Howie: The real budget story begins now as Minnesota’s hidden deals start emerging
The broad framework is never the full story at the Capitol. The spreadsheets are the story. The line items are the story. The last-minute amendments are the story.
Minnesota Politics
Howie: Why Pete Stauber keeps winning — and what it would actually take to beat him
For now, the political formula in Minnesota’s 8th District remains remarkably consistent. Duluth votes. The Iron Range votes. Then the rest of northern Minnesota votes. And the rest of northern Minnesota is usually enough.
Howie: In the Minnesota governor's race, the Republican path runs through the suburbs.
Howie Hanson is Minnesota’s Columnist, writing about power, money, sports and civic life across the state. This column is sponsored by Lyric Kitchen . Bar of Duluth. Minnesota Republicans face a familiar but unforgiving reality as they sort through a crowded field of gubernatorial hopefuls: winning more counties is no
Howie: In Minnesota's governor's race, the map does the talking
Strip away the noise, and what remains is a familiar question Minnesota voters answer the same way every cycle: Who can assemble a winning coalition on this map — as it exists, not as either party wishes it existed?
Howie: How Minnesota’s governor’s race will actually be decided
A County-by-County Watch List
Howie: Why Amy Klobuchar entered the governor's race
Klobuchar is not running to rescue a party or reset a narrative. She is running because the existing electoral terrain already fits her strengths. She knows where her votes are. She knows where she must hold ground. And she knows where simply limiting losses is enough.
Howie: Minnesota didn’t just lose Tim Walz. It lost a political skill set.
Walz connected emotionally with parts of the Democratic base in a way Klobuchar never has. Progressive activists tolerated him because he felt authentic, grounded, unpretentious. Klobuchar does not inspire that same patience. Her politics are transactional, not aspirational.
Howie: Gov. Tim Walz leans on Hennepin, Ramsey dominance as third term looms
Can Minnesota’s governor break the third-term curse, or will a weak GOP field finally stumble into competence? County by county, the map still favors the DFL.