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.

Election 2026: MN Attorney General

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This is another very straightforward one. On the ballot:

Keith Ellison (DFL)
Ron Schutz (Republican)

Keith Ellison (DFL)

Keith may be my favorite of our current set of elected Democrats. He has worked so hard, and done such an outstanding job, at meeting the terrifying moment we’re in. He has sued ICE; he has worked with Mary Moriarty to file charges against ICE agents for criminal behavior in our state; he has worked to investigate the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti despite a lack of cooperation from the Feds. He was part of a lawsuit to block federal funding cuts to affordable housing. He worked with other attorneys general to keep Trump’s DoJ from seizing Minnesota’s voter lists.

He’s also been very good at fighting for everyday Minnesotans across the state, including the red parts — for example, he was part of a lawsuit that resulted in the right-to-repair John Deere settlement. He’s terrific at consumer protection generally, but also, one of the first things he did on taking office was to create a Wage Theft division of the AG’s office. Given that wage theft is a huge problem (it’s astronomically larger than any other kind of theft) it’s honestly shocking that this didn’t exist before. His office has made wage theft a priority and recouped a huge amount of stolen wages for people.

They’re also responsive. Back in July, someone posted a thread to the Twin Cities Geeks FB group a couple weeks back that turned into people telling their own stories about Keith and his staff. A couple of excerpts:

As a patient of MHealth Fairview, I was following the arguments between Fairview and the U closely, wondering how it would affect my care. Ellison stepped in when nobody else wanted to.

He helped me with finding my employer who skipped town without paying me and the other workers at a factory here in Minnesota he owned.

I experienced an extremely frustrating situation with a well known health insurance provider who had informed me they would cover a particular expensive treatment. This information was provided to me on two different occasions. They then proceeded to backtrack and deny the claim even after numerous appeals on my part. After contacting Mr. Ellison’s Department, one of his attorneys took my case, all of my information and my claims were renegotiated and were fully covered. […] I also had the opportunity to deal with this office again when a company insisted on charging me sales tax on an item of clothing I had ordered on-line when Minnesota does not charge sales tax on clothing. After several attempts on my part without any success, the Attorney General’s Office was able to solve this concern in my favor. Again, with very kind and thoughtful assistance.

Sometimes he buys his groceries at my Cub location, and when he does he checks in with employees and sees how we’re doing. He’ll even swing by the pharmacy even though we’re out of the way to ask us how we’re doing, answer our questions if we want to know what he’s working on, and thank us for the work we do.

That was just one thread! And it was FULL of people who’d gone to his office for help and gotten it.

I’ll note that I have my own story along these lines: a company tried to screw me over, I complained to the AG’s office, and the company refunded my money. It wasn’t a huge amount of money, and one of the things I really really appreciate about Keith Ellison’s office is that it doesn’t have to be a huge amount of money for them to care.

As the Republicans have gone after Keith Ellison over the Feeding Our Future fraud, they have brought up the fact that he met with some of the ringleaders in 2021. Keith’s response (he talks about it in this interview) is that he meets with constituents multiple times a week, and he took this meeting, investigated whether their claim of being harassed was legitimate, and determined it wasn’t. I would say that the Facebook thread demonstrates the accuracy of this: FoF didn’t get special treatment. If Minnesotans want to meet with Keith because they’re having a problem, he meets with them. Also, the Attorney General’s office (along with the Department of Education) went to the FBI with the initial suspicions against FoF, worked with them on the investigation, and did the clean-up afterwards.

(Also, if Republicans as a whole gave an actual flying fuck about fraud, they would support one of the proposed bans on insider trading by elected officials, and do literally anything about Trump.)

Keith Ellison is an incredible asset to the people of Minnesota and I am absolutely going to vote for him.

Ron Schutz (Republican)

Like Keith’s opponent four years ago, Ron Schutz is trying to pretend he’s a moderate. He is absolutely not. Ron is an unapologetic Trump toady. The Reformer ran a long and detailed editorial on this race and noted that a week after an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Good, Ron was whining about Keith trying to protect Minnesotans from ICE:

A Tweet from Ron Schutz (@RonforMNAG) from January 14th, 2026, saying, "Keith Ellison is wasting taxpayer money suing the Trump admin to block ICE from doing their job- enforcing immigration laws in Minnesota. Calling a federal operation a "federal invasion" while defending sanctuary policies that shield criminals? Classic Ellison politics over public safety."

The Reformer asked Ron what he’d do to get Christian Castro (the ICE agent who fired through a closed door, barely missed shooting a child, hit a man in the leg, and lied about the incident) back to Minnesota; Ron didn’t respond.

In a TV interview (watch the relevant bit here) he got asked if he would buck the party line and file suit if Trump did something illegal:

KTTC: Should the Trump administration make an unlawful decision, would you go against the Republican status quo and challenge him in court?

Schutz: Well, that kind of begs the question about what’s an unlawful decision. Okay? And it’s, that’s something I certainly can’t answer in the abstract, but what I can tell you is my goal is to protect the citizens of Minnesota. I … I doubt if President Trump is going to be um, you know, taking some action that would be blatantly illegal. I know the Democrats think he has done that. I can tell you from having spent a lot of time in the courtroom, there can be differences of opinion on this.

During the State Fair, some folks from the Alliance for a Better Minnesota went to Ron’s booth to ask him about his stance on Trump’s cuts to health care; he refused to answer and did this thing that absolutely makes my hair stand on end, which is that he did the buddy-buddy put-his-arm-around-the-person-he’s-really-pissed at thing while calling the Alliance people stalkers for showing up to ask him a question he didn’t want to answer. (Video is here.) The question was just “what do you think of Trump’s cuts to Medicare.” Also, dude, you are a politician who’s running for office. People who come and ask you questions are not stalkers even if you don’t want to answer their questions.

There’s a website here that says, “Schutz supports Trump’s cuts to the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, to give tax breaks to billionaires and corporations.” Ron has tweeted out a graphic saying this claim (which he attributes to the Alliance for a Better Minnesota) is false. But OK let me just show you the relevant portion of his graphic:

A clip of an infographic. It says, CLAIM: Ron Schutz supports cutting Medicare and the Affordable Care Act. FACT: Ron has never said anything of the sort.

So here are the things I want to note.

  1. The website I found said that Ron supported cuts to the ACA, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. Ron calls out only the claims about Medicare and the ACA, not the claims about Social Security or Medicaid.
  2. He then very noticeably does not go on to say that he opposes cutting Medicare and the ACA. This is deeply reminiscent of the bit in a murder mystery where the guy says “you can’t prove anything!” Like, okay, my dude, what is your stance here? Literally this is what the Alliance “stalkers” were asking him about!

    A final note: In his tweet with the graphic, he claims that ABM refused to leave until he asked them for the sources of their claims. Literally this is not what happened! You can watch that not happen in the video!

ABM: Mr. Schutz! I just want to know what you think about Trump’s cuts to Medicaid, because that is impacting so many Minnesota families.

Schutz: Well, all I know is that apparently ABM has decided to lie about everything I’ve said about them.

ABM: That is not true. What do you think of Trump’s cuts to the Affordable Care Act?

Schutz: What you guys should do is — you guys should just [inaudible].

ABM: You don’t have an answer for me.

Schutz: I’ve got people to talk to and things to do, and you guys are stalking us. And so that’s good enough. Thank you very much. Have a good day at the fair, guys. [Walks away.]

Anyway I e-mailed him a question (“Do you support reversing Trump’s cuts to the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security?”) I’m sure you will be flabbergasted to hear that he did not respond. It’s only been a day but you know what, he’s not even responding to real reporters who ask him questions, he’s absolutely not going to get back to me unless it’s with a restraining order because I also left him that question as a reply on Twitter and apparently asking him questions is stalking.

The Alliance for a Better Minnesota in fact has a page where they source this more specifically:

Schutz was the chair of the board of the Center of the American Experiment (CAE), a far-right extreme think tank in Minnesota. CAE expressed support for Trump’s disastrous budget bill that gave massive tax breaks to corporations and billionaires at the expense of working Minnesotans.

CAE also denied claims that Trump’s budget bill would strip Medicaid coverage from Minnesotans, despite 17 million Americans and 179,000 Minnesotans being expected to have their healthcare coverage taken away under the bill.

Anyway, Ron Schutz: you very, very obviously support Trump’s cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA, and Social Security. Do not pee on my leg and tell me it’s raining, you smarmy, patronizing, prevaricating whiner.

Also, I almost forgot this: journalist Aaron Rupar turned up a post from April of 2020 in which Ron wrote a poem-shaped rant suggesting that gun violence against government officials would be the appropriate response to the shelter-in-place orders at the time.

If Ron Schutz is elected, he will kiss Trump’s ass and sell our state out to his billionaire buddies.

The Attorney General race four years ago was worryingly close. Vote for Keith Ellison, make sure your friends know that they should vote for Keith Ellison, doorknock for Keith Ellison, donate if you have some spare cash.

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: US House District 5

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This is Ilhan Omar’s seat. On the ballot:

Ilhan Omar (DFL)
John Nagel (Republican)
DeVelle L. Jackson (Independent)

Ilhan Omar (DFL)

If you live in Minneapolis, and even if you don’t, you probably already have an opinion on Ilhan Omar. I like her: she’s solidly progressive, she continues to make the GOP frothingly angry just by existing, and when she got assaulted at a Town Hall she was ready to fight the guy herself.

In any given two-year period she’s absolutely done stuff that annoys me, but it’s never yet been anything that would persuade me to vote for anyone running against her in the primary, let alone a Republican.

DeVelle L. Jackson (Independent)

DeVelle Jackson isn’t a Republican, and his website is mostly pretty progressive. He supports gun safety laws, higher taxes on the rich, and strong privacy laws. He also wants terms limits (18 years) and a mandatory retirement age for House reps, Senators, and Supreme Court justices. (I’m increasingly interested in the idea of a mandatory retirement age.)

He also mentions on his website that he’s a member of the Progressive Baptist Church, which on their website has a belief statement that includes, “We believe that any form of sexual immorality, such as adultery, fornication, homosexuality, bisexual conduct, bestiality, incest, pornography or any attempt to change one’s sex, or disagreement with one’s biological sex, is sinful and offensive to God.” Now: quite a lot of people are members of churches that hold views they don’t share. But I looked on his website and on his social media and as far as I could tell, Develle does not mention anything at all about his position on LGBTQ+ rights.

So I e-mailed him and asked. No response. I also tried leaving replies on Twitter, including to the post where he linked to his news release complaining about how media organizations act like this is a two-person race and quotes himself saying, “If a news organization publishes a guide telling Minnesotans who is running for Congress, voters should be able to expect that it will actually tell them who is running for Congress.”

I’ll note that he also seems to favor some abortion restrictions (though not in the first trimester).

Anyway, if he ever responds to me, I’ll update. I do think that newspapers should take him at least as seriously as they take the Republican in the race. I can imagine a scenario where a mostly-progressive Independent wins in the 5th. There’s no scenario where a Republicans wins. (Although the Republican is campaigning! DeVelle doesn’t actually seem to be, other than posting complaints to social media about not being treated seriously.)

John Nagel (Republican)

John Nagel is a retired State Trooper who tries to present a very genial, grandfatherly persona on his website, which provides a lot of very generic Republican talking points (law and order, “we’re going to lock down the border,” he hates gay and trans people, etc.) He claims to be a “moderate conservative” but scrolling down his Twitter makes it clear there is nothing moderate about his views. Recent posts include racist dogwhistles and a huge amount of Islamophobia (mostly in honor of the 25th anniversary of 9/11).

Anyway, I would absolutely vote for Ilhan Omar and would encourage everyone else to do so as well!

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: US House, District 4

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Such a delightfully straightforward race. On the ballot:

Betty McCollum (DFL)
Paul Wikstrom (Republican)

Betty McCollum is a solidly progressive Democrat. My main complaint about her is that she’s less fighty than she could be, as a Dem from a safe seat, but in general she votes the way I would like her to vote.

Paul Wikstrom is a Republican (which in itself is reason to vote against him). He’s a software engineering manager at Raytheon (per his LinkedIn), where he has worked for eight years. (Before that he worked for 17 years at Medtronic, so he’s someone who left the medical device industry to build weapons systems.)

His website talks about affordability but of course doesn’t blame any of the current issues on Trump’s tariffs or his pointless war on Iran. Instead, it suggests eliminating taxes on tips, overtime, and estates. (I would love to know, but am not inclined to do the math to figure out, how many more dollars would pass untaxed via an elimination of the estate tax vs. an elimination of taxes on overtime and tips. As it stands, the first $15 million of an estate is excluded from the estate tax already.)

He also talks a bunch about fraud and how it’s bad, so during the primary I sent him an e-mail to ask if he would support HR 7852 (the “No Getting Rich in Congress Act”) and HR 8309 (a law that would prevent Presidents from enriching themselves with public funds)? He did not respond. ETA 9/17 I heard back! “Tom Emmer does not support this as the current 2012 STOCK Act provides adequate public transparency without unnecessarily restricting lawmakers and their families from participating in private markets and I agree with him.” (The Brennan Center for Justice has an article addressing the idea that the 2012 STOCK Act provides remotely adequate public transparency.)

I am going to vote for Betty McCollum, obviously!

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: US Senate

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Welcome to election season, everybody! I’m going to start out with one of the easy ones, the race for US Senate. The tl;dr here is to vote for Peggy Flanagan! On the ballot:

Peggy Flanagan (DFL)
Michele Tafoya (Republican)
Rebecca Whiting (Libertarian)
Marisa Simonetti (Independent)

Marisa Simonetti (Independent)

Let’s kick things off with the weirdo. Marisa Simonetti is the woman who illegally rented out her basement as an Airbnb, then got mad at the tenant for asking if she could bring in pest control to deal with a spider infestation, and proceeded to try to harass/intimidate her into leaving. It was the part where she tossed a tarantula at the tenant that got all the news coverage, but she also contacted this woman’s abusive ex through social media and told him to “come get her,” stole the groceries she’d had delivered, and broke down the door in order to enter the basement apartment (so that she could toss the tarantula, along with tacks and nails. She also sprayed fart spray.)

After a bunch of delays this actually went to trial this summer. Marisa fired her lawyer (I bet because her lawyer had negotiated a guilty plea and a $300 fine, which is what Marisa’s co-defendant got) and defended herself. The jury found her guilty and she was sentenced to 90 days in the workhouse (which sounds incredibly Victorian but is just the Minnesota term for the county facility where people serve short sentences, possibly because it’s set up to allow for work release.)

Every time I’ve posted to Bluesky about this, someone has asked if the tarantula is OK. She actually shook it out of the terrarium onto the stairs, she didn’t fling it, but I have no updates on the tarantula and have no idea what happened to it.

Anyway, if reading this didn’t convince you not to vote for Marisa, you can watch a 25-minute video providing an edited-together set of police bodycam videos (with some additional footage filmed by the tenant) here. Note: the voiceover (which I think is a synthesized voice) mispronounces Edina, which annoyed me immensely. If you want to skip to the funniest (to me) bit of the video, that’s here, with the following exchange:

Marisa (yelling to be heard over the deafeningly loud praise-and-worship music she’s blasting): She’s an attorney, she’s playing the little games, whatever. I don’t know why she’s here. I would like to find out why she’s here.

Cop: So you didn’t rent to her or anything like that?

Marisa: You keep asking me that question and I think that’s something that everybody is trying to stick it to Marisa and what we need to not do right here is stick it to Marisa, what we need to do is pray to Jesus.

(The video then cuts to the tenant showing the cops the rental agreement. Marisa did, in fact, rent out the basement to this woman, that’s why she was there! Also, just reading the news articles makes Marisa sound unhinged but the video really takes it to a whole new level.)

In order to get on the ballot, Marisa had to get 2,000 people to sign a petition. If you were one of those people, consider doing at least five minutes of due diligence the next time someone asks for your signature.

Rebecca Whiting (Libertarian)

Rebecca is kind of a classic Libertarian candidate in a couple of ways, in that she manages to combine “vaguely tempting” with “oh my god, what?” She’s anti-corporation and anti-war (vaguely tempting!) but she takes her anti-foreign-intervention beliefs all the way into isolationism. She’s also anti-tax and anti-regulation without any particular discussion of how society would function if we stopped taxing anything and whether her emphatic pro-deregulation stance includes the belief that it should be legal to sell chicken salad that’s been sitting out at room temperature for 8 hours, we can just run our own tests if we’d like to avoid food poisoning. (Having watched her video from the 2024 Farmfest I think, yeah, she thinks food safety regulations are tyranny.)

Do I think there are regulations that are annoying: absolutely. Do I want the government regulating the companies that produce the food, cosmetics, and drugs that I put in my body: also absolutely.

Her commitment to deregulation does not include women’s health; she thinks abortion should be illegal. (“Murder already is illegal, and we should quit trying to redefine what a human is based on their stage of development.”) She further elaborates on her position here: “I want to see a pro-life movement that doesn’t just care about unborn babies, but our mothers as well, that supports pregnancy centers and makes help more accessible through churches, non profits, and charities.” Worth noting, she wants pregnant women supported through churches, non profits, and charities — not through WIC, food stamps, Medicaid, or literally any of the other supports provided by the government. (I haven’t seen her specifically address EMTALA anywhere but it would go thoroughly against her other philosophies not to oppose it. So I just want to note that removing all government supports for health care would result in a huge number of dead women and babies due to them being unable to afford emergency care. Private charity has historically never provided sufficient support to those in need.)

She posts quite a lot to Facebook so if you want to read a mix of memes, complaints about how Libertarians aren’t taken seriously (no automatic ballot access! she’s not being included in debates!) and occasional long posts about her views/personal history, you can find her Facebook here.

Michele Tafoya (Republican)

Michele Tafoya is a former sportscaster who got into politics in 2022; she chaired Kendall Quall’s gubernatorial campaign that year only to have him explicitly rule her out as a potential running mate on the grounds that she was pro-choice. (She thinks abortion should be legal up to 12 weeks.) She’s also been in favor of red flag laws in the past. I’m nonetheless confident that if elected she will not let her views stand in the way of doing whatever Trump tells her to do.

Her website has a big section on fraud and how bad it is. During the primary, I sent her an email to ask if she would support the Ban Presidential Plunder of Taxpayer Funds Act or any of the various proposed laws that would stop House and Senate members from insider trading on the knowledge they get through things like closed-door hearings. Her opponent wrote back immediately (“I would support both of those acts. I hate fraud, and corrupt politicians even more”) but Michele Tafoya did not.

She wants you to know that she loves cops (and presumably Flock cameras, though I couldn’t find any information specifically on her stance) and hates trans people. Also, in 2024 she posted to Twitter that she was going to be “fleeing (Minnesota) soon.” Her views are a mix of anodyne and reprehensible and the absolutely last thing Minnesota or the US needs is another Senator who will be a rubber stamp for Trump, which Michele absolutely will.

Peggy Flanagan (DFL)

There’s a lot I really like about Peggy, from the fact that she started in politics by serving on the Minneapolis School Board (which is, hands down, the most thankless, miserable elected office anyone could ever ask for), to her genuine warmth in person, to her long list of excellent policy proposals. But possibly the thing I like the most about Peggy is that she’s one of a very small number of politicians who truly seems to understand how grave the moment is in the fight to keep our Republic.

I am ABSOLUTELY going to vote for Peggy, and you should, too.

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

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I am getting ready to start posting about the general election and my Big List of Races I’m Going to Write About turned out to be really useful in the primary (I literally printed it out and crossed stuff off) so here we go with a list of races I’m (hopefully) going to write about before November!

Governor & Lt. Governor
Attorney General
Secretary of State
State Auditor

US Senator
US House District 04 (St. Paul)
US House District 05 (Minneapolis)

Statewide Constitutional Amendment 1

Ramsey County Commissioner District 3
Ramsey County Commissioner District 5
Hennepin County Commissioner District 2
Hennepin County Commissioner District 3

(Hennepin County Commissioner District 4, Ramsey County Commissioner District 4, and Ramsey County Commissioner District 6 are unopposed.)

Hennepin County Sheriff
Hennepin County Attorney

(Ramsey County Sheriff and Ramsey County Attorney are unopposed.)

Saint Paul School Board At-Large (elect 3)
Minneapolis School Board At-Large (elect 2)
Minneapolis School Board District 1
Minneapolis School Board District 5

(Minneapolis School Board District 3 is unopposed.)

It does appear that none of the judicial races on Minneapolis or St. Paul ballots is contested, but there are a lot of names so let me know if I missed one.

And then all the State Legislative races, which I may do in a single go because they are all a Democrat (who will be fine) running against a Republican (nope).

State Senate District 59 (Bobby Joe Champion is unopposed)
State Senate District 60
State Senate District 61 (Scott Dibble is unopposed)
State Senate District 62 (Omar Fateh was challenged in the primary but is unopposed in the general)
State Senate District 63
State Senate District 64
State Senate District 65 (Note: the Republican appears on the ballot as “_ Rocco.”
State Senate District 66
State Senate District 67

State House District 59A (Fue Lee is unopposed)
State House District 59B
State House District 60A
State House District 60B (Mohamud Noor was challenged in the primary but is unopposed in the general)
State House District 61A (Katie Jones is unopposed)
State House District 61B (Jamie Long is unopposed)
State House District 62A (Aisha Gomez is unopposed)
State House District 62B
State House District 63A
State House District 63B
State House District 64A (Meg Luger-Nikolai is unopposed)
State House District 64B (Dave Pinto is unopposed)
State House District 65A (Samakab Hussein is unopposed)
State House District 65B (Sebastian Ellefson was challenged in the primary but is unopposed in the general)
State House District 66A
State House District 66B
State House District 67A
State House District 67B (Jay Xiong is unopposed)

If you’re consulting this and there’s some race I haven’t covered, I’ll go ahead and tell you that my recommendation in all the partisan races is going to be, VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRAT (yes, even Amy Klobuchar.)

Primary Election 2026 Sample Ballot / Index of Posts

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Minnesota’s primary election is TUESDAY, AUGUST 11TH, which is this coming Tuesday as I post this. For the convenience of everyone looking up races from the voting booth (or the people who are voting early and having trouble navigating the site), here are my endorsements and links to write-ups.

Important note: for the partisan primaries, you have to pick ONE side of the ballot. You can vote in all the Republican primaries or all the DFL primaries. You cannot vote for your favorite DFLer in the Senate race and then hop over to the Republican side and vote for your favorite Republican in the Governor’s race. However, there are also some nonpartisan primaries, and you can vote in those regardless of whether you voted in the Republican or DFL primary for the main election. They will probably be on the flip side of your ballot.

STATEWIDE

US Senate: Peggy Flanagan

Governor and Lieutenant Governor: Kobey J Layne and Paul Ference.

Attorney General: Keith Ellison

Secretary of State: Steve Simon (who is unopposed in the DFL primary)

Auditor: Zach Filipovich (who is unopposed in the DFL primary)

MINNEAPOLIS (or a subset thereof)

US House District 5: Ilhan Omar

MN Senate 62: Omar Fateh

MN House 60B: Mohamud Noor

Hennepin County Attorney (non-partisan): Cedrick Frazier

Hennepin County Commissioner, District 2 (non-partisan): Irene Fernando

Hennepin County Commissioner, District 3 (non-partisan): Marion Greene

Minneapolis School Board At-Large (non-partisan): Christin Crabtree and Collin Beachy

SAINT PAUL (or a subset thereof)

US House District 4: Betty McCollum

MN Senate 65: Robyn Gulley

MN House 65B: Sebastian Ellefson

Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5 (non-partisan): Rebecca Noecker (but I may revisit this in the general election)

If my work was helpful to you this year, please consider making a donation to my fundraiser 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.)

ETA: You can also donate to my daughter’s fundraiser for the YMCA Camp Northern Lights STEPS (equity) program!

I also have a new book! 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 Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven all (probably) have signed copies.

And that’s it — I’ll be back in September (or maybe late August) to start work on the general election. Spoiler: I will be voting for every single one of the DFLers on my ballot, even the ones I’m not wild about, and would recommend that other people do the same.