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Top 5 races to watch in Northern Minnesota
Election Day 2016 arrives tomorrow. As in, within 24 hours of this post. It’s really going to happen. It’s really going to be over. You’ve got a lot of places to read speculation on the presidential race, but only one place to read speculation on Northern Minnesota’s closest down-ballot races. I’d love to diagram every seat…
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Hacked and misinformed: America’s new civil war
Scholars mark history by turning points. We’ve reached another one. Everything after will be different. In my conversations with friends and family, in my experience with social media, and in my best effort to understand people with many different opinions, I have reached a troubling conclusion. Most Americans will cast their ballot on Tuesday believing things that aren’t…
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Trump, Pence plan Minnesota ‘fly-in’ rallies
Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump will speak today at 2 p.m. at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. On Monday, his running mate Mike Pence will speak at 9:30 a.m. at the Duluth International Airport. This Minnesota blitz represents a remarkable amount of attention for the Republican ticket to pay to a state that reliably votes Democratic in…
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U.S. election trudge even longer this year
It’s a simple rule. The United States of America holds elections the first Tuesday of November of an even-numbered year. Unless, of course, the first Tuesday is the first of the month. In that case, the election will be the next Tuesday, Nov. 8. Every seven years, American elections last even longer than usual. By happenstance,…
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Turnout key in closing days of Nolan-Mills race
You can tell when Northern Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District race heats up. My phone rings a lot. People want to know what the Iron Range’s only independent news blogger sees happening on the ground. To that, I can only say that it’s hard to see what’s on the ground. It’s covered with discarded political mailers and…
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Joe Biden to campaign in Duluth this Friday
Vice President Joe Biden will campaign for the Democratic ticket in Duluth this Friday, Oct. 28. Biden appears in Duluth to support former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who leads Donald Trump for president in Minnesota but trails Trump here in the Northeast. Biden also will drum up support for U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8), locked in a tight…
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Dancing horses for Nolan-Mills in MN-8
The race between U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) and Republican challenger Stewart Mills is already among the nation’s most expensive and closely watched Congressional races of 2016. Yet, most of the coverage has been tied to the speculation that the race was close two years ago and will probably be close again. Today, I argue…
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Candidates debate in northern MN
With only a month to go before the Nov. 8 general election, folks are finally tuning into their local elections after 18 months of hardcore bloviation about the U.S. presidential race. Here in Northern Minnesota, legislative, city council and school board forums will take place over the next few weeks. These are often the best way to learn about…
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Newsweek: Trump favored foreign steel in his projects
In this week’s edition, Kurt Eichenwald writes about a Newsweek investigation of presidential candidate Donald Trump’s construction projects. The magazine found that Trump favored cheaper Chinese steel and aluminum in two of his three major recent projects. Trump, the candidate, has attracted support from many former Democratic strongholds across the Rust Belt, including here on…
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Sanders, Nolan to campaign in Duluth Tuesday
Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) will campaign with U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) in Duluth on Tuesday evening. The pair will also make their pitch for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to Northern Minnesotans. Sanders carried Minnesota and Nolan’s district handily at last March’s Minnesota caucuses in his unsuccessful run for the Democratic nomination. Sanders, who has since…
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Mark Cuban on American automation
One of the more disturbing thoughts about the 2016 presidential election is how little we know about what’s actually going to happen after it’s done. Hillary Clinton could win, but how will she break the congressional logjam that vexed her more popular boss President Obama? No landslide will help her. Donald Trump could win, but how will…
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In Minnesota, you can vote … today
Election Day in the United States will be Nov. 8, 2016. That should surprise no one. Media reports and social media frenzy constantly remind us of this day’s importance. The television spurts political ads like crude oil on the Clampett farm. But early voting continues to grow in popularity around the country. The practice takes many…
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Nolan, Mills clash in MN-8’s only 2016 debate
Today, U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) debated Republican challenger Stewart Mills in a Duluth News Tribune/Duluth Chamber of Commerce forum. You can see the debate at my previous post. This was a good debate. In about one hour, significant and substantive policy differences found their way into the discussion. Neither candidate necessarily “won,” but both…
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LIVE: Watch ONLY debate in MN’s Eighth District
Today at 10 a.m., the Duluth News Tribune and Duluth Chamber of Commerce host the only scheduled debate between U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan (D-MN8) and Republican challenger Stewart Mills. National analysts describe MN-8 as a swing district. The contest started the year leaning toward the incumbent Nolan. In recent weeks, however, we’ve observed uncertainty over Iron Range…
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Politics of power: PUC OKs industrial rate cut
This week, in a 3-2 split decision, the Minnesota Public Utilities approved a five percent rate cut for large industrial power customers, a deal targeted to help taconite mines in Northern Minnesota. Last February, the PUC rejected Minnesota Power’s proposed rate deal, saying the utility had not adequately proven it needed to raise rates on residents while…