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The story behind tariffs, steel and the Iron Range
Eight months ago, President Trump’s administration slapped significant tariffs on several classes of foreign products, including steel. These tariffs have been at the center of speculation over America’s economy, global trade and politics ever since. The conventional wisdom here on Northern Minnesota’s Iron Range is that the tariffs have been good for us. Sure, they…
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What next for Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation?
Minnesota Gov.-elect Tim Walz launched his official administrative transition team this week. Walz and retiring Gov. Mark Dayton both hail from the Democratic Farmer Labor Party, so we can expect some continuity in policy and certain key staff positions. Nevertheless, many new people will hold high level state posts when Walz takes office in 2019.…
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Northern Minnesota’s new political ethos
Rifle hunting season is almost over. That’s the sure sign of winter in Northern Minnesota. Though just a week ago, the hotly contested election of 2018 safely recedes into the past. The first weekend at deer camp was awash with political theorizing. But we spent last weekend arguing the merits and mechanics of mounting a…
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LIVE BLOG: Election 2018 in Northern Minnesota
Today is Election Day 2018 in the United States of America. This post concerns itself with one small but consequential part of this great nation: my present environs in Northern Minnesota. Let the live blog commence: 11:30 p.m. One more post. To conclude our evening’s business, MinnesotaBrown projects that State Rep. Sandy Layman (R-Cohasset) has…
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Minnesota’s 8th District campaign rumbles to finish line
With a day to go, the race for Congress in Minnesota’s 8th District appears to be competitive again. Last month, it seems like Republican Pete Stauber had pulled ahead but now it seems that Democrat Joe Radinovich is catching up. Too little, too late? A thundering rally? Only tomorrow’s vote can say. The 8th District…
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NPR coverage of Minnesota’s 8th District
National Public Radio’s Morning Edition broadcast live from Duluth, Minnesota this morning. A team of NPR journalists was covering Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District with an eye toward the people who will be making the decision in next Tuesday’s election. I was honored to join the broadcast as a contributor. If you missed the show, here…
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State issues mining permits to PolyMet: Now what?
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued permits for PolyMet Mining on Thursday, ending one long chapter of this story and beginning another. The permits mean PolyMet is now free to mine copper, nickel and other minerals from its proposed location near the former LTV iron mine at Hoyt Lakes. But doing so is not…
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National Public Radio to broadcast live from MN’s 8th District
This Friday morning a team of journalists will broadcast live from Duluth, Minnesota, as part of National Public Radio’s Morning Edition. I’ll join the program as a local analyst. Host Noel King and fellow reporters toured Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District all week. They’re not following the candidates. Rather, they’ve been talking to voters and learning…
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Final MN-8 forum tonight amid release of controversial Stauber e-mails
A district judge in Duluth ruled this morning that St. Louis County must release e-mail messages exchanged between Commissioner Pete Stauber and the National Republican Congressional Committee using Stauber’s government e-mail address. UPDATE: St. Louis County released the e-mails this afternoon. The State of Minnesota previously issued an opinion that the e-mails were public records.…
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Stauber opens lead in Minnesota’s 8th District
Republican Pete Stauber opens a sudden and commanding lead in race for Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. This according to the latest New York Times/Siena College live tracking poll of the district. Stauber leads by a stunning 15 points in the poll, 49 percent to Democrat Joe Radinovich’s 34 percent. Thirteen percent remain undecided. Independent Ray…
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Northern Minnesota’s legislative linchpins
One of the prevailing trends during the Trump Administration is the ease with which we ignore other politicians or, really, political topics of any substance. For instance, two years ago I was the campaign manager for a DFL incumbent in a critical rural swing race in the Minnesota House of Representatives. We lost. Two years…
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One month left in Minnesota’s Fightin’ 8th
Just four weeks remain in the 2018 campaign. Unlike rehab, we’ll spend these next 28 days getting dirty. We should expect fireworks in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District. Here Democrat Joe Radinovich hopes to keep the seat held by his former boss, outgoing U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, in a district that veered sharply toward Donald Trump…
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Remembering George Perpich, special era of Range politics
On Sept. 26, former Iron Range State Sen. George Perpich died at age 85 in an Arden Hills, Minn., care center. He had suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for the past several years. Perpich was one of four brothers, sons of poor Croatian immigrants in Hibbing’s Carson Lake location. Rudy, Tony, Joe and George all became…
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LIVE: First major debate in Minnesota’s 8th District
This morning the three candidates in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District face off in their first major debate. Democrat Joe Radinovich, Republican Pete Stauber and independent Ray “Skip” Sandman will talk issues. This brings welcome relief from a campaign marked by negative ads and low name identification. At 10 a.m., the Duluth Chamber of Commerce and…
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New York Times tracks Minnesota’s 8th District
Brace yourself, Minnesota political junkies. You’re about to have your mind blown. The New York Times hired Siena College to conduct polls in competitive House races across America. One of them is Northern Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District. They’ll be uploading polling results from the district as they come in, updating the results each day. That…