MN 2022 Gov Race Megathread

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Is the GOP going to win anything down ballot this year? The party simply died in MN over the past 15 years.

Their best chance would be Jim Schultz for AG. He looks like a pretty generic corporate lawyer who might be able to beat Keith Ellison. Ellison still probably a slight favorite IMO.

I'd say their strongest candidate is probably the guy for State Auditor who looks like a generic businessman type and doesn't have any toxic ties or a paper trail like Doug Wardlow's anti-LGBT groups, Jensen's anti-vaxx and medical controversy or even Schultz's experience in the Trump Admin. However no one really pays attention to this race and it just goes based on coattails, and there's not really much you can attack Julie Blaha on.

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Qualls would have had a much better shot of beating Walz. Gotta love the MN GOP lol

[LiberalDem19]

Is the GOP going to win anything down ballot this year? The party simply died in MN over the past 15 years.

Their best chance would be Jim Schultz for AG. He looks like a pretty generic corporate lawyer who might be able to beat Keith Ellison. Ellison still probably a slight favorite IMO.

I'd say their strongest candidate is probably the guy for State Auditor who looks like a generic businessman type and doesn't have any toxic ties or a paper trail like Doug Wardlow's anti-LGBT groups, Jensen's anti-vaxx and medical controversy or even Schultz's experience in the Trump Admin. However no one really pays attention to this race and it just goes based on coattails, and there's not really much you can attack Julie Blaha on.

I’m really looking forward to the Republicans trying to make that White Claw thing actually happen and then it falling flat

[Minnesota Mike]

Qualls releases a statement saying he will “transition back to private life.”  So he sticks to his pledge to abide by the convention results.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Also worth noting Jensen has openly associated with some people arrested for being involved in the January 6 Capitol riot.

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

Also worth noting Jensen has openly associated with some people arrested for being involved in the January 6 Capitol riot.

Inb4 the usual suspects say"Candidate quality is overrated! Muh r wave! Tossup!"

[LiberalDem19]

https://mobile.twitter.com/doug_wardlow/status/1526588717854511105


Run Doug run!

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Walz and Flanagan have been officially endorsed for renomination.

[Minnesota Mike]

Filing closes in 10 minutes and it does not look like Rick Stanek is going to file so Scott Jenson has a clear path to the Republican nomination (he does face a perennial gladfly candidate).  Also the Corey Hepola 3rd party bid bites the dust as he does not file.

[Minnesota Mike]

Some more filing day highlights.

Doug Wardlow (R) did file to run against Republican endorsed candidate Jim Schultz for AG. Wardlow had said he would abide the convention endorsement but he backtracked.

Jeremy Munson and Matt Benda filed to against Brad Finstad in the MN-01 regular election. Finstad is the nominee for the special election held the same day as the primary.

Pot Party candidates are running in Mn-01, MN-02 and all the statewide races but AG.

The 2 MN Supreme Court judges running for reelection are both unopposed. Both are viewed as liberals.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Cory Hepola meanwhile (remember him?) also has not filed and dropped out: https://bringmethenews.com/minnesota-news/cory-hepola-abandons-bid-to-become-minnesota-governor

His campaign was going absolutely nowhere and nothing but bland platitudes so at least he had sense here.

Although maybe not, sounds like it may not have been voluntary since 8 days ago he only had about 500 signatures out of the 2000 needed. LOL.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/minnesota/walz-ellison-keep-fundraising-edge-over-gop-challengers

Walz has $4.46 million on hand and Jensen has $663k. And for Attorney General Keith Ellison has over $500k and Schultz has about $110k and Wardlow with about $36k.

[Burke Bro]

Minnesotans, feel free to disagree with me. But I'm starting to worry about Democrat's chances here. Polling so far has shown a tight race between Wolf and Jensen and with a strong third party (legalize pot now) taking a significant number of votes away from Wolf, all Republicans might really need a small polling error to win.

[ProgressiveModerate]

Minnesotans, feel free to disagree with me. But I'm starting to worry about Democrat's chances here. Polling so far has shown a tight race between Wolf and Jensen and with a strong third party (legalize pot now) taking a significant number of votes away from Wolf, all Republicans might really need a small polling error to win.

We already saw this in 2020 with Tina Smith only winning by about 5 and most of the marijuana party votes likely coming from Dems. Seriously though, why is the party so influential in Minnesota and why haven't MN Dems found a way to just unite with them or smtg?

Walz is pretty inoffensive as an incumbent relative to other Dem governors which I think helps, plus the twin cities has become a very powerful and reliable base for Dems. This will certainly be put to the test come 2022.

[wesmoorenerd]

Minnesotans, feel free to disagree with me. But I'm starting to worry about Democrat's chances here. Polling so far has shown a tight race between Wolf and Jensen and with a strong third party (legalize pot now) taking a significant number of votes away from Wolf, all Republicans might really need a small polling error to win.

We already saw this in 2020 with Tina Smith only winning by about 5 and most of the marijuana party votes likely coming from Dems. Seriously though, why is the party so influential in Minnesota and why haven't MN Dems found a way to just unite with them or smtg?

Walz is pretty inoffensive as an incumbent relative to other Dem governors which I think helps, plus the twin cities has become a very powerful and reliable base for Dems. This will certainly be put to the test come 2022.

They're buoyed by Republicans, who in turn stonewall attempts to legalize marijuana in the state and keep the issue relevant.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

The pot parties' votes don't really come based on ideology. They're effectively just protest votes. Look at the 2020 Senate race results outstate. Most of their voters were voting for Trump. Tina Smith actually won more counties than Biden.

[wbrocks67]

Jensen appears to be flailing

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1559180352362631169

[wbrocks67]

https://twitter.com/HeartlandSignal/status/1561735655910215682

[RussFeingoldWasRobbed]

He's still more likely to win than Mastriano imo

[Progressive Pessimist]

https://twitter.com/HeartlandSignal/status/1561735655910215682

Jimmie!?

[Minnesota Mike]

Early voting in MN starts 1 month from today.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Every blue state is safe except for GA obviously, because Rs are so far back the Early vote is gonna bank those D's in, the question is TX, FL, NC and OH can Ds win red states as wave insurance for the H

WI is gonna be the closest like it always is but D's caught a break when Kleefisch lost, thank Goodness

Biden is tracking 47/52 not 42% just like QU had Biden at 33/61 and in Rassy he was actually at 41%, I'd you look at Trump approval and Biden Approvals in Rassy they Mirror each other

So, Rs keep complaining about Biden give it a rest Rassy doesn't have him at 42%

[PSOL]

What are the weed parties doing?

[prag_prog]

I think those 3rd parties vote share might go down this time as THC edibles (from hemp) were accidentally legalized in MN couple of months back

[prag_prog]

Also covid policies were hardly that strict in MN. I don't think they were any different than median state. I live in Minneapolis which is like the most liberal part of the state and even here other than first few months and during 2nd wave, there weren't some strict restrictions unless people find Grocery stores requiring people to wear masks as some super strict policy