Walz Watch: Walz Still Watchable

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz lost his bid for VP last night but, in a way, he kinda won? Local strategists and DFL leaders seem to agree that Walz was overall good for Kamala Harris’s campaign. “There’s no doubt that Gov. Walz helped energize the ticket and bring voters into this coalition,” DFL Party Chair Ken Martin tells the Minnesota Reformer. “It would be really unfair to say that the reason that they lost this race was because of the addition of Gov. Walz, I think just the opposite.”

While it feels way too soon to be thinking about 2028, J. Patrick Coolican and Michelle Griffin posit in that same Reformer article that his VP run could put him in contention for the Democratic nom in next presidential election. “He’s shown himself to be skilled at the retail campaigning that is a staple of early state presidential nominating contests. He’s a proven fundraiser with a newly fat rolodex. And he’s got a long list of legislative victories,” they write.

Ryan Faircloth at the Star Tribune points out that Walz will be under greater scrutiny now. “Some had questioned the upside of picking a running mate from a state that hasn’t supported a Republican presidential candidate in more than 50 years,” he writes. Still, others believe he at least had a hand in Minnesota’s win. “Walz has consistently had an approval rating of more than 50% and his personal popularity has played a role in keeping the state blue,” Carleton College political science professor Steven Schier tells Ana Radelat at MinnPost.

In the meantime, Walz still has two years left as Minnesota’s Governor, and will be tackling the state budget in January.

The Good News and the Bad News

Last night might have been a shitshow on a national level, but Minnesota has… some things to celebrate? Former state Sen. Ann Johnson Stewart (DFL-Minnetonka) won a special election against Republican Kathleen Fowke, which means the chamber will hold its 34-33 DFL majority. The Minnesota House is still tied at 67-67 and most likely headed for a recount, but legislators seem optimistic either way. “The system absorbed a lot of change in '23 and '24 — and so going forward, it was likely to be a less change-oriented session and biennium, regardless of who was in control,” a pretty chill sounding Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman tells MPR. But yes, as it looks now, the DFL trifecta is broken.

Rep. Ilhan Omar was reelected for a fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, as was Rep. Angie Craig, and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar easily beat former b-baller Royce “The Bad Guys Won WWII” White. Minnesota’s Third Congressional District is getting an upgrade with Democrat Kelly Morrison taking Rep. Dean Phillips’s seat. Phillips, as you almost certainly recall, didn’t run for reelection, instead vying for the presidency in an awkward campaign that lasted about three months.

And then, there are the weird ones. Remember Marisa Simonetti, the family values candidate who was arrested this summer for throwing a live tarantula at a woman she was subletting to? She lost her campaign for Hennepin County District 6 commissioner to Heather Edelson. Meanwhile, for some reason, Nisswa elected Jennifer Carnahan—the ousted MN GOP chair who’s buds with imprisoned sex trafficker Tony Lazzaro, ran a sketchy charity org, and got into a fist fight at her husband’s funeral—as mayor. The Star Tribune points out that her new gig pays $350 a month. Sure hope she has a side hustle!

Animals Are Rising Up Against Us

Or, as last night’s election results suggest, people are just getting shittier. That’s my hot take today after learning that reported dog and cat bites in Minneapolis are up 30% from last year, according to Minneapolis Animal Care and Control. That’s 600 bites in 2024 versus 480 in 2023. Why are the gentle beasts of the world attacking us? MACC director Tony Schendel tells Katrina Bailey at The Minnesota Daily that incidents are more likely when residents don’t follow the leash law—something he believes is on the rise. Veterinarian Dr. Kristi Flynn says we need to watch for animal body language cues and respect that not all pets do Minnesota Nice. “If we could just ask that people give each other and their dogs space in public instead of everybody kind of rushing in to meet each other’s dogs and those kinds of things, I think that would help,” she says.

Coors Closes Leinenkugel’s, Trove Needs Cash

We’ve seen it before, many times. In 2023, workers at the Leinenkugel’s production facility in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, voted to unionize. Now, about a year later, brand owners Molson Coors has decided to shut the site down, Bring Me the News confirmed via a statement. The tourist facility and pilot brewery will remain open, while production moves to Milwaukee. Founded in 1867 in Chippewa Falls, Leinenkugel’s is one of the oldest breweries in the U.S. Former Leinie’s President Dick Leinenkugel tells Wisconsin’s WTMJ that he and his family weren’t consulted or given a heads up before the announcement. “Today, on behalf of the Leinenkugel family, I thank [our customers and clients] again and will toast them this evening with a Leinenkugel’s Original and a tear in my eye," he says.

Over in Burnsville, Trove Brewing Co. is in need of a major cash infusion. We’re talking $75K to help pay for recent rent hikes and the rising costs of beer making supplies. “Right now, the sales aren’t there to keep the company running,” co-owner Jeffrey Crane tells Alyxandra Sego for Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Since opening in October of 2023, the owners say that business hasn’t picked up and distribution deals have fallen through. They’ve launched a Givebutter fundraiser; so far 21 supporters have pledged $2,675.

Racket’s Jay and Em discussed the topic of failing food and drink businesses that turn to crowdfunding last month on the debut episode of RacketCast, which you can listen to here. How do we feel about this one, gang?