Hot dish 09.25.24

By Ryan Faircloth

Good morning. Most Minnesotans are confident in the integrity of the election system, even as former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have sought to undermine it by baselessly claiming the 2020 election was stolen. Reviews in state after state upheld President Joe Biden’s 2020 victory. A new Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota Poll found that nearly 80% of likely voters are highly or moderately confident that votes will be counted accurately in the November presidential election.

Just 12% of those polled had no confidence in an accurate count, according to the latest Minnesota Poll, and 9% said they had low confidence.

Martin Olague, a Lakeville Democrat who responded to the poll, said he hasn’t seen any credible evidence of widespread voter fraud. Olague, 44, said even a few cases likely wouldn’t be grounds to overturn an election.

“The margins haven’t been close enough where it feels like it would make that much of a difference,” Olague said of Minnesota’s recent elections. He added that he’s also confident that voting by mail is protected against fraud: “People have been voting by mail for decades.”

Nearly three in four Minnesotans said they plan to vote in person on Election Day instead of voting early. Half of the likely voters surveyed said they think voting by mail is protected from fraud, while 38% said they think it is vulnerable and 12% aren’t sure.

Keith Blad, a 74-year-old Republican poll respondent from Darwin, Minn., is skeptical of voting by mail and said it should be limited to people who cannot physically make it to their polling place. Everyone else should have to submit their ballots in person, he said.

“I don’t think it was a fair-run election,” said Blad, who plans to vote for Trump in November.

MARIJUANA: Our Minnesota Poll of 800 likely voters also asked about marijuana use and support for federal legalization. Six in 10 Minnesotans said they support legalizing recreational marijuana for adults nationwide, even though most said they hadn’t used the drug recently. Thirty-four percent of those polled said they opposed federal legalization.

Support for legalizing marijuana federally broke along party lines; A clear majority of Democrats and independents support it while most Republicans said they oppose it.

“I’m not a fan of marijuana or any other intoxicant, particularly, but attempting to prevent people from obtaining it hasn’t worked. It’s only served to criminalize people who shouldn’t necessarily be considered criminals,” said Michael Krause, a 70-year-old retiree from St. Louis Park.

Marijuana use has been legal for adults in Minnesota since August 2023. Retail dispensaries aren’t expected to open until sometime next year, but the state already has a robust market of hemp-derived edibles and beverages that adults can purchase at hemp shops, liquor stores, bars and breweries.

Matt Thomas, a dairy farmer from Lakeville, said he hasn’t used cannabis but is open to it. He said he knows plenty of people who use the drug both recreationally and therapeutically.

“Maybe I would try it. I do enjoy my cigars,” Thomas said. “I suppose I’d wrap one up and give it a whirl.”

MNLEG CONTROL: Our Minnesota Poll indicates the battle for control of the state House of Representatives is a toss-up. Nearly 49% of respondents said they’d prefer the DFL to retain control of the House, compared to 48% who want Republicans to win the chamber back and 4% who were undecided. Likely voters in Hennepin and Ramsey counties overwhelmingly favor DFL control, while those in other metro counties and greater Minnesota prefer a Republican majority.

DEBATE PREP: Trump’s running mate, Ohio U.S. Sen. JD Vance, has selected Minnesota Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer to play the role of Gov. Tim Walz in practice sessions ahead of their vice presidential debate, my colleague Louis Krauss reports. On the Democratic side, Walz is practicing for the debate with the help of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who’s playing the role of Vance.

Emmer and his team have spent the past month studying Walz’s past debates, his mannerisms and his policy positions.

The televised vice presidential debate will be held next Tuesday night.

WALZ FUNDRAISER: Walz was back in Minnesota on Tuesday and spoke at an evening campaign fundraiser at Maison Margaux, a French restaurant in the North Loop of Minneapolis, according to my colleague Elliot Hughes, who was the pool reporter.

About 50 people attended the event. Vance Opperman, the owner and CEO of MSP Communications, which publishes the magazine Twin Cities Business, introduced Walz.

Walz spoke for just over 10 minutes, talking about everything from the joy of campaigning to the “hard lift” of uniting the country. Walz said that Trump cares more about regaining power than bringing people back together.

“We got 42 days to try and bring this home,” he said.

WHERE’S WALZ: Walz has no public events scheduled on the official side Wednesday.

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