NSS Weekly: Do Political Party Endorsements Matter?

Transcript

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INTRO: You are listening to North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, a weekly newscast about what it means to live in Minnesota, produced by AMPERS, Minnesota's community radio stations.

BRITT AAMODT: Minnesota's primary results are in, and voters and candidates are now entering the final stretch ahead of the November midterm elections. This week, we look at how candidate endorsements shape politics today. And what voters should watch as November approaches. Then, we examine how Minnesota's sovereign Tribal Nations conduct their own elections. I'm Britt Aamodt.

VICTOR PALOMINO: And I'm Victor Palomino.

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VICTOR PALOMINO: But first, North Star Stories reporter Xan Holston with some of the news that made the headlines around the state.

XAN HOLSTON: Invasive zebra mussels have been found in about three quarters of Minnesota counties, though the vast majority of the state's lakes are still free of them. Now, two more northern Minnesota waters have been added to the Department of Natural Resources list, one between Grand Rapids and Hibbing, and another between Bemidji and Walker. AMPERS member station KAXE's Megan Buffington has more.

MEGAN BUFFINGTON: A survey crew from the Itasca County Soil and Water Conservation District found the invasive species in the LaRue Mine Pit near Nashwauk. DNR staff followed up with an inspection and found both immature and adult zebra mussels. Adult zebra mussels were also found in Canacona Lake, south of Laporte. The Canacona Lake Board contacted the agency after finding the mussels on a rock on a sandbar. The DNR found more nearby. Minnesota law requires you to clean watercraft and trailers, drain all water, dispose of unwanted bait in the trash and dry docks, lifts, and rafts before moving them between water bodies. From the KAXE News Desk, I'm Megan Buffington.

XAN HOLSTON: A Saint Cloud food systems specialist is working to build a stronger halal meat supply chain in Minnesota with the help of a Bush Fellowship. Halal meat is meat that has been raised and slaughtered according to Islamic dietary laws. University of Minnesota Extensions Serder Mamedov says Central Minnesota's growing Muslim communities have created more demand for fresh halal meat, but local processing and distribution have struggled to keep up. The Bush Foundation says he's already helped build a regional halal meat task force in Saint Cloud, connecting farmers, processors, retailers, and Muslim communities. Minnesota has no dedicated halal slaughter facility, and much halal meat sold here has historically been imported frozen.

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XAN HOLSTON: Those are the sounds of Mankato's newest legal residence. Starting this week, single-family homes within the city limits may keep up to four backyard hens. The city says a permit, coop, and run are required, and the coop must sit at least 10 feet away from property lines and stay clean. But while new backyard arrivals may cluck, scratch, and lay, they cannot crow if they live in Mankato. Sorry, roosters. For North Star stories, [SFX: Chickens] I'm Xan Holston.

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VICTOR PALOMINO: Minnesota is one of only a few states where the two major political parties hold endorsing conventions before primary elections. But more candidates are choosing to run without party endorsement.

BRITT AAMODT: So how do endorsements work, and do they still matter? Reporter Jules Yaeger has more.

JULES YAEGER: States across the country are in the midst of primary season for the 2026 midterm elections. In Minnesota, that means that each of the major parties endorses a slate of candidates a few months before the primary. We're one of only eight states to endorse candidates at state party conventions. In recent years, candidates have questioned the value of party endorsements. That includes this year.

LISA DEMUTH: Well, good morning, everyone. I am happy to tell you that the Damuth-Wilson ticket has just filed for the primary.

JULES YAEGER: That's Speaker of the Minnesota House Lisa Demuth, who will continue running for the Republican nomination for governor despite not earning her party's endorsement.

ANGIE CRAIG: The DFL endorsement process just doesn't reflect the full scope of the party that we are.

JULES YAEGER: And that's U.S. Congresswoman Angie Craig, who is running to fill Tina Smith's Senate seat. She dropped out of the race for the endorsement before the DFL convention. Despite parties endorsing their candidates months ago, several statewide races saw primary battles, and this hasn't been unusual in recent years. Four of Minnesota's last six governors, including current Governor Tim Walz, won their primaries and the general election without their party's endorsement. In an era when endorsements don't seem to matter to the candidates who seek them, some are questioning if Minnesota's endorsement process still serves a purpose.

CARL YAEGER: There are several valid critiques and fair critiques of the convention process.

MICHAEL BRODKORB: The relevancy ultimately of whether conventions work is whether they endorse and nominate candidates that win.

JULES YAEGER: We'll hear from a Democrat and a Republican.

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JULES YAEGER: In Minnesota, endorsement is just one of the ways a candidate's name can appear on a primary ballot.

MICHAEL BRODKORB: The two major parties' candidates can seek their party's endorsement, go through the convention process and try to win support that way. They can also file for office when the filing period opens, and major party candidates are granted immediate access.

JULES YAEGER: That's Michael Broadkorb, former deputy chair of the Minnesota Republican Party. He now works as a political communications consultant. Though candidates who don't secure their party's endorsement can still run in the primary, an endorsement comes with some valuable assets.

CARL YAEGER: The party endorsement comes with the exclusive allocation of party resources to that candidate. It also means that endorsed candidates get exclusive access to the data the party has on voters, on various systems that we use to effectively win elections.

JULES YAEGER: Carl Yaeger is the chair of the Democratic Farmer Labor Party, Minnesota's Democratic Party, for State Senate District 64 in the St. Paul neighborhood where he lives. Endorsements also bring name recognition. They can help, particularly in more local races where voters have likely heard less about the candidates. This year, at the state endorsing conventions, DFL and GOP candidates sought endorsements in the races for governor, U.S. Senate, attorney general, secretary of state, and state auditor. Candidates also sought endorsements in their local races, like those for state house and senate at their local conventions. Carl believes the endorsement is useful to the voters.

CARL YAEGER: It's a minimum bar that candidates can clear to demonstrate their viability in a general election campaign. Can you organize and win among people who are pretty plugged in? Can you demonstrate that you can bring in new people to the process?

JULES YAEGER: Michael agreed that in an ideal world the endorsement process should serve as a gauge of viability in a general election.

MICHAEL BRODKORB: Winning an endorsement and winning the primary, that's like winning a preseason game. Winning the general election is like winning the Super Bowl. The goal of every candidate should be to get elected to office. The relevancy ultimately of whether conventions work is whether they endorse candidates that win.

JULES YAEGER: Candidates who choose to seek the party endorsement begin by attending local party meetings and conventions leading up to the state convention, giving speeches about their priorities and speaking with voters and potential delegates along the way. Carl thinks that process has value outside just the endorsement.

CARL YAEGER: The endorsement is not the most important part of the convention, as far as I'm concerned. The greatest benefit is that they create a party that is more open and more accessible. You can, as I did, simply walk into your senate district convention and walk out with a role running your local Democratic Farm and Labor Party, and that wouldn't happen if we didn't have this process.

JULES YAEGER: Michael agrees.

MICHAEL BRODKORB: I think, generally, the more candidates run and participate in organized party events, that provides a good service to the voters going through the convention process and meeting with people. And in between those candidates running, the political parties provide a service. They do outreach, they do fundraising. So eventually, when they get candidates that run, they can support them.

JULES YAEGER: Candidates seek to win over delegates who are just volunteers. Any voter can become a delegate by showing up at their local party meeting and volunteering to attend the endorsing conventions. Once at the conventions, delegates are free to vote for whichever candidates they personally support. Whomever receives 60% of the vote or more receives the party's endorsement. A common critique of the convention process is by letting delegates who are more politically engaged than the average voter endorse candidates, the parties can get dragged to their extremes. Michael says he is concerned that the endorsement process is becoming less rigorous because of the delegates it attracts.

MICHAEL BRODKORB: It appears that they endorse candidates in many instances over the last 20 years, based on the candidate who gives the best speech, throws the most red meat, and they're not doing the basic work of asking how much have you raised, what's your organization, can you win?

JULES YAEGER: Carl is not worried about the party being dragged to its extremes, but he says that if you are, not to worry because there's something you can do about it.

CARL YAEGER: There are several fair critiques of the convention process. One is that only certain types of people can afford to go to conventions, can afford to take off work, can afford to get childcare. It's a barrier for participation, and we should work to lower that barrier. But the alternative is an even less participatory party. If it does select for a certain type of person, well, if you don't want it to select for that type of person, show up. I walked in the room, just a guy, and I walked out chair of the local unit. If you want it to be different, walk into the room.

JULES YAEGER: I'm Jules Jaeger. This is North Star Stories.

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BRITT AAMODT: For full disclosure, Carl Yaeger, the chair of the DFL Party for State Senate District 64, interviewed in this report, is the brother of Reporter Jules Yaeger.

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BRITT AAMODT: Political endorsements don't come only from parties. Candidates also seek support from unions, newspapers, business groups, advocacy organizations, and political action committees, or PACs.

VICTOR PALOMINO: To help us understand what those endorsements mean, and how much influence they have, we're joined by Joseph Peschek, a professor emeritus of political science at Hamline University. He specializes in contemporary American politics, democratic theory, and elite power structures. Welcome to the program.

JOSEPH PESCHEK: Thank you for having me.

VICTOR PALOMINO: Political parties often seek endorsements from unions, newspapers, business groups, and community organizations. What do that mean for voters and candidates?

JOSEPH PESCHEK: Not all voters have a lot of information about candidates, so they look for short hands to give them a cue about what candidates stand for. And the fact that a candidate is endorsed by this group but not that group provides some information that can make it easier for voters to make a decision. As you pointed out, endorsements can come from all kinds of different places, and the party endorsement is seen usually as the most important. But as your setup piece pointed out, there have been a number of candidates here in Minnesota for high office, senator or governor, in the last two decades who have not won the party endorsement, but have gone on to win the party nomination. There's a lot of pressure on candidates that say, "Yes, I will respect the party endorsement and not run." But we've seen increasingly candidates for high-level office like governor, senator who say, "Hey, you know, I, I like the endorsement process, but if I don't get it, I'm still going to go for that."

VICTOR PALOMINO: Politics, like many other things, just depends on the year.

JOSEPH PESCHEK: Election to election, it can differ. For example, here in Minnesota, a little bit, but also around the country, the position of groups related to Israel has become a political issue. You know, are you endorsed by AIPAC or some other group? And that's been a contentious issue in in some campaigns. So, depending on the political dynamics in any given year, you know, endorsements can play out in interesting ways.

VICTOR PALOMINO: And now that you mention AIPAC and endorsement might bring some finance to the candidate, really quick, can you explain what a political action committee or a PAC is and how that it interferes in a campaign?

JOSEPH PESCHEK: Political Action Committee is a PAC, which is a political organization that can support candidates in elections, primarily through campaign contributions. However, there are a lot of different PACs, and there are some that are more legally restricted in terms of what they can do than others. Under the law, a PAC can endorse a candidate, but they're restricted in terms of how much they can contribute to a candidate. However, it's possible for a political action committee not to formally endorse a candidate as long as they don't use words in their ads, like elect or vote into office, maintain some distance, and then there's very fewer restrictions on what they can do in terms of fundraising. And so we do see a lot of what some people call dark money flooding into the election process, where big money is being spent by some political action committee, we don't know a lot about them. Where is this coming from? We saw huge during the Minnesota primaries. We saw a huge number of ads that must have cost a great deal of money. For example, attacking Peggy Flanagan, just to give an example, repeatedly seeing these ads, and they weren't from the Angie Craig for Congress committee. It was from an outside political action committee that was acting on her behalf. But you'll never see in those ads, therefore, vote for Angie Craig because if they did do that, then they wouldn't be able to spend as much money, and they'd have other restrictions.

VICTOR PALOMINO: When they see something like this, how they can make a decision of like knowing where this comes from?

JOSEPH PESCHEK: Well, you have to look at the fine print at the bottom of the screen. What's the name of the committee. Then I suppose you could go online and try and find more information about it, which in some cases you can, but in other cases, the groups are fairly secretive, and it's difficult to find good information. Individuals can do that themselves, but the news media also and watchdog groups often will try and keep tabs on the different types of political action committees and who is behind them.

VICTOR PALOMINO: Well, Joe, thank you so much for sharing your insights and your coming here to North Star Stories.

JOSEPH PESCHEK: Thank you very much. It's been good to be with you.

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VICTOR PALOMINO: After the break, what to expect in the upcoming November elections and how the state tribal nations conduct elections.

BRITT AAMODT: This is North Star Stories: Voices from Where We Live, produced by AMPERS, Minnesota's Community Radio Stations, with support from the State of Minnesota. We'll be right back.

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BRITT AAMODT: You are listening to North Star Stories. I'm Britt Aamodt.

VICTOR PALOMINO: And I'm Victor Palomino.

BRITT AAMODT: Minnesota voters will elect a new governor in November, and for the first time in state history, the major-party nominees for governor are women. But the governor's race is only one part of a busy midterm election. Voters will also decide an open U.S. Senate seat, all eight of Minnesota's U.S. House seats, and important contests for the Minnesota Legislature and local offices.

VICTOR PALOMINO: To help us understand the key races and what is at stake, we're joined by Ryan Dawkins, an assistant professor of political science at Carleton College. He is an expert in American politics and research methods. Thank you for joining us.

RYAN DAWKINS: Thank you for having me.

VICTOR PALOMINO: We just passed an election and beyond the race from governor. What are some of the key contests Minnesota's voters should be watching this November?

RYAN DAWKINS: Well, you know, obviously we have a couple statewide races, the Minnesota governor's race, as you noted. There's also the Senate race that will be capturing a lot of national attention. I don't anticipate either of those races being particularly competitive in the general election. Instead, I anticipate most people's attention, at least at the elite level, be focused on some of the congressional races, and then focused on control of the Minnesota State House because currently 50/50 House. I anticipate congressional district two, which is Angie Craig's old district, is historically the swingiest of the districts. But even that district, I don't anticipate being particularly competitive this cycle. The Democratic tailwinds because of election fundamentals are just so great this election year that I think the more competitive races that people are going to be paying attention to are going to be races like Congressional District One, Finstad's district in southern Minnesota, and potentially even congressional district eight, which is up in the Duluth area. Those are both pretty heavily Republican districts. Donald Trump carried both those districts by 10 plus points two years ago. But given how harsh the national environment is for Republicans this cycle, I can totally see a situation in which we see a 10-point swing because of the smaller, more pro-democratic electorate will be voting compared to two years ago.

VICTOR PALOMINO: You mention that this could be an election that can change how the state house and Senate looks like, how the chambers look like. How would it look if either of the parties have the control?

RYAN DAWKINS: Up and down the ballot, I think the Democrats are going to have a very good year this year. I think they're probably, they're going to, they're going to maintain control of the Senate, the state Senate, and they're going to win control, outright control of the state house, and they're going to have the governor's mansion, assuming trends continue the way they're going. And of course, I say this with all the caveats that there's still three months before election day, so things could happen. But on this current trajectory, I would anticipate a democratic trifecta in St. Paul, which means they're going to be able to push an agenda that is favorable to Democrats.

VICTOR PALOMINO: And that's probably going to go for like the next two years if that happens?

RYAN DAWKINS: Midterm elections tend to be elections that are a referendum on the incumbent president. Metro Surge is still front and center in a lot of people's minds, it is in a lot of ways viewed as a federal onslaught, and so and I don't anticipate those that political terrain getting any easier for Republicans as we near 2028. I anticipate probably the Trump administration will continue to be unpopular, and he will continue to be a drag on the ticket, much like George W. Bush was in 2006, and then again in 2008. I think we're going to see a similar trend here, except it's going to be 2026 and 2028. So I would anticipate Democrats will probably have two pretty good election cycles. In a row, all things considered. And again, with all the appropriate caveats in place, that a lot can happen between now and then. But if electoral cycles persist, as we tend to see them persist, that is going to be the baseline expectation.

VICTOR PALOMINO: And from in these three months, especially for newer voters, what kind of research should they do?

RYAN DAWKINS: You know, a lot of people used different heuristics for making political decisions. I understand, as a political scientist, that we have limited cognitive resources as human beings. We have we have busy lives, and we don't always have time to actually dedicate the time we need to be really well informed about the nuances of every issue. So you know I would just recommend that people use whatever heuristic devices they need to feel most comfortable. Whether that that is relying on the judgment of trusted friends and family, whether it's looking at the election blue book or green book or whatever the color is that book is here in Minnesota. Whether it's you know reading the headlines or looking at newspaper endorsements, you can use whatever heuristic that you feel most comfortable.

VICTOR PALOMINO: Well, like always, thank you so much for your insights, and we'll make sure to check with you again as we continue this political coverage for this year.

RYAN DAWKINS: Yeah, I'm happy to chat, and I look forward to it.

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VICTOR PALOMINO: Minnesota is home to 11 sovereign Tribal Nations, seven Anishinaabe and four Dakota communities. Each nation has its own distinct government, laws, and election processes.

BRITT AAMODT: To help us understand how tribal elections work, we're joined by Michelle Red Day, program manager with the Native Governance Center. The Native Governance Center is a Native-led nonprofit that supports Native nations as they strengthen their governance systems and their capacity to exercise sovereignty. Thank you for joining us, Michelle.

MICHELLE RED DAY: Thank you for having me

BRITT AAMODT: First, how would you explain Native nation sovereignty and their right to govern themselves?

MICHELLE RED DAY: Native nations have been in existence longer than the United States has even been a country, and they have had their own governance systems for just as long. And those are as varied as each Native nation is. So it's really exciting to think about the differences within just the state of Minnesota. Of course, over time, those governance systems have evolved from impacts due to federal policy from the United States government has impacted Native nations' constitutions and the way that their leadership bodies are structured, and also then, of course, how their elections function. But we have always had our governance processes. They have just evolved over time, and many Native nations are working or have continued to preserve their traditional forms of governance alongside having new kind of contemporary governance structures that may have been imposed upon them through federal policy.

BRITT AAMODT: Could you explain to us how do tribal elections work? We've got 11 nations, so that might be a more complicated answer, but give it a shot.

MICHELLE RED DAY: So yes, each nation typically manages their elections differently. All have their own election code. Most have an election board that manages the elections. Many nations have a primary election that is very similar to what you would see at the state or federal level, and then a general election as well. The eligibility for those who are running for office, as well as the eligibility for voters, varies for each nation, just as it would for various international bodies as well, so that really depends on each nation's constitution. And then folks really kind of just participate in their elections in the way that they do at a local, state, or federal level. There is absentee voting. Some Native nations do offer mail-in ballots. Others are in-person only. Well, we see big get out the vote initiatives around federal elections. Tribal elections also see that type of support within each community to encourage folks to get out and vote in these really critical tribal elections.

BRITT AAMODT: What levels of voter turnout do you see?

MICHELLE RED DAY: Voter turnout in Native communities really varies. Of course, there are a lot of impacts to that. If the Native nation does allow absentee voting or urban voting, some Native Nations only allow voting within their reservation boundaries. So, if you are a member that lives outside of those boundaries, you may not be eligible to vote, which of course does impact the percentage of citizens that are able to vote and less voter turnout as well. Those that do offer multiple polling locations, of course, typically have higher voter turnout as it's more accessible for folks, and that certainly is something that folks are continuing to engage around and push for constitutional amendments. And so that's exciting to see folks using their voices and organizing to see that opportunity for themselves if their constitution doesn't include it already.

BRITT AAMODT: How does the Native Governance Center fit into that structure?

MICHELLE RED DAY: The program area that I work with, our tribal governance support, is wanting to both engage citizens and also support elected leaders and administrators. And one way we do that is by offering a service that really originated just as a customized request to facilitate a candidate forum for a Native nation, where questions are submitted by community members that attend the event, and then community member volunteers select the questions for each of the candidate positions, and then those questions are prompted to each of the candidates. I said to have an outside body kind of facilitate it as a neutral party can be really helpful for those folks. And our services are offered at no charge to Native nations.

BRITT AAMODT: What kind of questions have you been seeing at the forums this year? What are voters concerned about?

MICHELLE RED DAY: There are concerns about working with the federal and state governments, so making sure that those candidates running for office, what their position will be, how they want to best approach those partners at those state and federal levels, is really critical. As we've seen significant environmental attacks in areas that share geography with Native Nations, folks are really wanting their elected leaders to be ready to step into that role to advocate on behalf of their citizens and their nation. We're also seeing things around constitutional reform, like I mentioned earlier, around thinking about changing eligibility for voting, thinking about enrollment changes that may need to come up for different communities. Native nations have always had governance systems, but due to federal policies, many of our governance systems have had to transform in ways that don't reflect our traditional values or those traditional governance structures. So, Native nations are doing a lot of constitutional reform work to move back towards our traditional governance systems as the main structures. Of course, language and culture preservation, youth support, making sure that elders are a priority. So, elected leaders in tribal nations are expected to wear all of the hats for their community. Some elected leaders also serve as their volunteer, like firefighters working the emergency management, and also serving as chairman. So they may be managing and supporting their Native nation through a crisis, and then the next day expected to go to the capital to advocate on behalf of wild rice, for example. They carry significant loads for our communities.

BRITT AAMODT: Thank you so much for coming on North Star Stories and sharing your insight with us.

MICHELLE RED DAY: Thank you for having me.

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BRITT AAMODT: This is it for today's program. If you missed any part of today's newscast, you can find this and past episodes at AMPERS dot org or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

VICTOR PALOMINO: You can also get North Star Stories Daily on our website or check your favorite station's schedule. Thanks for listening, and we'll be back next week with more stories and voices from the North Star State.

OUTRO: North Star Stories is produced by AMPERS, Minnesota's community radio stations with support from the state of Minnesota. Online at ampers.org.