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Craig vs. Flanagan: Aspiring U.S. Senator Slugfest
The primary race to replace U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) is already expensive, and now it's getting messy. The two major candidates vying for DFL ballot placement—U.S. Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan—traded major blows over the past few days as their August 11 primary looms.
On Friday, state Sen. John Hoffman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) alleged that, while he was admitted to the ICU last summer following an assassination attempt, a “dear and trusted friend” asked him to endorse Angie Craig. Later, as Hoffman recovered from gunshots wounds at home, that friend asked a second time, confirming that "the endorsement requests came from Congresswoman Craig.”
“When [Craig] said she wanted my endorsement, she was doing that during moments when our family’s story had high visibility, and that’s all you need to know that the difference is between the opponent that Peggy has and Peggy Flanagan," Hoffman said at a St. Paul rally for Flanagan. "Because Peggy Flanagan, she checked on us out of her love for how we were doing and if we were OK."
Sez a Flanagan spokesperson: “That’s a matter between Congresswoman Craig and the Hoffmans.”
Sez a Craig one: “The claim is categorically false.”
Seeking to clear her own name, Craig sent screengrabs of a text message exchange between her and Hoffman that, well, has nothing to do with his assertion that a third party came to seek his endorsement. Complicating matters: The Strib's Sydney Kashiwagi reports that the "dear and trusted friend" in question is Dave Wellstone, son of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone, and Dave denies Hoffman's account of what went down.
Elsewhere in Craig vs. Flanagan world...
- Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz endorsed Craig on Monday, an eyebrow-raising move that makes one wonder: What the hell sparked the years-long rift between the guv and his No. 2?
- Craig and Flanagan debated each other earlier Monday via MPR News; click here to watch the whole damn thing.
- Our buddy Max Nesterak at Minnesota Reformer published this thoughtful profile of Craig on Monday.
- Shoutout to this top-voted Reddit comment for slicing through the Strib's gee-whiz head scratching over what Craig taking oodles of AIPAC money means.
- As the primary fight heats up, so have our inboxes. On Monday, Flanagan's publicist sent out over a dozen email blast before 1:30 p.m. We were able to suss out a theme: Flanagan good; Craig bad.
Another Report on Ken Martin's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Run as DNC Chair
Ken Martin's struggles as DNC chair have been well-documented over the past couple years, prompting yours truly to ask in May: Is MN-launched DNC Chair Ken Martin cooked? Not yet, but boy oh boy, the ex-DFL honcho is smoking on the hot seat.
The latest grim job report on Martin comes courtesy of the New York Times, in the uncharitably headlined piece, "Inside the Phone-Throwing Drama at the Troubled, Broke Democratic Party." Reporters Shane Goldmacher and Reid J. Epstein write that the Democratic Party is so broke, officials are asking vendors to not send invoices until after midterm elections, thus making the DNC appear less cash-strapped in the moment. The party is $2 million in debt; the Republican National Committee, meanwhile, is sitting on $128.5 million cash.
Oh, yeah, you probably wanna hear about the phone hurling. In the great Klobucharian tradition, earlier this month Martin allegedly chucked a phone at the desk of a junior aide, according to anonymous sources. The incident prompted a visit from HR. Martin, who's reportedly "paralyzed" by fear over information leaks, makes dark jokes about how long he'll last at the DNC and continues to characterize his job as a fire hydrant beneath torrents of dog piss. Write Goldmacher and Epstein...
At the center is Ken Martin, the 53-year-old party chairman, who has found himself increasingly isolated, gripped by the fear that he will lose his job and relying on a vanishingly small circle of people he trusts, according to interviews with more than two dozen Democrats, including current and former D.N.C. officials and members.
Go Long on the Lutsen Lodge Fire Mystery
Dedicated RacketCast listeners will remember Joe Friedrichs, the North Shore journalist/podcaster who joined us last summer to explore how a Minnesota landmark, the 144-year-old Lutsen Lodge, burned to the ground.
Well Friedrichs is back, this time writing long for MSP Mag on that very subject. His piece is loaded with juicy reporting details on Bryce "Big Moose" Campbell, the resort's owner who, in the court of public opinion, is widely viewed as an arsonist who attempted to burn his way out of debt. (Campbell has been charged with three counts of arson in actual court.) Here's my favorite passage on Big Moose, whose mother purchased Lutsen Lodge for him in 2018 for $6.7 million...
Campbell told me he’s only read a few books in his adult life, including one entitled Great Lodges of the Canadian Rockies. That book inspired him to get into the resort business and drove his attempt to make Lutsen Resort something it never was: an upscale refuge for elites.
Powerful book! Friedrichs has his doubts about the case, even if everyone, including "the North Shore old-timers" who can't remember a scandal of this magnitude, seem to think Campbell torched a piece of Minnesota history.
Despite a mountain of evidence that makes it seem like Campbell did the things he is accused of—including that he was on scene just before the fire started, that he was Googling for a chemical accelerant that investigators found at the scene of the fire, and all of the evidence of his desperate need for money amid accumulating debt—the guy is innocent until proven guilty.
Six Months Later, No Justice for Renee Good, Alex Pretti
Twin Citians gathered Sunday to remember Renee Good and Alex Pretti, two Minneapolitans who were shot to death by federal agents six months ago during Operation Metro Surge. The federal government just recently began sharing evidence with local investigators, although it sounds like the feds aren't exactly cooperating.
"U.S. Attorney Rosen refused to confirm any cooperation agreement between state and federal agencies," Steve Schleicher, a lawyer representing the Pretti family, said earlier this month. "No family should be required to beg federal authorities to do their job."
We'll leave you with what Pretti's mom, Susan, posted Friday to Instagram.
