Minnesota Democrats hold all statewide offices and control over all three levers of power at the Capitol. But party leaders are grappling with internal divisions that they worry could derail their path back to legislative majorities in St. Paul and unseat President Joe Biden.
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party met for its endorsing convention over the weekend. And while they rallied together to offer support for U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s reelection, they clashed over resolutions urging a firmer federal response to the war in the Middle East.
Party leaders tallied their slate of policy advances over the last two years: funding for universal school meals, cementing abortion rights, boosting allowances to Minnesota schools and legalizing cannabis.
They warned that those changes could be rolled back if Democrats let up on campaigning ahead of the November election.
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“We know that all of this progress is threatened if Republicans take control of even one part of Minnesota state government and the Minnesota House is on the ballot in 2024,” House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said. “We need you to have our backs.”
Democrats currently hold narrow majorities in the Minnesota House and Senate, as well as the governor’s office. But voters will determine whether those will stand or flip in favor of Republicans this fall. All 134 House seats are on the ballot; the potential for at least one state Senate special election could determine which party will be in power in January.
DFL delegates also stressed the importance of reelecting Biden. Party Chair Ken Martin said allowing former President Donald Trump to reclaim the White House could be deeply damaging.
“When we are divided and we allow [the] perfect to be the enemy of the good, we risk opening the door to an authoritarianism that cannot be stopped. That cannot happen,” Martin said. “Our ethos of solidarity tells me that we have no right to take that risk. We have no right to gamble with our democracy and risk the safety and well-being of so many.”
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Demonstrators calling for a ceasefire gather outside of the 2024 DFL State Convention on Saturday in Duluth.
Erica Dischino for MPR News
Outside the convention hall, hundreds of protesters who came from around Minnesota yelled out to delegates to take a firmer stand on the war in Gaza.
The party weighed and ultimately passed a resolution that would call for an immediate ceasefire, demand the release of hostages and allow humanitarian aid to be administered. But some delegates said the party should do more.
“We want our president to step forward and be a better candidate in November, and we’re afraid of a Trump presidency too, we don’t want that,” said Asma Mohammed, an uncommitted delegate to the Democratic National Convention. “The only way we can avoid that is if we get a ceasefire.”
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Ed Higgins of Columbia Heights holds a sign in support of divestment from Israel as a speaker voices the need to uphold treaty rights on Saturday in Duluth.
Erica Dischino for MPR News
Delegates concerned about the war also promoted a challenger to Klobuchar. Ultimately, he came up short of the support needed to run from the floor and Klobuchar was endorsed in her run for a fourth term by an acclamation vote.
Bonnie Peterson of Two Harbors said she agreed that the Biden administration should take a firmer stand on the war but still planned to support his reelection bid.
“I think President Biden needs to do something about that. But I will be in President Biden’s corner no matter what,” Peterson said.
Delegate Joe Baratta of St. Cloud said he understood the concerns about the situation in Gaza, but worried about what it could mean if Democrats don’t stand with President Joe Biden.
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“It’s a concern,” Baratta said. “I hope cooler heads prevail, and they realize there’s a lot more at stake than just one thing.”
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks on Saturday in Duluth.
Erica Dischino for MPR News
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Demonstrators calling for a ceasefire congregate outside of the 2024 DFL State Convention on Saturday in Duluth.
Erica Dischino for MPR News
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Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan speaks to the crowd on Saturday in Duluth.
Erica Dischino for MPR News
During the three-day convention, Democrats also butted heads over tribal treaty rights, mining projects and a proposed resolution condemning antisemitism.
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan told the more than 1,000 activists in attendance that it’s healthy for the party to disagree.
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“We’re a big tent, y’all. And it can get real messy in here. But when we pull together for the greater good, we win, and win and win,” Flanagan said. “Some of you voted uncommitted in the primary. And that’s okay. Because we believe in democracy here. We can be ourselves and we can express our concerns, and then come together in a good way and move forward.”
Memphis Grizzlies (24-14, third in the Western Conference) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (20-17, seventh in the Western Conference)
Minneapolis; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Minnesota heads into a matchup with Memphis as winners of three games in a row.
The Timberwolves are 16-10 in conference matchups. Minnesota is third in the Western Conference at limiting opponent scoring, giving up just 107.2 points while holding opponents to 45.4% shooting.
The Grizzlies are 11-11 against Western Conference opponents. Memphis ranks second in the league scoring 56.9 points per game in the paint led by Jaren Jackson Jr. averaging 12.1.
The Timberwolves average 15.1 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.5 more made shots on average than the 13.6 per game the Grizzlies allow. The Grizzlies average 13.9 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.4 more made shots on average than the 12.5 per game the Timberwolves give up.
TOP PERFORMERS: Anthony Edwards is averaging 25.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists for the Timberwolves.
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Jackson is scoring 22.6 points per game with 6.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Grizzlies.
LAST 10 GAMES: Timberwolves: 6-4, averaging 107.5 points, 46.0 rebounds, 23.8 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.9 blocks per game while shooting 45.1% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 108.0 points per game.
Grizzlies: 5-5, averaging 122.8 points, 49.5 rebounds, 28.8 assists, 9.1 steals and 5.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 120.0 points.
INJURIES: Timberwolves: Rob Dillingham: out (ankle).
Grizzlies: Cam Spencer: day to day (thumb), Marcus Smart: out (finger), Vince Williams Jr.: out (ankle), GG Jackson II: out (foot ).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The final game of the NFL’s Wild Card weekend is set to take the Minnesota Vikings to LA to face the NFC West champion Rams Monday night at SoFi Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET, and tickets are still available to catch the action live.
How to get Vikings vs. Rams NFC Wild Card tickets: Seats are available for the NFC Wild Card matchup between the Vikings and Rams on secondary sites Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek and Viagogo.
As of Jan. 9, the starting prices were as follows:
Vivid Seats starting at $87
StubHub starting at $92
SeatGeek starting at $92
Viagogo starting at $91
#5 Minnesota Vikings (14-3) at #4 Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
NFC Wild Card Playoffs
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When: Monday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
The Vikings had a shot to win the NFC’s top seed in Week 18, but fell short against the Detroit Lions, losing the NFC North Division and slipping to the No. 5 spot instead for a road matchup on Wild Card weekend. They are listed as 1-point favorites against the Rams after finishing the regular season with a 14-3 record and nine straight wins prior to last weekend’s 31-9 loss in Detroit. Though all the ingredients are in place for the Vikings to make a run, just three of their 14 victories this season came against playoff teams and one of their three losses came to the Rams (30-20) back in Week 8.
Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams NFC Wild Card tickets: Vivid Seats | StubHub | SeatGeek | Viagogo
The Rams found their way through an injury-marred start to the season and closed it out strong with five straight wins before resting starters in a Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (30-25). The highlight of that stretch and their season as a whole was a 44-42 shootout win over the Buffalo Bills that was fueled by two Kyren Williams touchdown runs and a big day from the receiving duo of Puka Nacua (12-162-1) and Cooper Kupp (5-92-1). The same combination of playmakers around quarterback Matthew Stafford are central to LA’s path to victory against Minnesota.
NFL Wild Card playoff picks: Consider Eagles, Commanders and Vikings
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his three best bets ahead of Sunday and Monday’s games during Wild Card Weekend.
There could still be one more football game played in Arizona this season. On Wednesday, the NFL announced that it has a contingency plan to potentially move Monday night’s wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams to State Farm Stadium due to ongoing wildfires raging across Southern California.
For now, the league is preparing for the game to take place at SoFi Stadium, the Rams’ home in Inglewood. But if a change of location is deemed necessary, the Cardinals’ stadium in Glendale would play host, giving Arizona its first playoff game — excluding Super Bowls — since the 2015 divisional round.
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It would, however, not be the first time that NFL teams have had to move to Arizona. Here are the other times that similar moves have occurred:
2020: San Francisco 49ers
Due to the spread of COVID-19 in the fall of 2020, Santa Clara County briefly banned all contact sports. That forced the San Francisco 49ers to play three home games at State Farm Stadium. The team used fields near the stadium as its practice facility and stayed at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Spa across the street.
2007: San Diego Chargers
It would not be unprecedented if the Rams had to make Arizona home due to fires. The then-San Diego Chargers practiced at the Cardinals’ Tempe facility for three days in 2007 due to the Witch Creek Fire, which forced 40 members of the organization to evacuate their homes. The team returned to San Diego for their game that Sunday, defeating the Houston Texans.
2003: San Diego Chargers
Four years earlier, the Chargers had a Monday Night Football game against the Dolphins moved to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. Again, the move was due to fires in Southern California, which caused poor air quality. The Chargers’ home field, Qualcomm Stadium, was also used as an evacuation center during the fires. Both teams flew to Arizona on game day for a game Miami won, 26-10. The NFL distributed 73,104 free tickets to the game.
