Election 2026: Minneapolis School Board At-Large

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I wrote about this race in the primary and the tl;dr is that my opinion has not changed: I would vote for Christin Crabtree and Collin Beachy.

Here’s who’s on the ballot:

Christin Crabtree (DFL-endorsed)
Stephanie Johnson
Collin Beachy (incumbent, DFL-endorsed)
Michael Baskins

In the months since the primary, we’ve gotten a new central issue in the race: the proposed “transformation plans” that would close 14 to 16 schools and were presented as a “well, obviously the board needs to pick one of these” set of options. Here’s the thing about school closures (and instability in general) — the district invariably loses students. (To open-enrollment in other districts, private schools, and charters.) Since the money follows the student, you don’t end up saving much. This has further been muddied by the insistance that the point of this plan is not to save money but to “provide a consistent experience” for students across the district.

Some resources on the race worth looking at:

  • There’s a Voter Guide with a questionnaire that each candidate responded to. One of the questions was about “rightsizing” the school budget. (I hate that particular buzzword, it makes my skin crawl, but since it’s in the question I can’t really hold it against the candidates who used it in their answer.)
  • There was a LWV forum on October 5th. Christin, Michael, and Collin were all there; Stephanie was not.

Stephanie Johnson

Stephanie Johnson still doesn’t have a website. I also can’t find her on social media. Given that she also didn’t come to the forum, I’m honestly not sure whether she’s actually still running.

In her response to the budget question on the Voter Guide questionnaire she said, “closing schools has to be on the table. We are years beyond the school board and superintendent mandating the CDD; since then, it seems district leaders have opted to look the other way rather than take on the truly tough decision to rightsize the district physically. We need to work together to avoid any more stalling of change.” Since she’s basically vanished from the race I’m not sure what her take is on the current specific proposals.

(She may have fully intended to come to the forum and had to miss for an entirely valid reason. But this is in fact why campaign websites, or campaign Facebooks, or campaign Bluesky or Instagram or Twitter accounts, or literally anything that lets you communicate with the voters you want support from, are such a good idea.)

Michael Baskins

Even if you like what Michael says on his website, I just want to note that he wound up in court for misusing campaign funds while running for City Council because he spent 20% of his campaign money on clothing. His website mentions no endorsements.

He is pro-school-closure. When he responded to the Voter Guide questionnaire he said, “To rightsize the MPS budget, the focus first needs to be on rightsizing the sprawling overcapacity that MPS has in school buildings. Nearly 40% of building capacity currently goes unused.” Which sure sounds like “we absolutely need to close schools.” At the LWV forum, the first question (12 minutes in) was about the transformation plan. He said that he’d been to some of the listening sessions and “frustration is valid due to the half-baked nature of the plan,” but his concerns were mostly with communication strategies: the district had not explained the advantages of the plan, or what district finances look like without the closures. Despite his rhetoric about transparency, he clearly didn’t want to say, on stage and out loud, that he wanted to close 14 to 16 schools in the district.

Collin Beachy

Here’s what I said during the primary: Collin is a special education teacher who has served on the school board for four years and is running for another term. Everyone seems to genuinely like him. School Board member is a job that pays poorly, takes up a lot more time than it’s supposed to, involves getting yelled at a bunch, and is in general a factory for burnout, which means people rarely run for re-election and this creates real issues with institutional memory. So I approach Minneapolis school board races with a pro-incumbent bias when someone’s running again, and I definitely think Collin would continue to be an asset to the school board.

In response to the Voter Guide questionnaire budget question, Collin said, “Our transformation work recognizes that increasing enrollment and improving the student experience go hand in hand. The Board has directed the administration to develop strategies not only to attract new students but also to retain the families who already choose MPS. […] At the same time, we must make responsible financial decisions based on today’s enrollment—not the enrollment we hope to have five years from now. Building long-term trust with families requires both educational excellence and financial sustainability.” I read this as an acknowledgment that they’re going to have to close some schools, but I don’t think he was expecting a plan that closes a minimum of 14. At the LWV forum he acknowledged the strengths of the plan (every student would have a “guaranteed experience” regardless of where they live in the city) but then said the plan was not what the Board expected.

He also gave an interview to a Fox9 streaming show where he said that on one hand, “no decision has been made” and the plans could change, and on the other hand, doing nothing would mean another round of cuts to teachers, staff, and programming.

Christin Crabtree

Here’s what I said about Christin during the primary: Christin is someone I know through social media (Minneapolis Bluesky, mainly); she was heavily involved in organizing against ICE this winter. She’s the kind of person who years ago I’d say “have you ever thought about running for School Board?” and I’m excited that she’s running.

In her Voter Guide questionnaire, she said, “Cuts and closures will not improve the health of Minneapolis; divestment is not a winning strategy for our future. […] MPS must use relational, data driven efforts to retain and attract families while partnering across jurisdictions to implement policies that keep families in Minneapolis. […] Funding from the state is a critical path toward budget stability in Minneapolis and public schools across Minnesota. Minnesota is currently ranked 26th in public education funding in the United States.”

In her response to the question about the closure plan at the LWV forum, she said that the district was being presented with a false choice and that her plan was to get the district’s internal house in order; to make sure there was transparency about school finance; and to empower the placement office and make sure they had multilingual staff. (The placement office is the administrative office that handles “which school, exactly, a kid is going to.” It was a basket case when my older kid was being placed at a school back in 2006 and it seems to be worse now. If you want kids to attend school in Minneapolis, a functional placement office is a key element.)

So. Speaking more broadly about this race: I will note that I don’t, personally, know what ought to be done to fix the Minneapolis Public Schools. “We should be getting more money from the State Legislature” is accurate, and might be possible with a DFL trifecta, but is not something that is actually under the control of the school board. (“We’ll make the legislature give us more money” is something I remember school board candidates saying over and over back during the GOP state trifecta in the early 2000s, and you can imagine how well it worked.) However, closing down fourteen schools and displacing over 3,000 students, around 15% of the MPS population, is going to result in losing a huge number of families. When the CDD was implemented back in 2021, about 14% of MPS students had to change schools, and over 2,000 students left the district. To be fair, a lot was going on in 2021. (This was pointed out to the school board in the spring of 2020 and they passed the CDD anyway.)

The thing about massive disruptions like this is that (a) They’re bad for students. Schools are not just buildings, they’re communities. Kids have friends, they know the teachers, etc. (b) They break trust. Sending your kid to school requires so many complicated layers of trust — in the teachers, in the staff, in the district as a whole. When you mess with that, you lose people. (c) They create a new decision point about where someone’s going to send their kids to school. You have to persuade people who chose MPS once to choose it again, and to choose it again in a situation where MPS has just screwed them and their kid over! At any given moment, a lot of Minneapolis parents are unhappy with MPS, but are disinclined to pull their kids out and send them somewhere else because changing schools is traumatic and difficult. If you’re already putting their kid through the trauma of changing schools, it gets a lot easier to just leave.

Also: the proposal is to close these schools and then let the buildings sit empty. It’s against either law or district policy (I forget which) to sell school buildings to charters (or, I think, private schools), and this creates the problem that there are relatively few groups other than schools that find a school building well-suited to their needs. This came up years ago with Howe school, which is once again on the block for closure. It got closed down in 2005. There was talk of selling the building. There was an arts group that wanted to buy it (this is how I got involved, actually), a developer who wanted the land for housing but wanted the district to pay the money to tear down the building, and a charter school that wanted the building. I went to the neighborhood meetings, which featured a man screaming “FUCK YOU” in my face with zero intervention from the facilitators. After a whole lot of money and time, the building continued to sit empty until in 2013, it was re-opened by the district as the upper campus of Hiawatha (Hiawatha School serves K-2, Howe serves 3-5.)

Something else that is a bad advertisement for MPS: empty buildings sitting indefinitely in a residential neighborhood. (The guy who screamed swear words in my face lived across the street from Howe. He didn’t send his kids to MPS. Also, he considered the two legitimate options for the building to be a school, or tearing it down to build houses. Had to be single-family houses, no multifamily. He was really mad that I thought an arts collective would be a pretty good use for it.)

Anyway. If you close 14 schools (or 15 or 16 schools), the district is going to lose thousands of kids immediately, and thousands more in the next couple of years because more parents will choose other options (private schools, charter schools, open-enrollment in other districts). A tremendous amount of the marketing that happens for MPS happens parent-to-parent. “Oh, your kid goes to [school]? What do you think of it?” When parents say, “We love our school” and says a lot of good things about it, you get more students. When parents say, “Well, we loved our old school but then MPS closed it down…” you get fewer.

So on one hand, I am a little frustrated that both Christin and Collin kind of dodged the question of whether Minneapolis should close any schools. And on the other, I am skeptical that the district can get out of its financial problems by closing schools because every time you close schools you lose so many students. And both Michael and Stephanie seem to treat closing schools as a central part of the solution.

(There’s a whole side thing where the district is now saying they’re not running a deficit, their budget is balanced and the purpose of this plan is not to save money but to use their resources better. But, OK. MPS has had a massive deficit crisis multiple years in a row, don’t try to pretend that’s not going to happen again, and also, if you don’t have a deficit because you’re understaffing a bunch of schools — that’s what the whole “everyone should have the same experience in every school” seems to be talking about, that a bunch of schools don’t have an art teacher, or don’t have a librarian — that’s still a deficit, IMO.)

But also, part of choosing who to vote for involves choosing people. There are four people on the ballot. One never got around to setting up a campaign website or even a campaign Facebook; one is a doofus who spent 20% of his campaign funds on suits when he ran for City Council. I am not 100% satisfied with either Collin or Christin, but I am absolutely convinced that I trust their common sense and their approach more than I trust the other two.

I’ll wrap up by noting that in digging around for information on what candidates were saying about the transformation plan, I ran across a thread on Reddit where someone from a small group of parents shared an alternative transformation plan. It still closes a small number of schools but moves the communities intact to other sites, prioritizes keeping neighborhood schools, and — I actually thought this was the most interesting — has a detailed plan for recruiting and retaining students in MPS. (There are certain infuriatingly recurring themes to school board races and one is, “we need to attract and retain students.” There are suggestions, including really simple suggestions, that have been made over and over and over and never implemented.)

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: St. Paul City Question 1

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There is a citywide referendum in St. Paul. This is the Right to Repair Initiative, which was placed on the ballot by petition. It was organized by the group Safe Homes St. Paul. It was at one point blocked from being on the ballot by the City Council on the grounds that the City Attorney doesn’t think it’s legal/enforceable, but this was overridden by a judge. Here’s the text on the ballot:

CITY QUESTION 1 (St. Paul)

Creating Chapter 34A of the Saint Paul Legislative Code

Should the City adopt the proposed Ordinance pertaining to a tenants right to repair? The ordinance would allow tenants to make repairs to their building after written notice to the landlord and deduct an amount not exceeding $500 or one-half month’s rent to pay for the repair. A “Yes” vote amends the City of Saint Paul’s Legislative Code to adopt the Proposed Ordinance pertaining to a tenant’s right to repair. A “No” vote will result in no changes to the City’s Legislative Code.

You can also find the full text of the proposed ordinance here.

On a fundamental level, I think it’s entirely reasonable to say that if you’re a tenant, and something breaks and your landlord doesn’t fix it, you should be able to just fix it yourself, or call a repair person and get it fixed, and deduct the expense from your rent. That feels entirely reasonable to me. Where I start to have concerns is in the details of how this would be implemented, exactly, and whether it would work the way I want it to work.

The initial concerns I had, along with the answers I got from Cole Hanson (of Safe Homes St. Paul) when I e-mailed:

1. What happens if a tenant tries to fix something, and breaks it worse?

Cole noted that Section 34A.05 says that all repairs must be made in a workmanlike manner, and if required by law, by persons who are licensed to perform the required work. He said that if you’re in doubt you should probably hire a professional. He also pointed out section 34A.07: “Nothing in this section shall abridge the liability of a contractor, servicer, vendor, or any other person who enters the premises to make repairs to the landlord for damage to property under the applicable principles of statutory and common law.” So — basically the answer is, if you’re a tenant doing the repair and you break it worse, you’re potentially on the hook for the cost of additional problems you might have caused.

2. What if landlords use this as an excuse to default on their responsibilities and tell tenants to fix stuff themselves? Repair is labor and for that matter so is scheduling a plumber. It shouldn’t be on tenants to repair things.

In Duluth, where this passed in 2025, the Right to Repair ordinance has apparently not yet been used. Per Cole, this is because the threat of tenants being able to call a repairman themself means that landlords are making repairs more promptly, because they absolutely want to be able to know it’s their own preferred plumber or whatever doing the work. St. Paul skeptics of this ordinance are less convinced that’s the case. I’ll note that there’s a Reddit thread in /r/Duluth looking for people who need help using the ordinance and the replies are mostly not people trying to figure out how to get something fixed.

3. How will it be handled if there’s a conflict between the landlord and the tenant about whether a problem is an actual problem that needs to be fixed, as opposed to something the tenant should just live with (or something the tenant is imagining?)

There’s an answer to this in the text of the ordinance! Section 34A.05, “Tenant contracting repairs; notice; eligible repairs,”(c) If the landlord disputes that a repair is required, they must send written notice to the tenant within 14 days of the tenant’s notice and arrange for the building official to inspect the property. If a landlord does not respond to the tenant’s notice within 14 days, the landlord waives their right to claim that a repair is not required. If the inspection confirms that the repair is required, or if an inspection does not occur within 30 days of the landlord’s written notice of dispute, the tenant retains the right to initiate the repair.“

4. Are there any protections for the tenant in situations where you call for what’s supposed to be a simple, under-the-limit repair, and then as the work is being done it balloons into something much more expensive?

Cole’s response: “What I see here is the classic leaky fixture actually caused by an old old pipe. In that case, a tenant would likely need to file again for the attached or other identified issues. This is why it would be worthwhile to use inclusive language when submitting notice to your landlord in case an issue is greater than anticipated. You can also file simultaneous requests for different violations, and possibly stack them month over month. Again, these are hypotheticals and have not been tested in court in Duluth, from which much of this language originated.” He also highlighted Section 34A.03: If the tenant’s rent is subsidized in whole or in part by a governmental agency, the deduction limitation of one month’s rent shall mean the fair market rent for the dwelling and not the rent that the tenant pays.

5. Is there any protection for the landlord against the following situation: a tenant has a broken doorknob, and after waiting out the 14 days, they hire their buddy Jo, who they then pay the full maximum amount allowed for 5 minutes of work, so their landlord winds up on the hook for $500 to Jo’s Expert Doorknob Repair?

I didn’t ask Cole this question but here’s my understanding: yes, the protection for the landlord is that they get two weeks to fix the doorknob themself. The ordinance requires that repairs be completed “in a workmanlike manner” and I don’t think that covers costs (however, I am not a lawyer.)

Other concerns I’ve heard:

1. The city enforcement infrastructure for this doesn’t exist, and won’t exist until sometime after this gets passed. Worth noting, in the case where a landlord disputes that a repair is needed, the landlord needs to arrange a visit from a building inspector. We do have those in St. Paul but I don’t know how many, and how busy they are. If the inspection does not occur within 30 days, the tenant gets to make the repair, even if the landlord has been trying to get someone to come out and take a look. That said, this has literally not come up at all in Duluth.

2. This could raise rent, because it raises the costs for landlords. I kinda think this is a bogus argument because landlords are supposed to fix stuff. This should already be part of what you’re paying for, even if you’re paying very low rent.

3. There are various additional legal issues with the way the ordinance was written. For example, if work requires a permit, the tenant can’t pull a permit, that still requires the landlord. The permit issue specifically got brought up by the City Attorney who wanted it knocked off the ballot, and it could, in a few cases, be an issue, but given the limits on costs you can charge back to your landlord, I think in general the stuff that requires a permit will still need the landlord’s participation anyway. Average rent in St. Paul is about $1500/month, which would cap costs at $750. Thinking back to the things we’ve done on our house that required a permit, all of them cost significantly more than that.

3. But because parts of the law are unenforceable (according to the City Attorney), the whole thing may just not go on the books until the City Council can revise it, and that won’t happen for a full year (because if something passes in a referendum the City isn’t allowed to tweak it for a year). The City Council could pass their own Right to Repair ordinance that would take effect much more quickly. This is a fair point, but I am concerned that if a Right to Repair ordinance fails, the interpretation will be, “our citizenry opposes this ordinance,” and not, “our citizenry would like us to immediately pass a version of this that has been vetted by our city attorney to cover problems like ‘what about permits that the tenant can’t get.'” It’s a shame that passage may mean it sits in limbo for a year, but I think passing it now makes it more likely that we get some version of it eventually.

Anyway, the upshot is this: there are absolutely issues with this ordinance as written, and I think that is one of the reasons that it has yet to be used in Duluth. (I think the theory by its proponents, that landlords don’t want their tenants hiring Jo’s Expert Doorknob Repair or going at things with a wrench themselves, is also a factor. I think there’s probably a final issue of lack of trust, that people are wary of assuming that if they hire their own plumber, and their landlord pushes back, and it all winds up in court, that this won’t leave them screwed.)

I’m going to vote for this because I do want some version of this to be the law, and I think we’re a lot more likely to get some version of this in the end if we pass it than if we don’t.

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: Constitutional Amendment 1

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This is a statewide vote, and there’s only one constitutional amendment on the ballot despite the number. Here’s the question as it appears:

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 1

Increasing funding to school districts

Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to increase the funding going to all school districts from the permanent school fund, which is a fund that supports school districts without raising individual income or property taxes, effective July 1, 2027?

You can vote yes or no. Non-votes will be counted as a no. This needs a simple majority to pass, but it needs a simple majority of all voters.

The permanent school fund was created when Minnesota became a state; it was originally 8.6 million acres of land (that I assume were stolen from the Dakota and Anishinaabe). Over time, a lot of the land in the southern part of the state has been sold off. The fund includes 2.5 million acres of land, 1 million acres in mineral rights, and a very large pile of money ($2.4 billion) in a whole lot of investments, managed by the State Board of Investments. Right now, constitutionally, the dividends of the fund can be distributed to schools, but capital gains can’t. The legislature would like to be able to distribute a small percentage of the capital gains, as well.

To be clear, they are not proposing to spend the fund down to zero. What they want to do is basically what every college with an endowment does: manage the investments, distribute the dividends, and distribute some of the money, so that the fund is available to support students today as well as in a decade.

There are several websites that are in favor of this amendment, two of which you can find here and here. I couldn’t find an organized “vote no” effort. The two sites kind of focus on the “more money for schools without raising taxes!” argument, which, fair, I guess! But here are the reasons to support the amendment that I found most compelling:

  1. The legislature appointed a committee (of utterly wonkish, thoroughly obscure investment experts, as far as I could tell from googling them) to discuss whether to make this change. This was their recommendation.
  2. This really is what private universities with endowments do. The amount they’re proposing to spend is very conservative. They’re not going to spend this fund dry. They’re not going to even come close to spending this fund dry. This fund went from $1.3 billion to $2.4 billion in the last nine years; they can, in fact, spend some of this money right now on the kids we’re currently educating as a state.
  3. This passed the MN House unanimously.

I am going to vote yes and I hope this passes. Remember: not voting is the same as voting “no.”

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: Minnesota State Auditor

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This is a statewide race and there are three people running. Incumbent Julie Blaha is not running for re-election. On the ballot:

Zack Filipovich (DFL)
Scott Jensen (Republican)
Jay Reeves (Forward Independence)

I spent more time than I thought I would on this one because Jay Reeves is running a fairly serious campaign and I wanted to treat him seriously. The tl;dr is that I am going to vote for Zach Filipovich, who’s well qualified for the job; I do think Jay Reeves is both more qualified and less of a creep than Scott Jensen, but I think Zach is the best candidate and also, that Jay Reeves is going to come in third.

All three candidates have appeared in two debates together: Almanac on PBS, and on The Sunday Take at the State Fair. I watched (well, listened to) both of these debates.

Scott Jensen (Republican)

When we last saw Scott Jensen, he was losing the 2022 Governor’s race by 8 percentage points. He manages to embody the Republican party at its worst in a whole range of ways; back in 2022 I noted that he’d gone around spreading the “kids have LITTERBOXES now” urban legend, and this year in the State Fair debate (in his closing statement, you can find it 37 minutes in) he brought up Zach’s endorsement from OutFront in order to showcase his own transphobia. You really have to be committed to transphobia to make your transphobic garbage an issue in the race for state auditor. He also seized several opportunities to brag about his COVID denialism. He’s also just not particularly qualified in this race compared to either of his opponents.

He’s also old. I mean, he’s not Trump levels of old, but he’s 71, and since he made an issue of it in the debate (“I will not hold my opponents’ youth and inexperience against them, heh heh”) I feel like I can point this out. He’s 71 and if you watch the debate and then look at his website it’s clear his staff has filtered and photoshopped the heck out of his photos to make him look younger (while still leaving sufficient wrinkles and gray hair that it’s not super obviously filtered.)

The main reason not to vote for him, though, is his record (as a creepy, transphobic, COVID-denying Trumpist). Plus he loves AI and wants to use it more in the Auditor’s office, which sounds like a recipe for disaster.

Jay Reeves (Forward Independence)

Jay enlisted in the Army in 2006 and stayed in until 2023, retiring as a Major (I am very inexpert on this, but my sense is that it’s fairly unusual to make the leap from enlisted man to commissioned officer.) I think he took a medical retirement because he developed cancer in 2022, which he has now recovered from. He talks a lot about his experience with “data analytics” and one of my frustrations in researching him is that it’s hard to figure out what he’s saying he did, exactly. Here’s his LinkedIn. It says he spent 15 years as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist; got a Master’s in Health Informatics from the U of M in 2019; worked as a “Capability Manager (Data Analyst)” in Virginia from 2019-22; and was a laboratory manager for one year at the end. He retired when he did because he had cancer, which I think he’s since recovered from. In 2023, he had a Data Analyst internship at a place called DivvyDose, after which he was a Business Analyst there for three months. Basically, his data analytics experience was presumably while he was in the military so it’s hard to know if he only talks about one thing (making a database to track something COVID-related in the early stages of the pandemic) because that’s the big data analytical thing he did, or because some of what he did, he’s not allowed to talk about. And this matters, because that’s really his major case for qualification, that he does data analysis well. (Or, “data analytics,” a phrase he loves so much you could turn it into a drinking game while watching the debates.)

The Forward Independence party is basically what’s left of the Jessecrats. I used to stop by their booth at the State Fair and pick up their literature to see what they had for a platform, if anything; I remember one year it was a long list of extremely random complaints, like if you had Andy Rooney write you a political platform, and at this point I’m not sure they have a unifying idea beyond “we aren’t Republicans and we also aren’t Democrats.” Jay apparently tried to get endorsed by the DFL to run for the CD 6 seat (against Tom Emmer) and didn’t get endorsed; this came up in one of the debates because Scott brought it up, and Jay’s explanation of why he was trying to run as a DFLer while also still an Independent and also they wouldn’t let him get endorsed because he refused to sign off on some of their beliefs, you know, it was confusing. I was confused. He sounded confused, like it made me wonder if he understood what endorsement was, how it worked, what it means to ask for a party’s endorsement.

Especially since he’s pretty conservative! Over on his Facebook, he has a long post whining about Keith Ellison calling (some) Republicans bigots and racists. Here’s a fun fact: a whole lot of Republicans are bigots and racists. Jay’s post links to a piece on Townhall (a conservative site, I’m not sure if it’s technically pretending to be news or just commentary) that linked to a Twitter post from noted local asshole Dustin Grage who was retweeting some garbage from Alpha News. Garbage all the way down, in other words.

He’s less loudly enthusiastic about AI tools in the auditor’s office (that I found! I may have missed something) (also, he talks a lot about “modernizing” the technology, and probably that means AI) but he is definitely using them in this race. Some post of his mentioned he’d used ChatGPT to write a summary, and this post in particular has the distinct cadence of ChatGPT’s writing style. I don’t love it! It’s already enough work to research candidates without having to wade through piles of crap they couldn’t even be bothered to write, you know?

Finally, even if you love the idea of a third-party guy in this role I will note that he shared a poll that shows Scott with 43% support, Zach with 36%, Jay with 4%, and Undecided at 17%, which means that even if every single Undecided voter breaks for Jay, he would still come in third. Also, Scott Jensen would win.

Zack Filipovich (DFL)

Zach is an uncommonly qualified candidate in that he’s an actual accountant who has worked in local government finance, the thing the Minnesota State Auditor actually oversees. He’s also served on the Duluth City Council.

I do want to acknowledge that it’s been many decades since there was an actual accountant serving in this role. In 2018, the Republican candidate was a CPA which might have been tempting (that’s a link to my post where I acknowledge that an actual accountant in this job might be a good thing) if Pam Myrha hadn’t been so generally loathesome. Anyway, this year I can vote for an accountant who’s also a Democrat, and while this is in fact a job where party should not matter, it’s clear from listening to Scott that it does.

Zach also understands what this job is and he’s energetic, thoughtful, and (I thought this was interesting) aware that in addition to fraud, part of the job of the auditor is to catch mistakes, which are in fact way more common than fraud. I am absolutely going to vote for Zach, and would encourage other people to do the same.

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: Governor & Lieutenant Governor of MN

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On the ballot:

Amy Klobuchar and Ben Schierer (DFL)
Lisa Demuth and Ryan Wilson (Republican)
Steven Young and Jane Kirby (Green)

The tl;dr is that I’m going to vote for Amy Klobuchar, even though I find her chronically disappointing, and I think you should, too.

Lisa Demuth and Ryan Wilson (Republican)

Lisa Demuth is the Speaker of the House in the State House of Representatives. She’s trying to present herself as a moderate. She’s not. I’m going to go through her record and then talk about some of what’s on her website.

  • Lisa’s record on reproductive rights. Lisa has a 100% rating from MCCL (the anti-abortion group). In 2023, she was the chief author of HF 1809, a bill that would introduce restrictions to make it harder for people to get abortions (the “licensure of abortion facilities” is something that’s passed in many states because it sounds reasonable on the surface but the purpose of the rule is to make it harder for abortion clinics to operate) and ban some abortions entirely. One thing I think is really important to note: her proposed law would have banned third-trimester abortions with no exception for lethal fetal anomalies. And to be clear, early induction (one of the very common options offered when a fetus is discovered to have a condition incompatible with life) would be considered an abortion under the definitions in Minnesota law (a lot of people assume that an early induction done after a tragic diagnosis is not legally an abortion and as many people have discovered, it is.)
  • Lisa is heavily responsible for Metro Surge. Lisa proudly took credit for steering right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley to Minnesota to gin up bullshit concerns about daycare fraud. This was Trump’s pretext for sending in thousands of poorly trained, heavily armed goons to harass, kidnap, and murder our neighbors.

Regarding the things she’s campaigning on, I have some additional thoughts.

  • Asked about private equity driving up housing costs at the State Fair, Lisa gave the most hilariously content-free response you can imagine. “I think our state needs to look very heavily at that. In how we want to move forward as a state. Not ready to make a definite plan or determination on it, but we have to look at what’s happening in other states. Is it driving up costs? We have to look at that piece.” She had been running for office for 10 months at this point, so “I’m not ready to make a definite plan” is sure a thing to say about housing costs.
  • Her website has an “affordability” section but the only thing she says about housing costs is that she wants to cut property taxes. Mostly she wants to make things cheaper for vehicle owners, and there is, of course, absolutely nothing in that section about how she’d keep the roads paved if everyone’s tab fees are $100 or less and the gas tax is lowered. (All of that money goes to road maintenance, something most Republicans like to have.)
  • She wants state funds to go to private schools (the “safety funding” I mentioned earlier). She also wants to cut the universal free lunches passed during the DFL trifecta a couple of years ago because “when a family is making six- and sometimes seven-figure incomes, their kids do not need free meals.” Honestly, if a school is charging $20,000 or $40,000 or even $73,000 tuition, they do not need money from the state. (There are a number of reasons that I support universal free lunches, including for kids from rich families, and at the top of the list: rich people can also be abusive and neglectful and having shitty rich parents does not mean that you don’t get hungry if your parents don’t give you lunch. I think it’s important that school is a refuge for ALL kids, and we can fund those lunches for the children of rich parents by taxing those parents more to pay for those lunches. If we don’t put people like Lisa “we should definitely cut taxes on the rich” Demuth in charge.)
  • Lisa’s “education plan” includes a lot of stuff about reducing mandates, allowing schools to get waivers for mandates, etc., but she is not remotely forthcoming about the mandates she thinks we could save money by eliminating. Does she think we should stop educating disabled children? That we should stop requiring that teachers have training and licensure? That schools shouldn’t have to run school buses? That schools shouldn’t have to run background checks on staff? Seriously, which mandates, Lisa? (I sent her this question by e-mail, and I also asked which standards were “woke.” If I hear back — unlikely — I will update.)
  • Like all the Republicans in Minnesota, Lisa is making fraud her centerpiece issue, though not in a way where she’s willing to comment on any of the fraud currently being committed by the President of the United States. Instead she makes promises like, “If you steal welfare from our state, you’re going to prison – with no exceptions. You’re paying it back and we’re seizing the assets. You’ll receive a lifetime ban from receiving benefits. You can go to another state but you’re not going to steal from Minnesota again.” She wants us to imagine a welfare queen being stripped of her fur coat and other ill-gotten gains and being forced to get a job. What this sort of law actually means: destitute people who fucked up some minor bit of paperwork and claimed an extra $14 of benefits they shouldn’t have gotten are kicked out of their subsidized housing and wind up living in a homeless encampment. Or, even more likely, destitute people who didn’t fuck anything up, who followed all the rules, who had some overworked office worker tick an incorrect box, will have their health care taken away and will die of diabetes while their equally confused sister is waiting on hold trying to find out why the letter says they have $84,000 in assets when they might have $4 in mixed change if you want to dig for it in the couch. You want to throw the book at the Feeding Our Future crowd? GREAT. They absolutely have it coming. But there’s no actual distinction made on her site between people who stole millions of dollars, and people who worked under the table while receiving benefits. No exceptions!

Anyway. I absolutely do not want Lisa Demuth as governor.

Steven Young and Jane Kirby (Green)

So, Steve Young. I want to start by acknowledging this is one of the most validating, tempting things I have ever seen on a campaign website:

This (or something similar) is what I want to hear from everyone running, honestly.

On the other hand, here’s his pinned tweet (from his @steventhebold account as opposed to his @steveformn account):

A pinned Tweet from steven young: running 4 MN guv'nr @steventhebold, posted October 17, 2024 Every time I see some idiot say "well what about what happened on Oct. 7th?!" I remember my initial reaction (which I still stand by) I saw the paraglider commandos and I stood up and cheered and pumped my fists and shouted 'they did it! They're fucking doing it!"

He is straightforwardly pro-Hamas. He’s enthusiastically pro-Hamas, even. I tried to do some digging to try to sort out his other views, and I’ll note he also seems to be a North Korea booster. (He’s also a Stalin defender but not of the “Stalin: Actually Awesome!” Tankie school of Stalin defense.) Mostly, though, he really fucking loves Hamas.

I am furious at Israel and disgusted with their actions and strongly in favor of ending America’s military and financial support of Israel. Also, I think that if your response to October 7th was cheering and pumping your fists, you’re a gross person and I will never vote for you for anything. October 7th killed hundreds of civilians; the entirely predictable, absolutely horrifying Israeli response killed tens of thousands more. If you were celebrating that day, I don’t want you as my political representative, even if you’re running to win, which he is not.

Over on Twitter, he’s doing the usual third-party thing of complaining that people aren’t paying attention to him, and pretending that he thinks he’s going to win. However, he’s not recruiting volunteers, and if he’s doing any campaigning (doorknocking, tabling with other Green Party people at festivals, marching in parades, distributing lit, putting up signs) he’s not mentioning them on his Twitter, which means that either he’s not doing them, or he’s unaware that posting that he’s doing this stuff is also part of campaigning.

The Green Party did send out an e-mail blast (which I got) on September 10th where they talk about their Get Out the Vote efforts:

We have six candidates that will be on the ballot and need your help. Below is a list of Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts to support our candidates and to reach our goal to obtain Minor Party Status (1% of all MN votes) or even Major Party Status (8% of all MN votes).

GOTV efforts can include: Letters to the Editor (LTE), sidewalk chalking, flyering in your local area, sharing GPMN information on social media, call into talk radio, handmade window or lawn signs, phone banking, house parties, voter registration and donating to our party or to the candidates.

I think there are a couple of things worth noting here. They’re encouraging their supporters to do this stuff, but I haven’t found any sign of an organized effort. (Seth Kuhl-Stennes, the Green Secretary of State candidate, has an Events section on his site but it’s empty.) Steve did an interview on a small YouTube interviews show but I found no other indication of actual campaigning, despite checking his website, his LinkTree, and both of his Twitters. Also, his party is not pretending that anyone is running to win. The Green Party of Minnesota website has specific times to sign up to work on petitions to get people on the ballot but nothing specific about when and where you might do doorknocking to persuade people to vote for their candidates (that’s a link to their “Volunteer” page, which is a sign up sheet with no info.)

My point here: (a) as much as I agree with him about ICE, he kind of sucks, and (b) if you vote for him, that is 100% a protest vote. The actual choice here is between Lisa and Amy; there is no scenario where he wins. The absolute best-case scenario for him is that he draws off enough of the left-wing vote that we get Lisa Demuth as governor. At which point we’ll have Lisa Demuth as governor for four years.

Amy Klobuchar and Ben Schierer (DFL)

Amy Klobuchar is a deeply unsatisfying Democrat in a whole host of ways. She’s a cosponsor of KOSA. She’s voted for an embarrassing number of Trump’s judicial nominations. In the last two years (and during 2016-2020) it has consistently felt like we needed to hound Amy to get her to do the right thing.

However: she’s a Democrat. She’s reliably pro-choice. She’s been depressingly quiet on trans issues but also helped to block Senate passage of a law that would have prohibited school districts from allowing trans girls to play on girl’s teams. (Note: MSHSL, which sets policy for high school sport in Minnesota, has allowed trans girls to play on girls’ teams since 2015.) Would she veto an anti-trans law like the one Demuth tried to pass in 2023? If a Republican legislature passed such a law and send it to her desk, I would feel like I needed to call her up and yell at her, but I also think she would veto that law; Demuth would clearly sign it. Klobuchar is also a cosponsor of the pro-LGBTQ Equality Act, and cosponsored a law to legalize abortion nationally.

I will, and did, cast protest votes during primaries, but I do not fuck around with the general election, even if the polls say it’s a safe race. You just never know. Amy Klobuchar is unsatisfying; Lisa Demuth is terrible. I am going to vote for Amy Klobuchar, and would encourage my readers to vote for her as well. I think that a DFL legislature, if we can vote in another one of those, will pass good stuff, and when they do, she’ll sign it, just as the frequently unsatisfying, annoyingly moderate Tim Walz did.

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: Ramsey County Commissioner, District 3

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Another easy one. On the ballot:

Garrison McMurtrey (DFL-endorsed, incumbent)
Greg Copeland

Garrison McMurtrey was elected in a special election in 2025. He hasn’t updated his website yet to talk about accomplishments rather than goals, but he hasn’t had a lot of time. But he seems like a perfectly nice normal Democrat.

Greg Copeland is a Republican and a perennial candidate who ran for the wrong County Board seat in 2022, City Council in 2019, St. Paul School Board in 2017, and 2016, and 2015, and 2013. Two minutes of browsing through his blog found a post about the “Plandemic” and a post where he misgenders Rep. Leigh Finke.

Absolutely vote for Garrison McMurtrey!

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: Hennepin County Sheriff

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This is just THE WORST race. On the ballot:

Dawanna Witt (incumbent, DFL-endorsed)
Joseph Banks (Republican-endorsed)

During Metro Surge, Dawanna Witt’s deputies repeatedly collaborated with ICE to physically abuse protesters and legal observers. I’m not going to link to video because I’d have to watch it again, and I’m just not up for it. I will give her some credit based on the fact that Trump’s administration threatened to arrest her because she was not handing over jail inmates to ICE without a warrant from a judge. But she and her staff failed to protect Minnesotans in a whole range of ways last winner.

However, Joseph Banks sought (and received) endorsement from the Republicans. His Facebook page includes an endorsement of Kendall Qualls as well as re-posts of sentiments like “let’s turn MN red in 2026!” He has largely avoided sharing any actual stances on anything, and did not reply to my e-mail, but his Facebook has a bot set up to give you information if you message them questions:

ME: Do you think the Hennepin County Sheriff’s office should be cooperating more, or less, with ICE and the Border Patrol?

JOSEPH BANKS’S CAMPAIGN BOT: Joseph Banks believes in working closely with federal partners like ICE and Border Patrol to keep everyone safe and informed. He supports transparency, coordination, and ensuring the community receives accurate information, while also respecting human dignity and due process.

(I experimented to see if I could get the bot to say anything really shocking but it’s fairly locked down.)

I’ll note that Joseph Banks ran in 2022 and I did a deep dive into his qualifications at the time. Even if he were not ideologically aligned with the fascists, he’s completely unqualified for the job.

So here’s where we’re at: the alternative to Dawanna Witt is someone who thinks the Sheriff’s office should be cooperating more with ICE, is endorsed by the Republican party, and whose prior relevant experience was overseeing law enforcement in two towns with populations of under 500 people, almost 20 years ago. (It’s really interesting that the experience thing was not remotely a dealbreaker for the Republicans, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.)

There’s simply no good option here. If I lived in Hennepin County I would either vote for Witt or leave that line blank.

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: Hennepin County Commissioner, District 2

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I wrote about this during the primary cycle. It’s now been narrowed down to two candidates:

Irene Fernando (Incumbent, DFL-endorsed)
Sharon El-Amin

I preferred Irene in the primary and I continue to prefer Irene for a number of reasons.

  1. Irene highlights her support of immigrants (she specifically mentions expanding support for the Immigrant Legal Defense fund), an issue that Sharon doesn’t mention on her website.
  2. Irene’s work on homelessness includes the steps that mostly eliminated veteran homelessness in Hennepin County, and also taking steps to re-legalize SROs (single-room occupancy housing. SROs are controversial but something I strongly support as one of a number of solutions to homelessness; they can offer a level of deep affordability that allow a lot more people to avoid or escape homelessness.
  3. Sharon is endorsed by a number of people I dislike, including LaTrisha Vetaw, Michael Rainville, and Pearll Warren, who are some of the most conservative people on the Minneapolis City Council.
  4. Sharon’s website is full of statements that are basically her saying, we’ll just do the GOOD things!” Like on the garbage-burner, she says, “It’s time to stop kicking the can down the road for the next generation; I will advocate for closure, as well as the creation of a community-led task force to create a cohesive plan and promote transparency and accountability.” Literally that is what everyone has been doing that has resulted in the can getting kicked. (A lot of her website is like this. For HCMC she wants to “advance long-term, reliable funding solutions.” For addiction treatment she says she will “support recovery services, treatment access, and reintegration efforts that prioritize long-term stability over short-term, fragmented solutions.” It would be better if every person with a substance use disorder got into long-term treatment that fixed them, sure, and also, in the meantime, I support making Narcan as available as possible to save lives in a short-term, fragmented kind of way. I don’t think she’s opposed to Narcan, to be clear, I’m just saying, the reason we have a lot of short-term, fragmented solutions to addiction isn’t that the people on the Hennepin County Board don’t think long-term stability is a valuable goal.)

One update I’ll make to my comments on the primary: I link to some homophobic and transphobic statements that Sharon El-Amin made in 2016. I got an e-mail from Joyner Emerick, one of Sharon’s colleagues from the school board, who is trans and has endorsed Sharon. Joyner said: “In my 3.5 years of School Board work with Sharon El-Amin, I have never felt that being me being transgender and visibly gender nonconforming has impacted our collegiate relationship. In fact, she’s been one of the colleagues who has most frequently invited me into collaborative projects, expressed respect and value for my work, and sought my perspective. As well, to the very best of my recollection, Director El-Amin has voted in favor of every measure or policy to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ students and staff. She has done so even when she has received pushback from constituents.” I find that genuinely reassuring.

I would still prefer Irene Fernando and would vote for her if I lived in this district.

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: MN Secretary of State

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The Minnesota Secretary of State does a bunch of stuff (they keep records of who’s a notary public, they register businesses, they publish the Minnesota Legislative Manual) but their primary job is overseeing elections, voter registration, and voting. Steve Simon was first elected Secretary of State in 2014 and has done an excellent job ever since at standing up to Republican attempts at intimidation and protecting the rights of Minnesotans to vote.

On the ballot:

Tad Jude (Republican)
Seth Kuhl-Stennes (Green)
George “Chip” Tangen (Libertarian)
Steve Simon (DFL)

Tad Jude (Republican)

Tad Jude ran for Hennepin County Attorney in 2022, where he was noteworthy for his ad that looked like the worst Batman movie ever, and for his disinterest in answering questions from me or anyone else. This year, he did respond to my e-mail asking who he thought had won the 2020 election by saying “I recognize that Joseph P. Biden was certified as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.” Saying “I recognize that Biden was certified the winner” has become the go-to option for Republicans who want to toe the line of Trump’s big lie and deny the fact that Biden won without sounding completely deranged. I have no idea whether there’s some significance to the P (Joe Biden’s middle name is Robinette) or if this was a typo.

Anyway, Tad Jude wants to implement mandatory ID at the polls (something Minnesotans rejected by referendum in 2012); he also isn’t willing to stand up to Trump even to the point of saying that Biden won the 2020 election. Absolutely do not trust this clown with elections.

Seth Kuhl-Stennes (Green)

Seth Kuhl-Stennes has a mix of positions that align with what Steve Simon has been doing for the last 12 years (continue to use paper ballots with electronic readers, allow for early voting, etc.) and some stuff that’s relatively novel. I’m going to focus on the novel stuff. I think it’s important to note that none of these items are actually within the purview of the Secretary of State to decide; they would all require legislative action. (He says he’d “lead” on these issues).

  • He wants to allow currently incarcerated people to vote. In Minnesota, you can vote once you’re out of prison, but you cannot vote if you’re currently incarcerated. (I agree with him on this; I think incarcerated people should still be able to vote. In Maine and Vermont, they can.)
  • He wants to allow permanent residents who are not US citizens to vote. (From an e-mail conversation about this: “I support this because under our current immigration system, folks can be legal permanent residents for several years and sometimes decades even if they would like to become US citizens. This is a modern day form of taxation without representation.”) Ed pointed out that this was routinely legal in the past. Part of my concern about this is practical. Non-citizens can’t vote in federal elections and saying “you can vote in local and state elections” seems like a setup for accidentally tripping someone up (and the penalties for voting illegally are really harsh). He does support the other current requirements (18 year minimum age, MN resident for 20 days, and not under a court order revoking the right to vote).
  • He wants to make ballot access easier for third parties and independent candidates. Currently, if you want to run as a major party candidate, you can file to run in the primary by paying a fee. (It’s $100 to run for the legislature.) This does not necessarily get you on the final ballot, though; it puts you on the primary ballot. If you’re running as anything other than a DFLer or Republican, there’s no primary and you don’t have to pay a fee; instead, you have to collect signatures.

    There are a couple of important things to know about the signature collection. You have to collect them on paper; you have to collect all of them during the 15-day filing period (you can’t get started early); and you have to collect 500 signatures to be on a state legislative ballot, 1,000 signatures for US Congress, and 2,000 signatures for US Senate. Also, since this is on paper and illegible signatures get thrown out, you have to collect more than the 2,000 because there will always be some that get tossed. Also, despite all these barriers, Marisa Simonetti the Tarantula Tosser managed to get on the ballot as an Independent candidate for US Senate.

    Seth would like independent and minor-party candidates to have the option of paying a filing fee instead of collecting signatures; he would like to lower the number of signatures required; and he would like to expand the petition period. He declined to offer a specific number he would advocate for.
  • He wants the FCC’s Equal-time rule to apply to minor parties, and adds (in the e-mail), “I believe that equal access should also extend to print publications and digital/internet media platforms. And when media outlets have stories or segments that include leaders from political parties with candidates on the ballot those should be inclusive of all political parties with candidates. Furthermore, voter guides and candidate debates/forums should be inclusive of all candidates in a particular race because those are also forms of media that inform voters.”
  • He wants ranked-choice voting for the executive branch offices (Governor, AG, Secretary of State, Auditor) and wants proportional representation for the legislature. (I am not sure if that would mean that we would no longer have legislative districts, or if we’d have larger legislative districts with proportional representation within them? it doesn’t matter, this is absolutely not going to pass. Ranked-choice voting statewide potentially could; Maine uses it for US Senate now.)

George “Chip” Tangen (Libertarian)

Not surprisingly, much like the Green, Chip the Libertarian would like to make it easier for minor-party and independent candidates to get on the ballot. I had an interesting discussion with him by e-mail about this. He has mixed feelings about extending the signature collection period (he did it very intensively for two weeks and it was exhausting)

The biggest change he’d like to push (which might actually be something the Secretary of State could do) is to switch to electronic petitions, similar to Arizona’s E-Qual system. This allows people to log in on the Secretary of State’s website and sign online, from home. (I assume this also solves the problem of illegible signatures.) He would also like to reduce the number of signatures required, and/or lengthen the period that people can collect them. (He added: “When only 3% of the 201 seats in the legislature have third-party/independent candidates, that suggests to me the current test is way too high.” I will note that in 2022, about 3% of Minnesotans voted for third-party candidates in the Governor’s race; about 5% of Minnesotans voted for third-party candidates in the State Auditor race; the third party candidates in races for US Congress got about 3-5% of the vote. So about 3% of the seats in the legislature having third party candidates contesting them, that sounds like it reflects the state pretty well, actually.)

Chip also mentioned a bill he’d worked on with a Rep. Drew Roach, HF 3534. This bill would make it much easier for minor party candidates to get on the ballot, but also requires minor parties to have an annual convention where they endorse candidates, and if you want to get on the ballot as a Libertarian you’d have had to go to the Libertarian party convention and get people to endorse you. This is an interesting backstop against the problem of, for example, straight-up Nazis getting on the ballot while claiming to be Libertarians or Greens. Given that the state Republican party endorsed Michelle MacDonald for State Supreme Court back in 2014 (they revoked their endorsement after learning about her arrest) I am less optimistic that this will keep the embarrassing candidates off the ballot, but it’s an interesting idea.

Steve Simon (DFL)

As a Minnesotan, I find it easy to take our elections for granted. They are clean and and fair, but also, convenient. We have no-excuses absentee voting, early voting in person, and we can register at the polls on election day. We have “agent delivery,” if you’re sick on election day and need your sister to bring you a ballot in person. We have “curbside voting,” if you can’t easily get out of your car. On election day, the lines are usually short and move quickly, because (unlike in many states) you don’t have to wait for a machine to vote on; we use paper ballots, which are then machine-read to speed counting; if there’s a recount, it’s done by hand, in public. We have some of the highest turnout in the country. Everyone should vote like we vote. We clearly have it down.

Steve has steered our voting system through some extremely stormy waters, including 2020, when we had to vote during a pandemic. He has also calmly refused the various illegal demands from Trump to compromise our privacy and make it harder for the citizens of Minnesota to vote. He has more than earned another term as Secretary of State; I am absolutely going to vote for him.

If you are intrigued by any of the proposals from Chip or Seth, I would encourage you to contact your legislators.

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.) I raised $7,230 during primary season so I’ve raised the goal.

I also have a new book out! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and I’ve been doing my best to keep Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven Books in signed copies.

Election 2026: Where To Spend Money/Time

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Every year, Minnesota residents can each make a $75 political contribution to a state or local candidate (or major party), fill out a form, and get that money refunded. This is called the Political Contribution Refund program. The campaign you donate to will send you the receipt.

You can spread this around and send in one form with three receipts, but honestly, from a “best way to make an impact” angle, bear in mind that processing your donation has costs (they all have to send you a receipt). You can get the PCR for donations to the races for Governor, Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General, any legislative race (Minnesota House / Minnesota Senate), and many political parties (there’s a list on the form.)

You can, of course, donate more (way more) than $75 if you have the resources to do so! Minnesotans can donate up to $4,000 per two-year period to candidates for governor; $2500 to candidates for AG; $2,000 to candidates for Auditor or Secretary of State; and $1000 for candidates for State Legislature. (It’s “per two-year period” for all of them.) I think the limit for the US Senate race is $3500? Honestly if you’ve got that kind of money lying around and are in the habit of donating it to candidates, you probably have the cell phone number of Peggy’s campaign manager and can just call up and ask.

But okay. Where should you donate, that’s what this post is really about — that, and where should you volunteer. DFL candidates are contesting every single legislative race in the state — which is amazing, but there are some that are particularly good pickup opportunities, and some are close enough to the metro for metro people to go help doorknock in.

Let me just make a quick pitch for doorknocking. I do some doorknocking nearly every year. It sound scary but it really is not. The people who just don’t want to talk to you, don’t answer the door. Lots of people know the election is coming, mean to look up their candidates, and just haven’t gotten around to it, so a friendly person on their doorstep with some basic information is genuinely helpful. If the walking around is a problem, you can ask about phone banking opportunities. If the doorknocking strangers is a problem, you can walk in parades with candidates waving at people (makes them look like a rock star instead of a dork, very important) and staff tables at festivals. Some of these districts are within a half hour of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and I will link to volunteer opportunities if I can imagine driving there.

Another way you can volunteer: host a fundraiser! You can absolutely host a metro-area fundraiser for a rural or suburban candidate. (I want to provide some instructions on this and realized, I’ve never done this, but I would suggest starting by e-mailing the campaign and saying, “hi, I live in [Minneapolis/St. Paul] and even though I’m not in your district I’d like to organize a fundraiser here for your campaign.”) Donations in state legislative races can go so far, seriously.

A final note: Ed thinks I should point out that DFLers in swing districts will always be a lot more centrist than DFLers in Minneapolis and St. Paul and specifically that Iron Range Democrats are usually supporters of mining, and if that’s something that will bother you, you should donate to someone running in the suburbs rather than up north. (Ed sends his PCR to an Iron Range DFL candidate so he’s fine with it, but he’s very aware that not everyone is.)

STATEWIDE

Keith Ellison (Attorney General)

I have already written at some length about how awesome I think Keith Ellison is, and how important this office is, and his race four years ago was very close. He will absolutely put your donations to good use. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

MN HOUSE CANDIDATES

Aaron Kania (3A, challenger)

Aaron’s district is in far northern part of the state and is the biggest district by land mass, including International Falls, Ely, Grand Portage, etc. Includes the Iron Range and also the BWCA. Aaron is a former wilderness firefighter. Donate here.

Aaron Schweiger (3B, challenger)

This is another far-north district and includes Hermantown and Two Harbors. Aaron Scheiger is a real estate developer married to a teacher. Donate here.

Chris Swanson (11A, challenger)

This district is in the Cloquet area. Chris Swanson is a high school social studies teacher. Donate here. Chris also takes checks!

Zach Dorholt (14B, open seat)

This district is in St. Cloud and is currently held by a DFLer who isn’t running again. Zach is a mental health professional. Donate here.

Leah Hanson (18A, challenger)

This district is in the Mankato and St. Peter area. Leah is a social worker and a wheelchair user; she was disabled by a car accident when she was 23. Donate here, and if you’re up for driving an hour (St. Peter is really pretty in the fall!) you can sign up to volunteer.

Dan Wilson (26A, challenger)

This district is around Winona. Dan started working at a homeless shelter in Winona shortly after graduating from college; he now farms part-time and does housing advocacy. Donate here.

Matt Norris (32B, incumbent)

Matt Norris has served two terms representing Blaine, winning narrowly both times. One of his legislative highlights has been passing legislation to protect the residents of mobile home parks, providing notification laws, tax incentives, and a loan fund in order to help park residents convert their land to resident cooperative ownership when the parks are sold. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

Jason Heaser (34A, challenger)

This district is in the northern exurbs (Champlin, Rogers). Jason is a veteran and a prosecutor who has most recently worked in the Attorney General’s office. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

Jim Demay (36A, challenger)

This district is in Lino Lakes. Jim is a school board member. Donate here and sign up to doorknock here.

Darci Smith (37A, challenger)

This district is in the northwest suburbs, including part of Maple Grove. Darci is a former executive trainer who is now a realtor; her bio talks about her family’s deep union roots. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

Jen Fox (41B, challenger)

This district is in Hastings. Jen Fox is a small business owner (she’s a part owner of the Spiral Brewery). Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

Lucy Rehm (48B, incumbent)

This district is in Chaska. Lucy has served for two terms, winning narrowly both times. Notable accomplishments in the legislature include the e-bike rebates and the creation of a Traffic Safety Council. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

Brad Tabke (54A, incumbent)

This district is in Shakopee, and you probably remember that Brad won his race two years ago by fourteen votes. He was in the news earlier this year for rallying Shakopee residents against a proposed ICE detention facility. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

MN SENATE CANDIDATES

Grant Hauschild (SD3, incumbent)

Grant represents a big section of the northern part of the state, including Hermantown, International Falls, Ely, Grand Marais, and I think possibly some islands out in Lake Superior because the map seems to include a section of the lake. He led on creating something called the “Sprint Medic program” in rural Minnesota, which has EMTs with pickup trucks who can get to rural emergencies much more quickly than ambulances. Donate here.

Aric Putnam (SD14, incumbent)

Aric represents St. Cloud. One of his accomplishments was allocating $40,000,000 to Minnesota Veterans Homes to care for ill and aging veterans. In 2026, homelessness among veterans in Minnesota reached a record low, and this investment was definitely a contributing factor. Donate here.

Simon Glaser (SD24, challenger)

This district is in Rochester. Simon is an English teacher and union organizer who is taking an unapologetic and strong stance on civil liberties, including defending immigrants and LGBTQ+ people. Donate here.

Angela Nelson (SD35, challenger)

This district is in Coon Rapids. Angela is an elementary school principal and mom of two. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

Kristy Janigo (SD37, challenger)

This district is in the northwest suburbs, including Maple Grove. Kristy is a veteran, City Councillor (for Maple Grove), and volunteer legislative advocate for veteran’s issues. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

Dan Kessler (SD48, challenger)

This district is in Chaska. Dan is a psychologist, cancer survivor, and curler. (As in, he does curling. The ice sport.) Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.

Mark Legvold (SD58, challenger)

This district includes Northfield, Farmington, and the surrounding area. Mark is a veteran, a former teacher, a former single parent (he remarried and his kids are grown), and a farmer. Donate here and sign up to volunteer here.