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City Cast Twin Cities

Sean McPherson

Hans Buetow

María Isa Pérez-Vega for Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5

 We're very grateful to welcome back State Representative María Isa Pérez-Vega, who is currently campaigning for Ramsey County Commissioner for District 5. We look forward to connecting and interviewing all candidates who are available in advance of the November 3rd election day. Thank you so much for joining us, Representative Maria Isa.

 So Representative Isa, when you looked at the list of things that were available for you to take on, you were like, "Hmm, county commissioner — that's the ticket, that's the one for me." First of all, what does a county commissioner do? Second, what parts of it drew you into this? Because you could just stay in your current elected position and make change in your community.

 I could just stay, but I'd have to run for that seat again.

 Yeah. Well, I'm the only candidate in this race who has finished their term, and I'll answer your first question — what does the county commissioner do?

The county commissioner does a lot, and it's kind of been one of the levels of government that's not very transparent. But as the direct lead administering human services, and the decisions on ordinances and creating policies to serve the most vulnerable people within the county — for this seat, that's District 5 of Ramsey, which is the St. Paul neighborhoods of downtown St. Paul, the West Side community, parts of Highland Park, Mac-Groveland, West 7th — or if you're an original St. Paul or West Ender — and the East Side's Dayton's Bluff, and other neighborhoods. So it's a collectiveness of someone who is talking about infrastructure development — the county's annual board budget is usually a billion dollars, which is federally funded, state funded, and then funded by our property taxes, which are the highest in the state of Minnesota.

And I know that because I've served in our state legislature for two terms, and I've delivered for Ramsey County. I've delivered to all 87 counties, but I've fought really strongly for our revitalization of downtown. As a lifelong St. Paulite, it wasn't a matter of, "Ooh, which spot is open?" It was, this is an opportunity — Commissioner Ortega has been serving over 30 years and is now retiring, so it's an open seat. And to me, it's about where's the best way that Maria Isa can lead with the people she currently represents and always represents.

Because I'm the chair of the St. Paul Minnesota House delegation, I may not carry a lot of weight within the jurisdictions of other districts, like District 64 or District 67 — but in District 65B, being chair of the delegation, I've been able to facilitate and advise all of those members at the State House on what would be progressive for our overall city. How can we reduce property taxes? What does the infrastructure look like? What are their communities lacking? What county services need more support — children and family services, healthcare? Think about the county — that's healthcare, the Medicaid cuts happening at the federal level, SNAP, nutrition.

All that funding you get from the county is coming from your property taxes, and it's also coming from state and federal funding that's no longer going to be as accessible as it was when I first entered the state with an $18 billion surplus. So, someone who's already delivered millions of dollars for childcare services and housing, who helped approve the $1.3 billion historic housing budget in Minnesota legislation for all 87 counties — I've got to make sure that's going to be delivered, distributed, and accessible for the people of Ramsey County. St. Paul is where I'm from, and this is a large part of the leadership to determine our future — our businesses, our public safety, especially fighting ICE and what we've been dealing with. My background in youth services, working in juvenile detention centers on music initiatives and literacy programs — that's been my influence. So it wasn't about what seat's next, it's about how can I lead better and deliver.

 There's a lot of people who could lead better — everyone who's trying to handle the unhoused population in the Twin Cities, because there is a crisis happening right now, and there's also some finger-pointing. And frankly, Maria, some of that finger-pointing has gone to the county level in a way I didn't expect, because I didn't know much about the county. I knew I lived in Ramsey County mainly when I filled out forms — I thought about living in St. Paul, and that was it. But when I hear about the problems we're having in the city of St. Paul with encampments, what I'm thinking about is that this is a greater metro-area problem that's falling on St. Paul's doorstep. And I'm trying to understand how activists and people who are really focused on these issues at the county level can actually help, because they're being accused of not helping very much at all. So how do you think county-level leadership can step in and improve the situation for unhoused populations in St. Paul and across Ramsey County?

 One of the things is listening to our own neighbors — you can't just make decisions without the source. And I think that's been an issue with all levels of government, local government in particular. When I got the news, as the representative and chair of the delegation, that our mayor had decided to close these encampments, it was a shock. There was no pregame — the county manager, Lynn Baker, didn't know. There was a lot going on. And what I see happen a lot in government, just from being in it and learning, is that there needs to be true partnership across all levels of government instead of pointing fingers to escape accountability.

So I want to mention that right now we're in a time where we have strong partnerships that we've got to put to work, and that's not going to happen with just the leaders. First and foremost is listening to our unhoused neighbors and listening to the frontline workers — the agencies coming from the county and the city. When you talk about the Department of Safety and Inspections, that's a city agency working with mental health and behavioral health resources from the county. So — what I feel has happened isn't a direct attack on one politician or leader in government. It's an overall spectrum of, how are we going to have the creativity to deliver essential services? What we're facing right now is a deficit of those services, and how do we create the opportunities for folks in leadership to make these ordinances happen? That takes action — it takes folks with energy, and folks who come from different lived experiences.

And I want to highlight — this is myself running, but it's with a community that's been working together to become those progressive champions, to secure that funding. I don't know everything, and neither does my colleague. But we need to bring in the voices of people who've experienced unshelteredness, whether it's been for three months or three decades, and that's what it's really going to take — that direct service and impact. That's what I feel the county needs a refresh on. We've got a lot of great leaders at the county already, in Ramsey County. And they need someone to partner with who knows how to create different avenues. And I'd say it's not just about avenues, it's about rhythm — and we've had a lack of rhythm in St. Paul and in Ramsey County. That's not just happening here, it's happening across the country. But when we think about the pits and the peaks, the peaks are finding creative initiatives for infrastructure and building a tax base so we can have funding, because it's more than just a bed. It's more than just a cot. It's more than just creating more shelters. It's actually crossing the full circle of the policy sector — healthcare, right? You can't talk about housing without healthcare. Workforce — you need a job to pay your mortgage and your rent. And youth services — a lot of our young people who aren't sheltered, it's not necessarily that they don't have a cot or a bed, it's whether they feel safe, whether there's cultural competency in that. So I think we need bold leadership that comes with partners at every level of government. And definitely the county has a big hand in that, and that's also why I'm excited to run for this. This isn't anything new to me — it's about culturally connecting, and as someone with a cultural studies background, that's the influence I look forward to bringing to the county board.

 So we talked about rhythm — I love that idea, thinking about our government as rhythm. So let's talk about the rhythm of — let's say you get the votes you need, you're elected. Can you run through your priorities? What's your priority day one? What do you pivot to for month one? And then what's your priority for the first 100 days you're there? What's the rhythm of the things you're going to set up, the things you think need the most attention or tending right now that you can really make a difference with?

 Well, as the candidate with the majority of the county board's endorsement, I've been having conversations with those who are already sitting on the board, about the differences among our county districts, as well as the similarities. What's similar is — and I say "we," because it takes a board, you need four votes — is amplifying, my vote is prioritizing direct services, protecting against the federal funding attacks, and ensuring that those dealing with the aftermath and continuance of Operation Metro Surge are getting support.

And then, for the 100 days — I look at it as, here's a timeline, here's our goals. Let's try to get one through within the 100 days, and if we get one, let's get more. Can we get two birds with one stone, so to speak? So: direct services, and then community input and meeting with community — not saying "here's where I'm at," but going to where our community is at. Going to the spaces, going to where the unsheltered are, going to our juvenile detention centers, where there are kids who need love because they're still kids. Going to the food and mutual aid services that are continuing, and partnering with organizations whose budgets are also getting cut at the federal level. How do we build sustainability for these organizations in the county that offer great services — workforce training, afterschool and childcare programming — so they're not competing against each other between Maplewood and St. Paul, but partnering so we have sustainability there.

And we're going to need to do that through a third major priority of mine, which is increasing the tax base — I'm going to keep saying that. We've got to fund these county projects, and we have to reduce property taxes, or those of us so-called lifelong St. Paulites can hardly afford to manage in the spaces that are our front yards and our backyards. So it's going to take creativity — how can we do things, and what's not working? Let's not circle back to the things that aren't working. If they're outdated, we need to contemporize them. If we're still going into film, are there ways we can collaborate and digitize it? I think about things as an artist, because we know how to make things out of means of nothing — it creates an opportunity, like Basquiat's legendary artwork. Let's do that with county services. We don't have to overthink things, and I think that's an issue — there's this whole status-quo movement to politics, when really the movement is with the people. So: making sure people are engaged, direct services, community input and meeting where the community's at, and making sure we're increasing the tax base so we can fund county projects.

 Let's keep this artist comparison going. Maria and Hans, we probably both know people who are awesome at leading a quintet and would be completely out of their league handling a 15-piece band. Maria, you'll be serving a larger population, and I want to understand how you'll be able to lead this, quote-unquote, "15-piece band." Maybe you've been comfortable representing a smaller population, but now you've got to answer to more people and serve more people. How are you going to scale up to make sure you keep that contact with citizens and individuals?

 Let me get this on the record, and on rhythm, for everyone who may not have been on beat so far. I've served five million people in the state of Minnesota. I've carried legislation — I've served alongside colleagues to get laws passed, with 133 other members in a tied House. You don't get things through to the Senate unless they pass in the House, and the Senate can't get anything through with a one-person majority unless it gets through the House. So when you think about leadership, I prioritize working and pushing in collaborative efforts with those who have the political — the elected — position, and, most importantly, the crowd of people you represent. I think of it as a crowd because I'm an artist, and I'm hearing things, and I'm listening constantly.

So, being able to do that — if I've been able to do that with 133 other people in a tied House, to pass laws that folks said, "You're never going to get any capital investment this year, forget about it. You're not going to get health services after the federal government cut HIV and AIDS healthcare services — you're not going to get that at the state level" — I don't take no for an answer. And then you look at what the Ramsey County Board is: it's seven people, seven elected commissioners representing seven different districts. I'm confident I can handle representing the people who voted for me in District 65B, and it's about those partnerships. I have a great group across all levels of government who have endorsed me and want to continue partnering with me — and none of them have said, "Maybe you should stay in the House." I've heard, "Go for it, we need you at the county level, we need someone to take that action." To me, it's not about the title — representative, senator — it's about where can I get this ball in the hoop so that all the people get enough food in their stomachs and a roof over their heads. That's where I'm going to keep leading.

I also want you to know — I come from a community of activists and leadership that I was born into. I'm a Puerto Rican woman, and I worked hard to make sure our ancestral land and our families and friends were able to get access to emergency essentials. We delivered, through my leadership and partnerships with leaders throughout the state — before I even held elected office — emergency essentials to Puerto Rico during the first Trump administration. So dealing with this federal administration isn't anything new to me. It's actually — why aren't we proactive enough here in Minnesota? Why aren't we proactive enough in county services? We have to be, because I've seen the deterioration of the island of Puerto Rico due to the first Trump administration, and the negligence that's happening now in the water crisis there.

And I also want to talk about organizing a statewide Latino outreach, revamping the Latino caucus — the Movimiento Caucus — in 2022, so we could get a trifecta, so we could have accessibility to healthcare, where everyone in the state of Minnesota who pays taxes has access to it, so our kids can have breakfast and lunch. These are important values and virtues, and I'm part of that leadership. So when you ask what's going to happen as we grow into this, I think — I come from spaces where we were kids trying to figure out how we were going to afford insulin. This isn't David and Goliath to me. It's, let's pull up our bootstraps, let's get the work done, and let's be proactive about what we're dealing with right now, instead of waiting three months for an ordinance so our communities feel safe.

 So, as a lifelong St. Paulite and Ramsey Countian — Ramseyian?

 I wouldn't say that. Let's just say St. Paul. A member of Ramsey — how about "a member of Ramsey," as I'm called by my speaker of the House.

 As a lifelong member of Ramsey — if you have what seems like, based on how you're talking about your work, a rare day off where you're not doing any politicking, where would we find you?

 Oh my goodness. For breakfast, I'm definitely going to catch Lost Fox, or I like Cafe Story too — they've got a really good breakfast sandwich. I also enjoy coffee at the new Cafe Milagro on the West Side — shout out to Ale Diaz, a fantastic queer Latina-owned business in the heart and pulse of our barrio. I'd also like to say I'm going to be popping into the White Squirrel, 620 West 7th, for a good happy hour, or a late-night surprise karaoke, or maybe a DJ set I could hop on. I definitely enjoy a good steak at Mancini's with my dad and my mom. And my daughter is a huge fan of going to Cecil's in Highland Park for a good hot dog, while Mom gets a good bagel pastrami sandwich. Let's see — oh, Cafeto, great coffee, Latina-owned business on the East Side, and Mañana for an awesome pupusa. Crosskey's for some arepas. Boca Chica for a good happy hour. El Burrito—

 You're going to be so full by the end of this day.

 Believe it or not, this is kind of like my campaign life — and honestly, it's not just my campaign life, it's my everyday life. I'm from St. Paul, and when I see a business shut down, it hurts me — it pierces a little bit. And I'm always thinking, "How can I—" Oh, and Run Mit 

 — shout out to Nia. These are folks we've grown up in our neighborhoods with, and been supportive of each other's businesses and families. We're a village in St. Paul, and that's what the county is about — providing access to essential services for the village. So you're going to see me there every day, bouncing around. Vina's in Highland for some pho. I just love our downtown spaces that need to be revamped — Gambit, shout out to all the spots that are giving heart. We're fighting hard to get the boat floating and provide some life jackets.

 Maria Isa, I'm going to go eat about 4,000 calories, as it sounds like you're also doing on your day off. This sounds wonderful. Thank you for your time today. We look forward to talking to everybody who's running for one of these positions, and we appreciate you taking the time to talk about your campaign for Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5. Have a great rest of your day, and thank you for your time.

 Thank you, Sean. Let's get it — Cinco de Maria Isa!

We're very grateful to welcome back State Representative María Isa Pérez-Vega, who is currently campaigning for Ramsey County Commissioner for District 5.

Meet Your Candidates: María Isa Pérez-Vega for Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5

Twin City Guides

Rebecca Noecker for Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5

 We are grateful to welcome on St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker, who is currently campaigning for Ramsey County Commissioner for District 5. In fact, she's so busy campaigning that we actually had to meet at an agreed-upon spot because we couldn't get the technology to work for a regular Zoom session. Now, leading up to election day on the 3rd of November, we look forward to connecting and interviewing all the candidates who are available in this election. We're very appreciative of City Council President Rebecca Noecker joining us. Rebecca, thank you for making this work.

 Sean, thank you for making it work. I love being here at the headquarters, and I'm looking forward to the conversation.

 Yes — this is the political interview with the most Trivia Mafia posters behind us. The first question, Rebecca: you've got a job, you've got a cool job, and you're making things happen in the city of St. Paul. But you have this desire to work at a different level — the county level. What prompted you to seek this seat as Ramsey County Commissioner for District 5?

 Yeah, you know, I do love my job. I've been on the city council for 10 years now. I love everything about local government — I love the way you can make a real difference in people's lives. You can work elbow to elbow with your neighbors, figure out what the problems are, and figure out how to solve them. And then you can walk around on a daily basis and see the work you've done and how it's making people's lives better. So I love local government.

But I've also become aware, over the last 10 years on the council, of all the ways in which the city can't do it alone — the ways we need other government partners involved, and in particular the county. The county does all of the human side of our community. So whether we're talking about helping our unhoused neighbors, fighting back against ICE, or bringing property taxes down, all of those things require county partnership. I'm hoping to bring some of the energy, some of the fights, and some of the experience I've built over the last 10 years over to the county, to make it a better partner.

 One prime example of "doing it alone" not working is our unhoused population. Right now at Randolph and West Seventh, and at Shepard and Randolph, we have an increased encampment — a larger encampment — and there are a lot of ways in which this is falling on St. Paul's doorstep. It is St. Paul's responsibility, but I could see a future where there's a much better relationship between county officials, even state officials, to take care of a problem that, at times, I just feel is intractable — not necessarily unsolvable, but certainly not going to be solved with the solutions available right now. So can you talk about how being at the county level might give you the ability to do more to help our unhoused populations?

 Absolutely — and I don't believe any problem is intractable. I believe there are difficult problems, but I'm an optimist, and I think working together, being proactive and strategic, we can solve even the hardest problems. But you're right, this isn't something the city of St. Paul can take on alone. And it's not a problem that developed overnight — this is something that's been going on for decades, because we haven't been investing in the kinds of services and the kind of housing our neighbors need.

We're just up the street from the Shepard-Randolph encampment. I was down there earlier this week talking to my constituents who are living in the encampment, and what they told me was: we want to go inside, and we want to go inside into a space where we can bring our partners, our friends we've made here, our pets, the stuff we've worked hard to get and that's precious to us — and we can't do that in a shelter bed. So when we talk about the services people need, what we really need is supportive housing — apartments where people can live with others, with their pets, with their property, and then services on site, like mental health, chemical health, job training, and other supports. Those are all things Ramsey County has the mandate and the budget to provide, and they need to be provided not just in an emergency situation, which we're in now, but for the long haul.

 They've had that mandate for a while, though. So do you think you being there is going to change it? I haven't seen that mandate impact the lived experience of unhoused people in St. Paul yet. Is it your agenda, with this group of seven people, that's going to change it? Because that mandate is there, and it's still not being met. So what's the difference if Rebecca Noecker is on that commission board?

 First of all, nobody does anything alone, so I think it's really important to note that everything happens in partnership — the things I hope to make happen are going to happen in collaboration. But I'll say everything comes down to leadership. On the county board, there are seven people who are elected to set the policy and direction of the county and to hold staff accountable to making those things a priority. I think my track record on the city council shows that I know how to work with six other people — there are seven council members, same as seven county commissioners. It's a nonpartisan environment, so you really have to build relationships with everybody — there's no finger-pointing at "the other side." And then you're in the details of the work. You're not just signing a bill to allocate a lot of money to something — you're talking with the people you're hoping to help, the people impacted by the problem, your colleagues, other levels of government, figuring out the financing, figuring out the legal parts, and getting it done.

I'm proud to say I have a track record of doing that. The county's most recent expansion of shelter beds was actually something I championed — I led the fight on the winter safe space, which became the seasonal safe space in downtown St. Paul, 64 additional beds, almost right after I got elected, my first year in office. That's an example of how you can work together, even from the city council, to get things done. I feel like on the county board, I'll be able to bring that same style of leadership.

 Let's open up to some of your other priorities. We've talked about the unhoused population, which I think is of paramount importance. But what are your other priorities if you're elected to this office — say, in the first couple of days?

 Yeah, there's a lot I want to do. Let me start with pushing back against ICE and the federal attack on our community. Operation Metro Surge was an intense form of this, but it was going on before Metro Surge, and it continues to this day. We need our local governments to be ready to defend our neighbors, and that takes a couple of forms.

First, I think we need a separation ordinance at Ramsey County that says local law enforcement and Ramsey County staff do not cooperate with the federal government. When you call the sheriff's office, when you come in to get your medical assistance, your SNAP, or your childcare benefits, you're not going to be asked for your immigration status, and you're not going to be reported to ICE. We have a very strong separation ordinance in the city of St. Paul — we worked hard to strengthen it even further during Metro Surge — and I think we need something like that at the county level too. I'd also move to ban masking by law enforcement at the county level. We did that in St. Paul, to make sure ICE and other agents had to reveal who they were; we also required identification. We should do that at the county level too. And the county needs to end its contract with Flock — I led the fight to do that in the city. That's a third-party provider taking our residents' data, which has been shared with the federal government without our police department's knowledge. We can't have that kind of surveillance where we don't own the data and don't know where it's going. So those are a couple of things I'd do immediately to help defend our neighbors against the federal government.

Something else we have to talk about is taxes. As you mentioned, Sean, I'm literally in the midst of door-knocking right now, and what I'm hearing at the doors is that taxes are unsustainable. People on fixed incomes, seniors, low-income folks, working families who are also trying to afford rent, childcare, groceries, and gas — taxes are a huge part of that problem. One of the things we can do is have the city and the county work better together. Coming from the city council, I know exactly what we do well, where we need help, and where there's duplication we could eliminate to bring down the amount we have to spend. But the other thing we need to do is expand our tax base. We need to bring in more businesses, more homes, more people to help shoulder the cost of the services people depend on, which go up in cost every single year.

There are huge opportunities to do that from the county side. The county actually owns critical, high-value parcels that could be put back on the tax rolls. One is at River's Edge, right on the riverfront in downtown St. Paul. There's a really ambitious vision for that site — housing, jobs, a brand-new park right along the river, bringing people down to the river, which is something we've wanted to do for a long time. But it's been sitting there vacant for 10 years, and it was vacant buildings for 10 years before that. We need to move with urgency on getting these properties back on the tax rolls. And then I'd institute a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program. Twenty percent of our properties in the city of St. Paul are totally tax-exempt — hospitals, colleges, faith-based institutions. A lot of other cities and counties in our position have created voluntary programs where those institutions can pay in to help cover the cost of the services they receive. I think that really resonates with our values in St. Paul and Ramsey County — that everyone should have a part in covering the services people depend on.

And the last thing I'll say here — I have a long list of other priorities — but West Seventh Street, right outside the windows where we're sitting right now, is a street that desperately needs investment. There was an actual void in the street — I learned it's not a sinkhole, it's a "void," that's the technical term — right outside of Burger Moe's last year. The street is literally falling apart. The county worked for years and spent $12 million in public dollars on design and community engagement for a transformed West Seventh Street, and then they abandoned the project with a Facebook post and moved the $7.3 million they had allocated to suburban, shovel-ready projects instead. That was one of the last straws that got me to say, I have to run for this seat, because our community deserves better. So I'd work to bring the county back to the table. The city has picked up the pieces — we have a plan to reconstruct the street and put the J Line bus rapid transit on it — but we need the county's investment.

 We're sharing a microphone here, so we can't do really quick back-and-forths, but I have two follow-ups based on your really thorough answer. Let's start here: didn't Chris Coleman try to do the "hey, pretty please, nonprofits, give us some money" thing years ago, and it died on the vine? Wasn't there already an attempt to get some dollars from our nonprofit neighbors, and it didn't work? Why will it work this time?

 This is a good time to be the longest-serving council member, at 10 years, and the elder stateswoman of the council at 42 — because I have a bit of a memory of how this went down. I don't remember the very beginning under Chris Coleman, but I do know that at the very end of his term — maybe this is what you're talking about — the Citizens League did a study of a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program. They talked to the heads of the colleges, the hospitals, the big nonprofits, and came back with a report that said: yes, we think you should pursue this. It's not going to be a silver bullet, because these are voluntary payments — you can't count on them, they won't totally solve your budget woes — but you should pursue it. And their final recommendation was: do it right now, because right now, all these colleges, faith-based institutions, and hospitals have been engaged in this report and are ready to work with you. Don't let it gather dust.

Right after that, we had an election. A new mayor came in with different priorities, a different agenda, and it gathered dust for the last eight years. So as soon as Mayor Her took office, I reached out and said, let's pick up the pieces. She and I have been working together beautifully on this — we're hoping to have a pilot ready in some form by the end of the year. I've been grateful for her partnership, but again, I think this is something that should be countywide.

 Here's the other follow-up, on the first couple of things you said about responding to ICE, including not permitting masked law enforcement officers at the county level. Do you have a partner in Sheriff Bob Fletcher on getting rid of the Flock cameras, and on a lot of the things I feel are a little antithetical to some of the positions I've seen him take? I don't know exactly how it works, but do you think you have a partner who can really change law enforcement at the Ramsey County level?

 Well, just like I believe there's no such thing as an intractable problem, I think everyone is a potential partner. I'll say I've found Sheriff Fletcher to be very helpful on different occasions — I actually sat down with him and a constituent who was working with another constituent, one of my immigrant constituents, who had been unlawfully detained and was facing deportation, and the sheriff was really helpful in that situation. So we've been able to work together in the past. He and I have very different views on a lot of public safety approaches, including Flock, and I've been disappointed in how he's responded to my effort there. But here's the thing about local government: no one can be a permanent enemy — you have to work with people.

So one of the first things I'm going to do, and I've already started — I've met with all the other county commissioners, and I've already met with a lot of frontline staff, because I think the people who actually do the work every day are the ones you should talk to when you're figuring out what needs to change. Policymakers often don't do that, and they end up disconnected from the work. I'm looking forward to sitting down with the sheriff and trying to understand his perspective better, trying to figure out how we can work together. I'll say, ultimately, the county board does control the sheriff's budget, and I think that will give me a bit more influence in those conversations.

 That was diplomatic — right at the end. Sitting this close to you, it's hard to be too aggressive. I've got two more questions and then we'll let you go. You'll be serving a larger population if you're elected to this role, and sometimes there are people who are really good at serving, say, 60,000 people, and come up short when the number gets bigger — they don't know how to reach people and stay connected the same way. How are you going to scale up to make sure you can really deliver that county level of representation — more square mileage, and, most importantly, more people?

 That's a really good question. I've definitely noticed, as I've been door-knocking, that the number of doors you need to hit to run a county campaign is a lot different than a city council campaign. The good news is I'm going to continue to represent a district that's entirely within St. Paul. I've been serving both my ward and the city as council president — for the last decade, and the last year and a half as council president — so a lot of the same neighborhoods I represent now. I don't think I would've taken this on if it meant leaving most of my constituents. So it's my West Side neighbors, which is also my home, downtown, West Seventh — and then adding in parts of the East Side, the Battle Creek neighborhood, Dayton's Bluff, the Highwood Hills area, and also Highland Park and the southern part of Mac-Groveland.

So part of this is just staying connected to all the constituents I already represent, and I've really been trying, during the campaign, to reach out to the new folks I haven't met yet. One of the things I love about local government, even at the county level, is that it's still very local — you're still going to run into your constituents on a Sunday morning at the grocery store when you haven't showered or done your hair yet, and I look forward to that continuing to happen to me. It's very personal, and it's not hard, if you take the time to show up and meet people where they're at.

I'm going to keep doing my community conversations, which happen once a month in different coffee shops, restaurants, bars, rec centers, libraries, and parks across the district. I'll keep doing my downtown action series, every two months, where we hear updates on what's happened to make downtown better over the last 60 days from a variety of speakers — I'm hoping to host that as Ramsey County Commissioner too, and invite my new Ward 2 council member to join me. I've actually invited the current District 5 commissioner to join me at those events every time, and he has yet to come — so I look forward to better collaboration there. And then continuing my newsletter, my social media presence, and just showing up. So much of this is about saying yes — whenever there's an event, a food drive, a clothing drive, a chance to speak to students, which is actually one of my favorite things to do as a former teacher.

 Last question, City Council President Rebecca Noecker — a little more personal. What's a day off in your district? I imagine days off are few and far between right now, but say you land on a day with nothing on the itinerary. What are you up to?

 Okay — well, I guess I can't say door-knocking, since that's my current day off. It's really hard to choose, but I'd say a day off might find me having coffee at Plata Cafe, just down the street on West Seventh — I love that I can always pick up a copy of the Community Reporter while I'm there, and I always run into constituents and people I know. I love to bike — my family and I are avid cyclists, we bike everywhere — so you'd likely find me on the Capital City Bikeway downtown, the Lilydale trail, the Bruce Vento Trail. And if there were a Saints game on that particular day off, we'd definitely bike over the Highway 52 bridge from the West Side to the game, park in the special bike parking, and go in the back entrance — you feel like a celebrity, and all you had to do was bike there.

I'd also probably want to stop into Caydence Cafe and Records, on the East Side, just a little outside my ward — it's a wonderful spot, you can pick up a record and get coffee at the same time, and we've hosted community conversations there. And then I'd say, at the end of the day, there's nothing like standing at the top of the High Bridge on the West Side. Right at Overlook Park behind you is a brand-new community garden, a wonderful gem that's brought so many neighbors together and produces wonderful food — a great spot to check out. But then just looking over the bluff at downtown St. Paul, with the sun setting off to your left, is just perfect.

 St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker, who is running for Ramsey County Commissioner for District 5 — thank you not only for your generosity today, but your spirit of improvisation, since we ended up not being able to make the remote interview work. We appreciate your time today, and again, we'll be trying to connect with all the candidates in this election as we get closer to election day. Thank you for being here, Rebecca.

We are grateful to welcome on St. Paul City Council President Rebecca Noecker, who is currently campaigning for Ramsey County Commissioner for District 5. 

Meet Your Candidates: Rebecca Noecker for Ramsey County Commissioner, District 5

Adam Sage

*This is a free music festival on Nicollet Mall and inside the Dakota. It's a wonderful chance to get to see a show at the Dakota for free as tickets are usually a little pricey for me there. Last year I got to see Davina and the Vagabonds play the closing slot inside the club, and it was one of my favorite shows of the year. I also had the Dakota's pink peppercorn ice cream, which blew my mind. This year I'm looking forward to seeing another one of my favorite artists in the Twin Cities, L.A. Buckner, perform on the outside stage, and I'll head inside to see The New Standards close out the festival. Don't miss this! 

September brings a packed Twin Cities concert calendar, from outdoor shows and fall tours to orchestra performances and free music festivals.

Tips for a Better September in the Twin Cities

Tips for a Better September

Anna Weggel

Tiffany Bui

When are you going? This weekend? Next weekend? Text a pal and pick a date for the park because September is kind of a goldilocks month for getting outside in the Twin Cities. It's not too hot or cold, and it probably won't rain too much. Here in the metro area, it may be your last chance to comfortably wade through the ankle-deep waters of the Mississippi at 

 to look for critters and crawfish and to get a great view of the 

You can also get up close to the Mississippi south of the Twin Cities – if you've been sleeping on 

, try heading over and walking the 3.8-mile 

. You'll get to walk around an island on the river, and it's so gorgeous and secluded that it's hard to believe you're right next to the airport. You might get to see some beavers cutting down saplings and swimming under the Pike Island Bridge as September is a busy month for them preparing for winter. You'll also get to see the 

, or the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers, which is a site of immense spiritual and historical significance to the Dakota people. On a clear day, you can see a distinct line where the brownish waters of the Minnesota clash with the relatively clear waters of the Mississippi. Seriously, make plans this month to get to one of these world-class parks that we have in our back yard. 

 deter you from donning that flannel. I’m ready to let go of summer with these autumnal celebrations. We have an unbelievable number of Oktoberfests; you can don your lederhosen and enjoy giant pretzels at 

, on Sept. 19, will feature live music from Gully Boys and others. For the competitive spirit, there’s a boot chugging contest. If you haven’t had enough hot dogs this summer, Insight Brewing is hosting 

, which promises “hot dogs falling from the sky.” The 

 also hosts their own celebrations in St. Paul.

I have the pleasure of editing each week’s 

 newsletter and when one of our writers, Winter, recently told me she found the lunchbox of her dreams, it’s pretty much the 

. As a mom of school-aged children, I want to challenge myself next year (because I failed big time this year) to shop local for school supplies. If it’s not too late for you to shop for your kids this year, or if you’re young at heart and can’t resist school supply shopping for yourself, check out Winter’s 

, Winter had the best recommendations. And I look forward to spending my money at these local shops next year! 

Explore Twin Cities parks, enjoy fall festivals and Oktoberfests, and shop local for school supplies at unique neighborhood stores.

Your Guide to September 2026 in the Twin Cities

 We'd like to welcome Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, who is running for U.S. Senate. The primary is today, and this primary competition between Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Representative Angie Craig has been very heated and very expensive – if you've been trying to watch TV without running into these two, you have failed. Lieutenant Governor, thank you so much for joining us on City Cast Twin Cities on this very busy day for you. We appreciate your time.

 Now, Peggy Flanagan, you're no stranger to representing Minnesota – you've been the Lieutenant Governor – but I want to ask: how would your work as an elected official in the Senate most tangibly impact the community you live in?

 Sure. Well, I'd say a couple things. I'm running to make sure that people can afford the lives they want to live. I grew up in the community of St. Louis Park – it's where I still live with my family – and I grew up on the margins. I was a kid who carried a box of commodity cheese under my arm like a football. Section 8 paid the rent. SNAP is what kept food on the table for my family, and I'm alive because of Medicaid.

But what I also watched was my mom being a badass. She worked incredibly hard, and she went back to school – she got her certificate in phlebotomy, and we like to tease her and say she became a professional vampire. But I remember watching her walk across that stage and feeling like I was walking across it too, because I knew how incredibly hard she worked, for me and for herself. So that's what I'm bringing into this race – knowing what it feels like to stretch $20 through the end of the month, and fighting against the status quo.

I think the root of it – and Sean, you mentioned it – all of these ads, this is the most expensive Senate primary in Minnesota's history. $20 million has come against us so far: crypto, AI, tech billionaires, health insurance companies, AIPAC, and all these special interests. I'm not taking a dime of corporate PAC money because I want to be beholden only to Minnesotans. I share that with you because I think that's the root of so many things we don't have access to – like a healthcare system that works for everybody, housing, childcare, all of these pieces. As folks are struggling to afford their lives, the people at the very top are doing quite well, and that's a frustration many people share. I'm going to fight for the many and not for the money. That's what I plan to bring to D.C.

 And you talk in your own personal narrative – obviously there are a lot of ways government programs helped you and your family be more resilient and stronger, and we've seen a lot of that support fall away. A lot of what you needed and received at that time isn't as available now. I assume we're in agreement that we want stronger, more resilient communities. What can you do to make communities more resilient from your vantage point as an elected official?

 Sure, I'd say a couple things. I want to make sure that the way we've campaigned – we've done over 300 events in 112 communities – should also be the way that I govern, by being in relationship with Minnesotans, making sure folks feel like, "Oh, we know her, she represents us." That's why I'm fighting for Medicare for All. I think it's completely outrageous that I talk to families with $16,000 deductibles, who are paying 500 bucks for a med check, who are deciding whether to cover just the kids, or just mom. Our healthcare plan right now is basically to pray that nobody gets sick. Our time has come where folks no longer need to just pay for health insurance, but should actually be able to receive health care.

I'd like to get rid of prior authorization, because I don't think some person behind a desk – or worse, an AI bot – should determine whether or not you get the lifesaving healthcare your doctor prescribed. I want universal childcare capped at 7% of your income as a family. Childcare is the backbone of the economy, and incidentally, there are only four moms with kids under 18 serving in the U.S. Senate – and boy, can't you tell from the outcomes we're getting right now.

So those are some of the issues. I co-chaired the campaign to raise the minimum wage in this state when I led the Children's Defense Fund. At the time, folks said, "You're too ambitious, you're asking for too much" – to raise it and index it to inflation. But we passed that law, and over the last decade, people have seen their wages increase. Meanwhile, the federal minimum wage hasn't increased in 17 years – it's still $7.25, which is completely impossible. I want us to raise the national minimum wage.

I also fought hard – I was one of the co-founders of Minnesotans for Paid Family and Medical Leave, back when my kid was still portable on my hip. We built that coalition, we organized for it, and it passed and was implemented this year – 75,000 people have now taken advantage of this program to bond with a new baby, care for a sick loved one, or care for themselves. That matters, and we need a national paid leave policy.

And after the year we've had, we need to rip ICE apart and hold this Trump administration accountable for the terror, chaos, and loss of life they've caused here in Minnesota. I think folks have heard me use the term "avenge" – and what that really means is that the $240 billion that's been given to ICE and CBP, while we've watched health care being taken from people and food being taken off the table to fund this lawless agency, along with trillions of dollars in tax cuts for people who don't need them – enough. This is madness, and we can do better.

 Now, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, even if these things ring true with somebody, there might be a fear that if we send someone who's really on the Medicare for All bandwagon to D.C., we're sending them to a Republican-majority Senate. Are you going to be stuck on the sidelines because you can't reach across the aisle? Realistically, you're the more progressive candidate, and the candidate with less of a track record reaching across the aisle, at least in my reckoning. So I'm trying to understand: might someone with your values be wasted on a Senate that isn't ready to work on these things because it's controlled by Republicans?

 I would say – I think we have the opportunity to take back the House and the Senate, but as you mentioned, the Trump administration will also be there moving forward, at least for the next two years. But I'm proud of the work I've been able to do with folks across the aisle. When I was at the Children's Defense Fund, I sometimes got a lot of grief from my DFL friends serving in the legislature, because they'd say, "Hey, how come you didn't ask me to author this bill?" And I'd say, "Well, Republicans are in the majority, and I can't wait two years or four years for healthy babies and healthy birth outcomes for kids and their moms." So finding that common ground is important to me.

When I served in the legislature during one term, there were only two bills from DFLers in the House that got across the finish line – one of them was mine, because I'm pretty intentional about building relationships. Regardless of my occupation, I'm an organizer, and finding common ground – my job on day one in the U.S. Senate is to schedule 99 cups of coffee with my colleagues and find places where we can work together.

I'm going to push for Medicare for All, because frankly it's what people deserve. But along the way – banning prior authorization is at the top of my list, and that has bipartisan support; I actually think we can get that done. And things like making sure Congress lives up to its end of the bargain and funds special education – the commitment was always 40% under IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and they've never met that commitment. That also has bipartisan support and is worth fighting for, for our public schools and for kids all across this country.

Those are the opportunities, I think. And as we've been doing this work, we've had DFLers coming to our events, but we've also had independents who say, "I don't have a political home, I'm just super freaked out by what's happening right now." And we've had Republicans who say, "Flanagan, I don't agree with you on everything – in fact, not a lot – but at least you're here listening to us." And I think that goes a really long way in this politics of noise and division, and just spewing absolute hatred from the White House. We can do things differently here, and we have in the past – in the way we showed up for our neighbors this winter. I don't think anyone was asking about political affiliation as they were simply trying to get food to their neighbors and make sure the people they care about weren't just scooped up off the street.

 There's a notable recent poll from the Star Tribune, KARE 11, and the Hubbard School of Journalism that found 81% of respondents worried about fraud in state government. If someone is worried about fraud in state government, why would they vote for somebody who was really high up in state government during this period of massive fraud?

 Well, I'd be really clear that fraud of any kind is completely unacceptable, and I know Minnesotans are angry – I am too, as a former executive director of an organization that served children and families. I find it completely infuriating that anyone would steal from taxpayers, but especially take resources from people who need them desperately. There's been work done to stop fraud and prevent it from happening in the first place – 60 people have been prosecuted, a hundred people have been charged. Aimee Bock, the ringleader of Feeding Our Future, was sentenced to 41 years plus 8 months. And to that, I say good.

What I also know is that Republicans are running against every Democrat on fraud – Amy Klobuchar, Keith Ellison, the legislators. And just last week, there was an ad that popped up showing Congresswoman Craig and me side by side, attacking us both on fraud. She serves on the Ag Committee – that's why they're going after her. It's all political theater to distract from the fact that this president, right out of the gate, pardoned 70 white-collar criminals who've stolen billions of dollars in Medicare and Medicaid funds. He got rid of 17 inspectors general, whose whole job is to police corruption at the federal level. And this guy is making money hand over fist out of the White House – and for the folks who paid for his gilded ballroom, their reward was government contracts. Enough. I think whoever our opponent is in the fall – Michele Tafoya or whoever it is – it's clear to me they'll be a "yes sir, Mr. President" kind of senator. What we actually need is someone who's going to stand up to the Trump administration.

And I'd say that's also a distinction between me and my opponent, who has voted with Donald Trump more than any other Minnesota Democrat. We can do better, and I think Minnesotans are positioned to make sure we send someone who's going to take on the status quo and push back against the Trump administration. As a Minnesotan, as someone who's lived here my whole life, this state has invested so much in me and in my family, and I really look forward to the opportunity to continue serving the people of Minnesota, if that's their will, in Washington.

 Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, it's primary day, it's a busy day – you taking the time to talk with City Cast Twin Cities means a lot to us. Thank you so much for your time today.

We requested interviews from most candidates running in the major Twin Cities races ahead of the August 11 primary and November general election.

Meet Your Candidates: Peggy Flanagan for U.S. Senate

 We'd like to welcome Kendall Qualls, who's the GOP-endorsed candidate for governor. Today is primary day, and we're excited to talk to every candidate we can leading up to the election in November. Kendall Qualls, thank you so much for joining us on City Cast Twin Cities today.

 I'm glad to be here. Thanks for having me, Sean.

 Now, Kendall Qualls, I wanted to ask you about how your work as an elected official would most tangibly impact the community you live in.

 Yeah, I think – not just for the community I live in, but for all communities – there are three basic things that transcend political parties. Number one, economic conditions. Everyone wants to thrive economically, not just survive, and there are things we can do in government to help with that.

Number two – look, Minneapolis has seen better days when it comes to crime. Forbes magazine rated it the number one safest city with the best quality of life back in October 2009, and we're going to get that back. That's truly the character of Minneapolis – it was never a Detroit or a Chicago. Crime is rampant in the metro as well as the surrounding suburbs, and we want to get that back.

And number three is our public school education. We used to have a marquee public education program that benefited everyone – for people like me, coming out of poverty, education could be a gateway to a very different life. Now we've seen real decline – we're near the bottom-middle of the nation, our test scores are out of whack, and there's all this other foolishness going on in our public schools. We want to get that back too. So: improving economic conditions, safer communities, and quality education for everyone.

 You mentioned in your biography a really unique history and path – you spent time as a child in Harlem and then in Oklahoma, two vastly different places. You've also talked about the importance of education, and really helping people at every stage of life, particularly if they're born into poverty. Beyond the first three things you mentioned – sure, economic opportunity, safe streets, access to education, these are all big – what else can you do in office to build strong communities where people really thrive?

 Well, I think the biggest thing right now is that people sense there's no accountability in elected officials – that we've lost our sense of community, our sense of belonging to each other. Is there a common denominator that brings us all together? Right now, unfortunately, we work and walk and think in tribes of left versus right, and that's wrong in a lot of ways. We didn't used to live like that. I want to bring that sense of commonality back, and we can do that.

But the accountability part is very important. The fraud issue in our state is way beyond out of control – it's a national embarrassment. We don't need special offices to fix this. This is called leadership. This happens in the private sector all the time – it's called embezzlement, and we handle these issues within a single calendar year. Someone's fired, someone's held accountable, someone goes to jail. For embezzlement, it doesn't take eight to ten years and an Office of Inspector General and all these other layers of government – it's called leadership. That's how we bring accountability back, integrity back, and a sense of pride to be able to call ourselves Minnesotans again, because that's been lost for a lot of the population in this state.

 Do you think the Office of Inspector General is unproductive in rooting out fraud, or do you think it just requires leadership above that station to make sure things actually happen? I'd assume even at a business level you need boots on the ground to root out embezzlement. So I'm asking: do you see usefulness in inspectors general, or do you see it as unnecessary red tape?

 It's unnecessary red tape. Listen, this could have been handled day one – Tim Walz could have fired someone. No one – I think one person resigned in the last few months, but he's fired no one. We have $9 billion that's been accounted for by Joe Thompson, the Biden-appointed U.S. attorney, and I believe there's a lot more. No one's been held accountable. It starts with the leader of the executive branch, which is the governor.

And like I said, even in the private sector, this is handled quickly within your finance department – not a special department, a finance, accounting, and audit department. These guys are full-time, they do their jobs. We don't hire outside help unless it's really serious. This isn't that – we've had whistleblowers telling us about this stuff for years.

 I want to switch gears a bit and ask about the struggles state government is having with the federal government right now, and how negative that impact can be for Minnesotans – specifically, $199 million in Medicaid payments that were recently held back. I want to ask what you'd do to improve that relationship, because – Kendall Qualls, I think you and I land on pretty different parts of the political spectrum, but on the other hand, I really don't want to see people not getting Medicaid payments they're counting on. So how can you bring that relationship back so these payments get fulfilled and people get what they need to live?

 Sean, you're assuming we're on different parts of the political spectrum – I'd bet we agree on probably 80% of the issues. Let's reverse that question: do you favor Medicaid-ineligible people getting payments of millions of dollars? No, of course not. Those payments were intended for the most vulnerable of our citizens. And right now we have people getting those payments who aren't even citizens of our state – they're in different states, all these different things. So, yes–

 –but we have people who are citizens of our state not getting the payments.

 Okay, all right. So look – I'm all in favor of making sure our vulnerable citizens get the funds they need for care. All in favor of that, because I used to be one of those kids growing up. So the compassion is there, but I disdain people who take money intended for the weak, vulnerable, and sick, and use it to live a lifestyle better than the average American Minnesotan. That's wrong in a big way.

All we have to do is tighten up the ship. We need strong leadership, and then we won't have to worry about the federal government stepping in, because we're doing the right thing locally. We fix our own ship. We're a sovereign state – we take charge of our own things. The reason we have this intervention in the first place is that we've had lousy management for the last eight years.

 Thank you for that. I want to ask a bit about your path to electability – specifically, on Almanac recently, you referred to the metro as an Achilles heel for Republicans, but said you believe you can unify the state. What would you say to somebody who thinks the metro area is going to stay an Achilles heel for Republicans if they put up candidates who won't strongly and clearly speak out against ICE and its actions during Operation Metro Surge?

 Well, again, Sean, I'm going to push back on that, because people in the metro aren't saying, "Oh, ICE is too–" They're dealing with the highest level of carjacking we've had in years. We've had the highest property taxes, even as the value of commercial buildings has decreased – one building was sold for $6 million when it was originally purchased for over $90 million less than 10 years ago. Guess who's making up the difference in property taxes? The people you're referring to in the metro. That's why their property taxes are going up, their car insurance is going up because of the increase in car theft and carjackings. Everything is going up.

Our household income – this is according to the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce – the growth of household income in this state over the last 10 years ranks 46th out of 50 states. The biggest issue Minnesotans across the board, including in the metro, are facing is tough economic times, on top of the headache of crime. Why isn't someone doing something about it? Nothing's changed in Minneapolis except the leadership, and they're paying dearly for it. They want their kids to have a decent education – they're not fixated on ICE, or these "No Kings" rallies.

When I look at the population of people protesting ICE and protesting "No Kings," I call them "no Black folks" rallies, because there's hardly any. You guys are narrowing in on very specific leftist programs and forgetting the people in the middle. You're forgetting the Bill Clinton Democrats, and only focusing on the Hillary Clinton Democrats.

 Do you think there's some percentage of the population that's both frustrated with ICE and also unhappy about carjackings and where public education is at – some Venn diagram that includes people with both of those complaints?

 Oh, I'm sure there are, but I think that Venn diagram is very narrow. You know why? Statistics and facts bear that out – the carjackings, the crime, the schools, those have been chronic problems for years, but the ICE surge only happened in the last 12 months.

And by the way, Sean, here's the one thing I want to bring up about that surge you keep bringing up. Where were those protesters when Joe Biden let 10 to 15 million people into this country through a southern border mass run – unvetted, from a hundred different countries? Where were the protesters then? There's no precedent in American history where we've let people come in unvetted and unchecked like that. And right now in this country, the Democratic Party didn't bring a budget with them for the health care, the education, and all the other services that population needs – and that's a population the same size as the states of Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin combined. There's no protest for that.

 I hear your question, and I'm letting it hang there, because I don't have an answer for you today. But I do want to switch gears again and ask something a little more human to human, because I understand there probably are a ton of things we're on the same page about. If you find yourself with a day off in your district – you realize, "Oh, I've got some time, I can hang out with my family, or do whatever I want" – what might be on your itinerary?

 I'll tell you what – I really enjoy spending time with my family outdoors. I think we have the best outdoors of any state in the country, and that's what I want to make Minnesota – the family destination vacation spot across the country, I really do. I love Gull Lake, Lake City, some of these others.

But here's the thing for me, Sean. You're looking at a guy who grew up, as you mentioned, in a broken family in Harlem, and then later with my father in a trailer park in Oklahoma. I was able to break that cycle of poverty, thank God, and for this country and the blessings I have now. I have grandchildren, and to see all of my children come back here as adults – four out of five of them are now married, and now we're having grandchildren – that generational blessing just warms my heart. I enjoy spending time with them. We don't have to do much, but I can tell you it's always loud.

 Yeah, sometimes when you're with family, the lighter the agenda, the better – you can actually just find out what everybody's been up to and touch base. And to some extent, Kendall Qualls, I feel like that's what we've been doing today, trying to get an understanding of your campaign on this primary day, which I know is very important for you. I appreciate your time, I appreciate your patience, and thank you for joining us on City Cast Twin Cities.

 Thank you so much. Great, thank you. Appreciate it.

Meet Your Candidates: Kendall Qualls for Governor

 We'd like to welcome Representative Angie Craig, who is running for U.S. Senate. The primary is tomorrow, and we're excited to talk to every candidate we can ahead of the big election in November. Representative Craig, we really appreciate your time today. Thank you for joining us on City Cast Twin Cities.

 You're no stranger to serving constituents, since you're a U.S. representative right now. But I want to ask: in your work in the Senate, if you were elected at that level, how would your work most tangibly impact the community you live in?

 As a U.S. senator, I'm going to focus on three things. How can we lower costs and create more opportunity for folks in my community? How can we pass legislation that keeps our community safe? And the third big area is that Washington is broken – we have a systemic issue there, from campaign finance reform to senators and members of Congress being able to trade stocks. Those three big buckets are my priorities as a U.S. senator, and I'm happy to talk more about that, Sean.

 I agree with you to some extent that Washington is broken, and there are times I feel like we're doing plenty of the breaking ourselves locally at the community level. It's hard to have strong, resilient communities – some of that comes from within, from figuring out how to make those bonds stronger. But some of it comes from elected officials, and that's what I'm asking: as an elected official, how could you help build more resilient communities across Minnesota, and as a senator, across the nation?

 Well, look, there are specific policy issues that, as a U.S. senator, I can fight for that will help us build more resilient communities – let me start at the individual level. I grew up in several different mobile homes and mobile home parks. My mom was a single mom who at times relied on what was called food stamps then, and is SNAP now. Sometimes we didn't have health insurance in our own family.

So when I think about building resiliency and creating economic opportunity – people should be pissed off at Democrats and Republicans that the federal minimum wage is still $7.25. Why hasn't either party prioritized bringing that up? As a U.S. senator, I'm going to prioritize doubling the child tax credit in this country to at least $6,000 a year. Raising a kid in this country, choosing to have one, has become way too expensive. The average first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old in this country – we've got to dramatically increase the first-time homebuyer tax credit.

But beyond that, we've got to look at the systems in place. Why can't we build a greater supply of housing at a lower cost in this country, whether that's on the permitting side or through some of the really fascinating stuff happening in modular housing these days? When I look across the spectrum, these are all ways of building resiliency by creating economic opportunity.

The other side of that is fighting the asinine policies coming out of Republicans in the Trump administration right now – from across-the-board tariffs that, by the way, the Supreme Court deemed illegal, but now they're returning that money to corporations instead of to people, to a war in Iran that had no strategic objective to begin with and drove up costs for working families, to the attacks on needy families – the SNAP program, for one. As the head of the Ag Committee, I'm responsible for fighting directly back on the Trump administration's $187 billion in cuts to the SNAP program.

So building resiliency starts with creating economic opportunity for individuals. But to do that, you've also got to focus on broader things – like making sure we have good public schools. Why isn't the federal government providing the 40% toward special education that we promised in this country? When it doesn't, that puts more pressure on local school districts and the state to make up the difference.

So building resiliency is about creating opportunity from an education perspective, and it's also about taking on the big interests that are jacking up costs for people. This is something I've focused on as a U.S. House member, and it's certainly what I'll focus on as a U.S. senator.

 Representative Craig, I align with a lot of what you just said. We don't know exactly how uphill your battle will be if you're elected to the U.S. Senate, because we don't know who will hold the majority. Some of the things you want to do are truly at loggerheads with what a lot of Republicans want. So if Democrats aren't in the majority, what common legislative ground do you think you can find with them to still get things done, even if you can't get everything done based on the balance of power?

 Well, Sean, that's a really good point. The only way we make progress in this country is by winning governing majorities, and the only way we do that is by making sure the right people are running in the right seats – people who will win these elections. I'm 100% supportive of a big-tent Democratic Party; that's the only way we're going to have governing majorities.

I served in the majority for four years. During that time, we passed the Inflation Reduction Act, which had some great legislation – mine capped the cost of insulin at $35 a month and let Medicare start negotiating its drug pricing. But I've also been in Congress for four years in the minority, and the only way you get anything done in the minority is by working across the aisle.

That's the bottom line: I'm the kind of member of Congress – and would be the kind of U.S. senator – who knows when to make a fist and metaphorically throw a punch at a policy (I won't say a person, but at Republicans, candidly), and knows when to extend a hand and work across the aisle. That's what I did in passing a number of bills dealing with mental health resources in our community. I worked really hard on allowing Narcan to be available in our community, because this is a personal issue for me – my goddaughter is four years into recovery right now, and my own oldest son's birth mom, he's adopted, died of an accidental overdose.

You meet people in the community, and if I can save one life by working on an issue where Republicans might be willing to find agreement with us, that's the kind of U.S. senator I'm going to be. But don't mistake that for one who's going to compromise our values – I will not compromise our values, and I know when to metaphorically throw a punch.

 Angie Craig, you started your career as a journalist, so I'm going to try one of those beloved fluff questions before we get into some points of disagreement and tension we've already heard about in your race. But first, a little fluff: a day off in your district – what's on the itinerary if you open your calendar and, surprisingly, there's just nothing on there? What are you doing?

 Well, that isn't happening right now – period, full stop. But I actually did negotiate a late start recently on my calendar; 9 a.m., just so we know, because my wife and I wanted to get outside and get on our e-bikes. We haven't spent enough time outside this summer because I've been all over the state working and running for the U.S. Senate. But you'll find me outside, on some paved trail in Minnesota. We're so lucky to live in a state where we've invested in all these state parks and trails – you'll probably find me on my bike.

And I don't want to sound like I can't bike on my own by saying I have an e-bike – it's actually opened up the state to us. I can ride a bike a long way, but we get to go so much further and see so much more of this great state on an e-bike.

 What I would not recommend is being in a relationship where one person has an e-bike and the other doesn't – which is true in my marriage right now. My wife has an e-bike, and for a minute I was looking at her back, and then I hadn't seen her for the last three miles. So I'm glad you and your wife are both on e-bikes.

Okay, fluff out of the way. I want to ask about something a lot of people have been asking you about – your about-face on the Laken Riley Act. You've said you regret your vote for it, and I think critics have dismissed that as just a shift in position because of the office you're running for now. When you were running to represent the area you currently represent, voting for it was a strategic, savvy move, and now that you're running statewide, it might feel different. Was this a change of heart, or was it a cold political recalculation?

 My voters in the 2nd District have always known that I'm going to tell them the truth, and I truly regret giving the Trump administration any additional authorities on immigration enforcement. As I stood at the Whipple Detention Center with probably 50 ICE agents staring down Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison, and me, how could I not regret that vote – even though they weren't using it under Operation Metro Surge? There's no one more furious than me at what the Trump administration has done under Operation Metro Surge, and I will spend the rest of my political career taking on any administration that wants to treat our immigrant neighbors – our Black and brown neighbors – as others, any administration that doesn't understand that they make our communities stronger.

Along with a number of other U.S. senators – Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock, Mark Kelly, a lot of presidential contenders – I voted for that same bill. But there's no way I couldn't regret it, and I believe I owe it to my constituents, and to Minnesotans, to be honest with them. I will spend the rest of my career working toward comprehensive immigration reform – giving our Dreamers a path to citizenship, giving undocumented neighbors the opportunity to have legal status. If you've worked, if you've paid your taxes, if you've been part of this community, you deserve a path to legal status in this country. We don't have to choose between safe and secure borders and being a nation of immigrants – I fundamentally reject that premise. And as the next U.S. senator, what I can say to Minnesota is that there's no one who will work harder, or do more, to help our immigrant neighbors and work toward comprehensive immigration reform.

 Clearly you're in company with other people who voted for this act, and you mentioned a number of them by name. I don't expect politicians to see the future, but I want to ask you to speculate: what do you think the people who voted against this act saw that you, Raphael Warnock, and others didn't? Because I think a lot of people said it was clear as day that things like Operation Metro Surge were coming, and would be supercharged by the Laken Riley Act. What do you think they saw that you missed in making that vote?

 Donald Trump promised he was going to come after the worst of the worst. That particular bill isn't what's being used in Operation Metro Surge – they weren't detaining undocumented individuals who'd been accused of committing a crime. They were detaining undocumented individuals simply because they were undocumented. You go back and look at the data, and that's exactly what happened.

When we looked at that legislation, it wasn't about deportation, and it didn't take away from due process upon detainment – it had to do with someone who had committed a crime. This was three days into the Trump administration; he'd promised to go after the worst of the worst, and that's what I was thinking at the time. But I can promise you that's not what they did here – we know that.

That regret I have over voting for Laken Riley fuels me every single day. It fuels my rage against the Trump administration, and it will fuel my work toward comprehensive immigration reform.

 Here comes a segue – something else that fuels your work, but that you're against, is big money. Like so many politicians, you want big money out of politics, but you also get support from corporate PACs. I'm trying to figure out how we can believe you're willing to change corporate and political money in politics while also relying on it to power the campaign you're currently running. How can we hold those two things together?

 It's the same with gerrymandering in this country. I 100% support Gavin Newsom gerrymandering California after Texas did it first. We can't play on a different field than Republicans, and Republicans have $300 million staring down us. If Democrats unilaterally disarm and tie a hand behind our back – on gerrymandering, or on the money-in-politics piece – we lose. I'm literally a co-sponsor on the constitutional amendment that would end Citizens United. My belief is that we shouldn't have corporate or corporate PAC money in politics at all. But until Republicans don't have it either, we're unilaterally disarming, and we're putting ourselves at risk of not having the resources to compete and win elections – which puts us at a disadvantage in building governing majorities and passing progressive policies.

So I don't see those two things as separate at all. I'd lightly point out that my primary opponent, the lieutenant governor, was actually outraising corporate and corporate PAC money as chair of the very super PAC that's now spending in her race. So – okay.

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