

Politics

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

Minnesota's class of 2039 will be dominated by Olivers and Charlottes. 

Driving the news: The Social Security Administration just released its list of the most popular baby names of 2021. Olivia and Liam, both among the favorites in recent years, topped the national charts.

Zoom in: Here are the most popular names in Minnesota. 

Charlotte and Oliver were Minnesota's most popular baby names in 2021

Illustration of a baby wearing a "hello my name is" sticker. 

Minnesota&#x27;s class of 2039 will be dominated by Olivers and Charlottes. Driving the news: The Social Security Administration just released its list of the most popular baby names of 2021. Olivia and Liam, both among the favorites in recent years, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="topped the national charts" data-vars-click-url="https://blog.ssa.gov/social-securitys-most-popular-baby-names-for-2021/" data-vars-content-id="2eae987c-e08f-40d0-a052-cdab621d7a06" data-vars-headline="Charlotte and Oliver were Minnesota&#x27;s most popular baby names in 2021" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://blog.ssa.gov/social-securitys-most-popular-baby-names-for-2021/" target="_blank">topped the national charts</a>.

News

November matchups for some of Minnesota's top statewide races could be all but finalized by this weekend — if a fight over election security doesn't derail the state Republican Party convention. 

What's happening: Republican activists will gather in Rochester Friday and Saturday to endorse candidates for statewide office, including governor, ahead of the August primary.

Why it matters: The endorsements carry serious weight and unlock GOP cash and resources. The GOP's endorsed candidate has become the party's eventual gubernatorial nominee in every election since 1994.

State of play: The crowded nature of the field of candidates vying to take on DFL Gov. Tim Walz means it's unlikely that any candidate will secure the endorsement on the first ballot.

Contested races for attorney general and secretary of state are also on the agenda.

What we're hearing: Scott Jensen, a physician and former state senator, is believed by many to have a lead among delegates. But he remains shy of the 60% threshold to win.

A key question will be whether delegates backing candidates who don't perform as well in round one throw their support behind him or another candidate, such as Kendall Qualls or state Sen. Paul Gazelka.

What to watch: A debate among delegates and campaigns over whether to use paper or electronic ballots for the convention could upend the process.

Minnesota Republican Party Chairman David Hann, who wants to stick with the almost instantaneous electronic system, told Axios it could take two hours for each round of voting with paper ballots.

Under that scenario, it's unlikely that all of the endorsements could be completed by a 6pm Saturday deadline for vacating the venue.

Yes, but: Hann said he's confident delegates will ultimately pick a candidate to back for governor, even if it means changing the order of paper ballot votes and staying late into the night Friday to get it done.

"Everybody understands that an endorsement is extremely key," he told Axios.

The intrigue: All the gubernatorial candidates have committed both publicly and to Hann personally that they will abide by the endorsement and end their campaign if they aren't the party's pick.

But objections to the process — or a situation where campaigns and delegates do run out the clock — could mean multiple candidates still go on to the August primary.

Minnesota Republicans gather to endorse candidate for governor

A dispute over electronic vs. paper ballots could prolong the process.

Illustration of an elephant trunk holding a megaphone.  

November matchups for some of Minnesota&#x27;s top statewide races could be all but finalized by this weekend — if a fight over election security doesn&#x27;t derail the state Republican Party convention. What&#x27;s happening: Republican activists will gather in Rochester Friday and Saturday to endorse candidates for statewide office, including governor, ahead of the August primary.

Top Minnesota lawmakers have agreed to the framework of an end-of-session deal on spending a big chunk of the state's surplus, with one week to go until the deadline to adjourn for the year. 

The big picture: Under the tentative agreement announced by Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders Monday, about $4 billion will go to tax cuts and $4 billion to spending on areas such as education, public safety and health services over the next three years.

A remaining $4 billion will be saved for the future. 

The big catch: Leaders claim they haven't agreed on how to spend the money within those buckets, including how much Minnesotans will get back via permanent tax cuts pushed by Senate Republicans, targeted credits backed by House Democrats or direct payments proposed by the governor. 

That would mean committee chairs and leaders at the divided Legislature have just days to bridge big gulfs on policy and spending priorities. 

What they're saying: "It's going to be tough work," Walz told reporters Monday. "It's going to be around the clock up here."

Zoom in: Under the deal, $450 million will be earmarked for public safety, $1 billion for schools and $1 billion for health and human services. 

It also includes $1.4 billion in borrowing for public infrastructure and construction projects. 

What's next: Committees involving members from both chambers will continue to work on specifics. 

Leaders said they will step in as needed as the midnight Sunday deadline approaches. 

The intrigue: Because the two-year budget was set last year, lawmakers don't have to make any decisions on how to spend the money before they gavel out.

Walz has previously said he will not call a special session if the Legislature is unable to pass supplemental spending bills by the deadline. 

When asked whether his position had changed, he said he feels "pretty confident" that lawmakers can get it done this week. 

Minnesota leaders outline framework for end-of-session spending deal

Yes, but: Details need to be worked out still.

 Photo: Michael Siluk/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Top Minnesota lawmakers have agreed to the framework of an end-of-session deal on spending a big chunk of the state&#x27;s surplus, with one week to go until the deadline to adjourn for the year. The big picture: Under the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tentative agreement" data-vars-click-url="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22015504/framework-attachment.pdf" data-vars-content-id="ce7a7614-a908-487d-a0f0-cb5aaa33232c" data-vars-headline="Minnesota leaders outline framework for end-of-session spending deal" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/22015504/framework-attachment.pdf" target="_blank">tentative agreement</a> announced by Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders Monday, about $4 billion will go to tax cuts and $4 billion to spending on areas such as education, public safety and health services over the next three years.

A new biography of George Floyd hits the shelves Tuesday.

The big picture: "His Name is George Floyd," written by Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, seeks to show "how systemic racism shaped George Floyd's life and legacy... telling the story of how one man's tragic experience brought about a global movement for change." 

Zoom in: The 432-page book is based on hundreds of interviews with Floyd's friends and family, "civil rights icons" and political leaders, according to the publisher.

What they're saying: Associated Press book reviewer Jeff Rowe writes that the authors did "a masterful, thorough and even-handed job" of achieving their goal of  analyzing the policies that impact Floyd's life without "[absolving him] of responsibility for his actions." 

Of note: Next week marks two years since Floyd's death under the knee of then-Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin sparked protests across the nation.

Go deeper: Read an excerpt of the book via The Washington Post. 

New George Floyd biography explores systemic racism and global movement

The book is being released a week before the second anniversary of Floyd's killing.

Image courtesy of Viking/Penguin Random House

Minneapolis

A new biography of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="George Floyd" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/black-lives-matter-movement/" data-vars-content-id="d64e85a1-110a-4ccf-bd0e-71595293a043" data-vars-headline="New George Floyd biography explores systemic racism and global movement" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/black-lives-matter-movement/" target="_self">George Floyd</a> hits the shelves Tuesday.The big picture: &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="His Name is George Floyd" data-vars-click-url="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/703358/his-name-is-george-floyd-by-robert-samuels-and-toluse-olorunnipa/" data-vars-content-id="d64e85a1-110a-4ccf-bd0e-71595293a043" data-vars-headline="New George Floyd biography explores systemic racism and global movement" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/703358/his-name-is-george-floyd-by-robert-samuels-and-toluse-olorunnipa/" target="_blank">His Name is George Floyd</a>,&quot; written by Washington Post reporters Robert Samuels and Toluse Olorunnipa, seeks to show &quot;how systemic racism shaped George Floyd&#x27;s life and legacy... telling the story of how one man&#x27;s tragic experience brought about a global movement for change.&quot;

Torey Van Oot

Featured stories

New George Floyd biography explores systemic racism and global movement

Minnesota leaders outline framework for end-of-session spending deal

Minnesota candidate for governor Scott Jensen wins GOP endorsement

Minnesota Republicans gather to endorse candidate for governor

Charlotte and Oliver were Minnesota's most popular baby names in 2021