Gov. Tim Walz reflects on Democrats’ shortcomings, return to Minnesota as political ground shifts

Politics Friday

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst speaks with senior politics reporter Dana Ferguson about her interview with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz for a special episode of Politics Friday.

After a whirlwind bid for vice president, Walz returns to Minnesota and reflects on what went wrong for Democrats in November.

Walz also talks about his approach to working across the political aisle and passing a two-year state budget amid a changed political dynamic in St. Paul. Republicans were able to break up the DFL trifecta at the Capitol, tying Democrats for control of the House of Representatives.

The Senate maintains a one-vote DFL advantage. And finally, the governor introduces a plan to curb fraud and abuse in state government programs and speaks to the delay in the state’s roll out of the nascent cannabis industry.