From left to right: Victor Jumah (Ramsey City Council Ward 3), Brian Walker (House District 31A), Marissa Carroll (Anoka City Council), Jen Bloomquist (House District 31B), Doug Chapin (Congressional District 6), Gadisa Berkessa (Senate District 31)
Category Archives: Posts, Blogs, and Links
News and Opinion
Fake Progressive PAC Run by the Far Right
A May 27th news story by Judd Legum (American journalist, lawyer, and political operative) reveals the well-funded Lead Left Super PAC to a closet effort to upend Democratic races in sensitive contests. The story needs more publicity. Lead Left is making massive donations to the primary campaigns of questionable Democratic candidates. Maureen Galindo of the Texas 35th District has received over $900,000 from Lead Left. She is known for gross antisemitic comments. Her primary opponent, Johnny Garcia, is endorsed by the DCCC.
Lead Left has also been active in congressional districts of Nebraska and Pennsylvania. Apparently, the PAC had hoped not to be found out. This is not the first time that the Right has created false-front PACs. Legum identifies other masquerading PACs since 2024 that have done their share of damage. His column describes Lead Left’s deep connections to Caleb Crosby, a powerful Republican operative, and how it has so far managed to hide its financial backers.
See: https://popular.info/p/a-gop-dirty-tricks-operation-exposed
When ICE Tried to Tear Apart Our State, Minnesotans Organized
When ICE harmed our families, we kept each other fed and documented what we saw. Now DFLers are working to keep ICE out of our schools and day cares — for good.
Minnesotans Are the Heroes
Seven Minnesota safety net hospitals are at risk of closing because of federal Medicaid cuts. Minnesotans rallied to protect care. DFLers are doing the work to keep these doors open.
[March 7, 2026] Democratic Representatives Greg Landsman of Ohio, Jared Golden of Maine, Henry Cuellar of Texas, and Juan Vargas of California all voted with Republicans to defeat the War Powers Act vote in the House. Had these Democrats voted with their party, the resolution would have passed 216-215.
[Posted 3/5/2026] U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who voted for a punitive immigration bill last year called the Laken Riley Act, reversed herself Monday, writing in a Star Tribune commentary that she regrets her “yes” vote.
Craig represents the 2nd Congressional District and is currently running in the Democratic primary for retiring Tina Smith’s U.S. Senate seat. Her strongest opponent, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, has repeatedly criticized Craig for her vote. The Laken Riley Act was named after a nursing student at Augusta University, murdered in 2024 by an undocumented immigrant, José Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan. Ibarra was convicted and sentenced to life without possibility of parole.
The Laken Riley Act was the first law signed by Donald Trump, and it became his rallying cry for a severe crackdown on immigrants both entering and living in the U.S. Primarily, the Laken Riley Act requires the mandatory federal detention of any non-U.S. national who is unlawfully present and has been arrested for, charged with, or convicted of specific offenses: any theft-related crimes, the assault of law enforcement, and crimes causing serious harm (whether or not intended). Furthermore, states are given broad powers to sue to the federal government over immigration decisions.
Current defense actions involve questioning Ibarra’s mental competency and understanding of English and American legal procedure when he waived his right to a jury trial.
From the Asoociated Press (Jan 24): “Family members say the man killed by a U.S. Border Patrol officer in Minneapolis on Saturday was an intensive care nurse at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital who cared deeply about people and was upset by President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in his city.
“Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed getting in adventures with Joule, his beloved Catahoula Leopard dog who also recently died. He had participated in protests following the killing of Renee Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs officer on Jan. 7.“
See: Man killed by Border Patrol in Minneapolis was ICU nurse | AP News
Man fatally shot by Border Patrol agents was a federal employee at VA
ICU nurse fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis cared for veterans
Doug Chapin Runs for Congress in
Minnesota District Six
Doug Chapin
Statement from the Candidate:
“Doug Chapin is running to represent Minnesota’s Sixth Congressional District after a long career as a nationally recognized expert and media commentator on democracy and elections. He spent nine years studying politics, government and law and has over 35 years of experience working in and around public service. Doug served as an attorney in Congress, represented clients in private law practice, and worked as an advocate for federal, state and local election reform nationwide – and built the nation’s first online certificate program in election administration for the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Doug and his partner Stephanie Tomlinson own Sweater Vest Strategies, a Minnesota-based policy research and advocacy firm. He also is the host of Civics Anonymous, a regular series of nonpartisan discussions on the inner workings of law and government behind the current headlines. Doug is the father of three adult children and lives in Hanover.”
[Website: https://www.chapinforcongress.com/]
Amazing crowd in the Twin Cities. About 100,000 people who care about the Constitution and Democracy.
How Can Politicians Connect with Their Base?
What makes a candidate popular? Here is an interesting point of view. In a recent interview with David Remnick, published by The New Yorker, Ezra Klein argues, “one of my most strongly held views about politics is that the most important question for voters is not whether they like the politician but whether the politician likes them.” Klein believes that the worst part of Hillary Clinton’s infamous “deplorables” speech, from 2016, was her use of the word “irredeemable” to describe Trump voters. “When you begin to talk like that, it’s a severing of political community,” Klein said. Instead, he believes that Barack Obama modelled the ideal type of politics, by offering a “very open-palmed approach.”
What do you think?