Of the many post-election polls that show a change and division in the American voter, one of strangest findings was in a Economist-YouGov poll taken in mid-December that shows a surge of Republican approval of Vladimir Putin and WikiLeaks.

In the survey of 1,465 voters, Putin is still viewed negatively by most Republicans. But he also holds a 37 percent approval rating — a sharp increase from a similar poll taken two years ago. And Putin is viewed more favorably than any Democratic leader included in the survey.

The poll also shows that Republicans have shifted their views on WikiLeaks after the posting of emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee and the Clinton campaign. They give the organization of net favorability rating of 27 percent, a 20-point upswing since 2013 when WikiLeaks began leaking classified NSA documents.

What’s going on here, I asked Carleton College political science expert Steven Schier, who emailed me the survey with a one-word heading: “wow.“ 

“I think it shows how severe the polarization is in our country,” he said. “People are now willing to change their opinions based on ideology and turn on dime. And it makes you wonder how closely tethered to the facts people are now.” 

Information, particularly about politics, has always reflected a tinge, even a bias. But are voters more gullible now to manipulation of truth?

“People are their own editors now and when you are your own editor you can put yourself in a bubble and keep that bubble very secure,” Schier says. “And there's very little the political system can do when people can seal themselves off from inconvenient facts.”

But how is it that GOP voters are swaying toward Vladimir Putin, the incarnation of enemy number one to Republicans of yore?  

“This is the Trump effect,” Schier replied, referring to Trump’s frequent praise of Putin during the campaign. “Essentially, as Republicans coalesce around Trump, they take their cues from him. And since the Trump strategy is to pour gasoline on any fire he encounters, it helps lead to an ‘us versus them.’” 

A couple of years ago, it was WikiLeaks and its founder Julian Assange in the “us versus them” battle.  Why do Republicans, who once decried the information pirate as a threat the American security, think that now he qualifies as an OK guy? 

“The factual nature of the WikiLeaks disclosures has not been widely disputed,” he said. “A lot of this is true. And it hurt the bad guys. It’s kind of a ruthless pragmatism on the part of Republicans.”

Democrats, Schier maintains, would shift shapes similarly if their candidate had won the election. “Democrats who were incensed at Trump saying he would not accept the results are now not accepting the results of the election. There’s hypocrisy on both sides.”

So, black’s white today and day’s night today, just like in the Cole Porter song?

“I think we’re in a particularly contentious moment because of the nature of the Trump victory,” Schier said. “At moments like this, it brings out the worst in many citizens as this poll illustrates. But there’s no reason to assume that this is the way for the next four years.”

That’s because, inherently, government and governing is very boring, right? 

“Well, I don’t think a Trump government will be boring,” Schier said.  “I just can't see it becoming more contentious.”

Republican Party finance chair Rick Rice

The chairmanship of the Republican Party of Minnesota is a job that could be described kindly as a headache.

Yet it's sought-after enough that the party’s finance chairman, Rick Rice, called me back just hours after he had dental surgery to explain why he’s a candidate to replace current Chair Keith Downey, who is stepping down.

“We are at too critical a stage to go backwards,” Rice said. “Keith many made too many improvements to let them slide. I’m determined to improve on this and go to the next level.”

Rice is one of two confirmed candidates for the position. The other is Deputy Chair Chris Fields. Former state senator David Hann is also considering whether to apply. And between now and late April — when the party’s state central committee meets to make the decision — a few more names may emerge.

Meanwhile, Rice and Fields are working the 331 members of the committee, explaining their leadership plans.

“I have a vision,” Fields said. “I believe it’s the mission of the party to define what it means to be Republican what it means when you vote for a Republican.” But the job doesn’t stop there, he said. “We must define the opposition [the DFL] and then create the conditions for our candidates to win.” 

It’s arguable that today’s political backdrop has made the position of party chair more attractive than when Downey took over four years ago when the party was nearly $2 million dollars in debt.

In the November election, Minnesota Republicans nearly pulled off a trifecta. Besides winning control of the Minnesota House and Senate, Republicans nearly delivered the state for Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton — in a state where Clinton was expected to dominate (and that hasn’t gone for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972). 

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Republican Party deputy chair Chris Fields

“With Donald Trump, we’ve got a great opportunity to grow the party with both the activists and the voters,” Rice said. “Folks that don’t consider themselves Republican decided to take a flier.” 

But despite the 2016 election successes, the new party chair has to face up to an unpleasant fact: No Republican has won a statewide office since 2006.

“The wheels came off in 2010,” Rice said, referring to the revelations that former chair Tony Sutton had illegally created a GOP finance arm, which led to lawsuits, an eviction notice, and the $2 million debt problem. “It hurt our brand tremendously. We are the fiscally responsible party and we couldn’t manage our own affairs.”

“The party falls short in winning statewide races [not because] we haven’t raised enough money, [not because] we haven’t sent enough mail,” said Fields. “We have not been able to create the conditions for a statewide candidate to be successful.”

The last statewide election a Republican won was in 2006, with Tim Pawlenty’s re-election as governor. It’s been even longer since a Republican was elected secretary of state, auditor or attorney general.

Regaining any of those offices and defending the GOP majority in the House will dominate the job of party chair. What they have to prove to the party’s most committed activists is that they know how to do it.

Like many a baby boomer, former GOP senate minority leader David Hann isn’t ready to retire, despite the bittersweet results of the November election.

Hann, 64, lost his bid for re-election to DFLer Steve Cwodzinski for his Eden Prairie seat, but he led enough other Republican candidates to victory to give the GOP control of the Minnesota Senate — an accomplishment that has led to inquiries from the Trump administration and encouragement for him to run as chair of the state Republican party.

“I’ve been contacted by some people connected to the Trump campaign,” Hann acknowledged. “I was asked if I was interested in submitting a resume.”

Hann was and did, although he initially supported Carly Fiorina in her bid for the GOP nomination. Even now Hann expresses uncertainty about Trump’s style but said Trump has made “solid and interesting choices” for many Cabinet heads.

There are 690 positions within the new administration that require confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Hann said he was asked about his interest in positions at the Office of Management and Budget and the Department of Education, but these are likely not posts that require Senate approval.  

“There are other appointments that are further down the food chain, thousands of them,” he said.  “Most of these exist as long as the administration is in place.”   

Equally if not more intriguing to Hann is the post of state Republican party chair, which current chair Keith Downey is leaving. “I’ve continued to have people reach out to me and encourage me to think about this. Our party has had really good leadership with chairman Downey. He’s brought a lot of stability to our financial situation. For the next chairman… there’s going to have to be some moving forward and helping people win campaigns. I've shown some ability to have some success with that.”

Hann’s own political career began with his election to the Eden Prairie school board, followed by his 2002 election to the state Senate, where he rose to minority leader in 2013.

“It’s not the most secure or financially lucrative career to pursue, but for me it’s been about accomplishing a mission,” said Hann, who has long backed school choice and opposed MNSure and state funding for Southwest LRT. “The idea of stopping work when you’re 60 and going to play golf never appealed to me. As long as you have the capacity, you should try to use it.”  

Jennifer Carnahan, a candidate for chair of the Minnesota Republican Party, is convinced that even in the state’s bluest political pockets there are voters who can be persuaded to vote Republican.

Carnahan has tried to live that claim. She ran as a Republican candidate for the Minnesota Senate in District 59, the core of Minneapolis, and won 22 percent of the vote, the highest percentage any Republican has won in recent history. “I looked at 21 years of data in terms of wards and precincts,” she said. “My goal was where to get gains for the party.”

She found those gains in the downtown precincts where voters liked her message of less government, more opportunity, and a notable lack of fixation on social issues. “I think that’s where the party has do things differently,” she said. “We need to pick up gains, not necessarily win the seat. We start winning statewide races this way.” 

Carnahan’s approach may seem radically different from the party’s past election strategies, which have focused on legislative victories, particularly in Greater Minnesota.

These strategies should not be abandoned, Carnahan believes, but they need to be augmented. For that, Carnahan, a Carlson MBA and a veteran of General Mills and Ecolab, calls on her marketing background.

“If I did get elected, I would do focus groups and see how voters live their lives, find out what’s important to them,” she said. “Saying continuously we're going to cut taxes or that health care is a disaster  — we need to say this on a level that connects to people and that is where the party falls short.”

Carnahan throws another firecracker into the mix with a proposal that rings of identity politics. “This is going to rock the boat in the party, but we need to start championing things like inclusiveness and different groups. Republicans have not wanted to go down that route,” said Carnahan, who was adopted from South Korea. “You can talk about the fact that I'm Asian and female, why not? If were elected chair, just that alone would send a powerful message – an adopted South Korean female.”

Carnahan’s website reflects her background with a detailed plan of how she would manage the party — from fundraising to brand building to internal operations. 

On all those fronts, she has formidable competition. Deputy Party Chair Chris Fields, national committeeman Rick Rice and former Senate Minority Leader David Hann are also running for chair. The party’s state central committee, a group of 350 activists, will decide in April who replaces current Chair Keith Downey.

Carnahan welcomes the competition — and the comparisons. “I am who I am and I shouldn’t have to be ashamed. But don't elect me because of what I look like and what gender I am. Elect me because I have a strong professional background.”

Still, she stresses that her distinctiveness is just what the party needs. “I don’t feel it’s a one-size-fits-all approach,” she said. “What resonates with voters in different parts of Minnesota may be different even though we have the same set of values.” 

She believes the party needs to have an evolution both in its message and the messengers themselves, including candidates.

“We can’t keep putting up the same white 60-year-old guy to speak about our values,” she said. “If they say that’s identity politics then that’s too bad.”

A random sampling of some longtime Minnesota Republicans shows that after one month, the honeymoon with President Donald Trump isn’t over yet — even it was an arranged marriage from the start.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Marty Seifert

Marty Seifert, a former GOP legislator and minority leader, who like many GOP influencers supported Sen. Marco Rubio during the Republican primaries, observed: “Usually, early on administrations have a hiccup with personnel. Every administration has an early debacle.”

Yet Seifert went on to praise Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch. “That he was quoted about being concerned about Trump’s disparaging remarks about the court system, that impressed me,” he said. 

Another former state legislator, Amy Koch, has a generally favorable take on the Trump Cabinet appointments, singling out U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. 

But Koch, a Russian linguist who, as member of the Air Force was attached to the NSA, has major problems with Trump’s perceived attitude toward Russia. “In the international arena he’s done some very good things, which makes me all the more dismayed at his missteps,” she said.  “Russia has never stopped being a threat. I am watching that very closely. Putin is not to be trusted.” 

This kind of mixed review comes from a few Trump voters I talked to. Said one self-described reluctant Trump voter, “I think the guy is a jerk, but the stock market has performed really well since he took office and Wall Street has people who are a lot smarter than I am, so they see the potential economic strength of the administration.”

MinnPost photo by Jana Freiband

Amy Koch

As for the impression that Trump will use the office for personal gain, another voter shrugged. “I don’t have problem with it because he made it clear that’s what he was going to do going in,” she said. “And other presidents have done the same thing, although he may be the champion of it. “ 

Seifert and Koch do have a problem with it, though. “He needs a seminar on what he can and cannot do when you’re in office,” Seifert said. “This isn’t the Wild West free-for-all that the private sector was.”

Koch describes the potential for conflict of interest as “a monster concern. ... You get to lead the greatest force in the word,” she said. “You get to lead the United States and if that comes at some personal cost to you, that’s too bad. He needs to do what every other president has done before.”

But other moves, like Trump’s decision to pull out from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and his expedited (if botched) executive order to strengthen immigration from seven countries, have thrilled his most ardent supporters. “Every time he fights with the media, he makes his base happy,” said former state GOP deputy chair (and MinnPost contributor) Michael Brodkorb. “Every time the bureaucracy stops what he is doing, he makes his base happy.”

“If you were a Trump voter — standing on the overpasses, doing the lawn signs — you have to be ecstatic with the last 30 days,” he said.  “But the average voter has not been given anything to get behind.” 

Brodkorb, a one-time political operative respected for his aggressiveness, thinks Trump has picked unnecessary fights. “Within a matter of a couple weeks, Trump had set up a sizeable battle over his executive order on immigration.  And it wasn’t done in the procedural way that garnered the outcome that Trump wanted,” he said.  “Sure, there was going to be a fight over this issue, but the way they telegraphed the first punch was a bit sloppy.”

Even so, Brodkorb is impressed with the way that Trump is bulldozing his way through policy and appointments. “Trump is coming in laser focused on doing what he said he was going to do,” he said. “The pace in which they’re moving is very fast. My initial reaction is they are planning for one term. So they are working at a pretty feverish rate. But what is missing is the opportunity for the president to be the president for all Americans. I don’t know if that is a quality that he has in him.”

Trump’s relentless presence on Twitter has added another layer of anxiety over his actions. “I thinks he’s too distracted with things that have nothing to with his presidency, like when he tweets about "Celebrity Apprentice" [the reality TV show Trump once hosted],” Koch said. 

There’s another possible drawback to Trump’s relentless Twitter salvos, Seifert pointed out: “A lot of people are getting Trump fatigue. The daily drumbeat is a little wearing for a lot of people.  They say, ‘He’s been in office one month – it feels like a lot longer.’ ” 

The 8th Congressional District in northern Minnesota has a distinct brand of politics.

I know because I’ve worked on campaigns here. I also know because I live here now, in the heart of the district near Hermantown, among the avid environmentalists, the union stalwarts, the staunch gun-rights advocates, the students who worry about the cost of tuition, and the retirees who worry about cuts to Medicare.

It’s difficult for any candidate to accommodate such diverse and conflicting positions. Witness last weekend’s nonendorsement at the district’s DFL convention to replace retiring 8th District Rep. Rick Nolan.   

But a candidate with the right attitude has the opportunity here to rise above the policy debates. It happened in 2016 with Donald Trump’s 15-point edge over Hillary Clinton, of course, but that was hardly the first time. I saw it first in 1994 when I was on the campaign trail with Republican Gov. Arne Carlson. Carlson and the late Rod Grams, a congressman at the time, campaigned together on the Iron Range. As an incumbent, Arne’s independent streak was popular on the Range, but Grams’ appeal in his campaign for the U.S. Senate wasn’t as obvious.

In fact, the New York Times called Grams' opponent, Ann Wynia, an “an insurance policy” for a Democratic pick-up of the seat. But Grams scored points with basic talk about Second Amendment rights and his connection to middle class voters, winning him the district and the election.

That independent streak still runs deep.

“We’re sick and tired of people telling us what to do,” said Dave Tomassoni, a state senator from Chisholm, referring to the controversy over copper-nickel mining in northern Minnesota.

Tomassoni supports state Rep. Jason Metsa in the race to succeed Nolan. Among those still likely to compete in the DFL’s Aug. 14 primary, Metsa is the candidate most supportive of mining activities.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

State Rep. Jason Metsa

On the other side, environmentalists and outdoors people are equally ferocious about opposing precious metal mining and about protecting the region’s matchless natural resources.  They turned out for the caucuses to support Leah Phifer, a mining opponent, and gave her a consistent lead at the DFL endorsing convention. (Phifer later announced that she won't be going on to the primary.)

All of which means it’s hard to envision a middle ground here. It’s also why voters appear to prize authenticity, as nebulous as that can be, so highly; why they supported both the pro-life, pro-Second Amendment Rod Grams — and the moderate Republican Arne Carlson. And it’s why Pete Stauber, the St. Louis County commissioner and the only Republican running for the seat, likes to call his campaign “blue collar and common sense.”  

Indeed, Stauber is happy to say that, while he’s a Trump supporter, he’ll oppose the president when needed. “When I agree with the president, like the tariffs, I will support that,” he said. “When I disagree with him, like initially when there was no money for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, I will fight to get that money.”

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

County Commissioner Pete Stauber

Likewise, DFLer Metsa likes to point out that, during his 2016 Minnesota House race, “I had a lot of Trump cross-over votes,” he said. While Joe Radinovich, who was the second highest vote getter at the DFL endorsing convention, wants voters to understand his principles. “We’re running on a set of values,” he said. “There are differences [but] this is a big tent party.”

In my experience, it’s also a big tent district. Even as the political profile here is changing, voters remain individualists united by great pride in their region. The voice that eventually represents them in Washington — the winner of what's likely to be one of the most closely watched congresional campaigns in the country — will have to be as unique as they are.

In the four-way DFL primary to succeed Rep. Rick Nolan in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District, it comes down to miles and money.

Former state Rep. Joe Radinovich, Nolan’s former campaign manager, acknowledged as much as he kicked off a regional tour at Clyde Iron Works, a repurposed industrial crane factory in the heart of Duluth’s once-thriving west end.

“I’m going to do this by wearing out my shoe leather, like I always have,” Radinovich told a group of about 40. “When I was in the Legislature, I knocked on more doors than any other Democrat.”

Radinovich also recognized the need for fundraising. “The real challenge that we have is that we have enough money, that we spend it in the right places,” he said in an interview.

Radinovich was speaking for himself, of course, but he could have been speaking for his three challengers as well: state Rep. Jason Metsa, former news anchor Michelle Lee, and North Branch mayor Kirsten Kennedy. 

To have a chance in the 8th District’s DFL primary, the four will need to reach out to the estimated 55,000 to 70,000 primary voters, stretched across the 8th District’s 27,000 square miles — an area larger than 10 U.S. states and the Republic of Ireland — from International Falls to North Branch.  All four need money — as much as a $500,000 — to do that with any effectiveness.

The matter of miles and money forced Leah Phifer, a former FBI employee and the frontrunner at the April 14 DFL endorsing convention, to abandon plans to go on to the Aug.  14 primary. “You need to be on the road seven days a week,” she said. “I think it’s incredibly important that a candidate puts in the time, and that can be difficult.”

For her endorsement campaign, Phifer raised $90,000, a fraction of what she knew she needed to continue for “another long four months.” To get to the half-million-dollar budget, she said, “You are going to rely on outside money – outside the district.”   

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Leah Phifer

Phifer didn’t have the taste for that, and DFL 8th District chair Emily Nygren can understand why. “It’s a really tough thing, fundraising for a primary.  I don’t think it’s ever a big surprise whenever somebody drops out.”

Also daunting for candidates is the development of a voter contact operation that needs to cover and unite the district’s 18 counties. Nygren said that out of necessity, candidates running district-wide often hire professional get-out-the-vote operatives. But a successful candidate will “build a base of operations of friends, neighbors, influencers, people who are trusted,” she said. 

Despite the geographic sprawl, “We are very, very connected up here. People look for ways to get together.” 

Meanwhile, throughout the months of spring and summer campaigning, the candidates must keep their eyes on the greater prize: winning the general election against Republican Pete Stauber — in a district that went for Donald Trump by more than 15 points in 2016.

Phifer, for one, believes that “for the DFL to hold this seat is going to be difficult.” And even Radinovich told a Duluth group that, “Activation in opposition to Trump is growing in other districts, but Trump is still popular in the 8th District.”

There’s also the prospect that the DFL field could be further shaken up by another candidate joining the race before the June 4 filing deadline. “There’s always the possibility with a competitive primary when there is not yet a person rising to the top,” Nygren said.

The upside, candidates and party officials agree, is that a competitive primary will result in a battle-proven DFL nominee, one that has mastered covering miles of campaign territory via media, surrogates, and in person, and raising enough money to do so.

The Minnesota Republican Party has had its share of charged, nail-biting moments at its state conventions. 

The first day of the 2018 convention in Duluth wasn’t one of them.    

After a long spell of downtime while convention organizers were forced to switch from faulty electronic ballots to paper balloting, the nearly 1,700 delegates endorsed state Sen. Karin Housley to run against DFL incumbent Tina Smith and state Rep. Jim Newberger to run against DFL incumbent Amy Klobuchar. Both Housley and Newberger faced endorsement challengers, but both won easily on the first ballot.

Housley’s race against Smith is expected to be more competitive than Newberger's challenge to Klobuchar. Smith, appointed by Gov. Dayton to replace Al Franken, has limited experience on the campaign trail and will face Housley, a state Senator since 2010, on relatively equal footing. Former George W. Bush administration official Richard Painter is also running for Senate on the DFL side. 

In her endorsement speech, Housley was greeted with a standing ovation and delivered the delegates what they wanted: broadside attacks on Smith, who Housley called a member of the “metro area liberal elite… a senator who has done nothing but stand in the way of President Trump… a self-proclaimed member of the resistance [with] a do-nothing mentality.”

Housley and Smith will facing off amid an election year when a record number of women will be on the ballot. “This is the year of the woman across the country,” Housley noted in an interview. “I hope it can encourage more women to stand up and not always have a man encourage them to run but to actually just jump in and run on their own. If it does that one thing, that we have a woman running against a woman, it would be a success.”

Newberger faces a more challenging race, against two-term incumbent Klobuchar, who won her last race, in 2012, with more than 65 percent of the vote. In his endorsement speech, Newberger vowed to “upend the neo-socialist DFL.”

“The 12-year reign of ultra-liberal Amy Klobuchar must come to end,” he said.  “Minnesota needs to send Senator Klobuchar packing. For nearly a decade she has fed the swamp.”

The real meat of the convention comes on Saturday, with the party’s endorsement of a candidate for governor. Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson, the party’s gubernatorial candidate in 2014, holds the delegate lead, but some delegates may be quietly supporting a candidate who isn’t making an appearance. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty bypassed the convention and the endorsement process and will challenge the Republican endorsee in the August 14 primary.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

State Rep. Jim Newberger received the Republican endorsement to run against DFL incumbent Amy Klobuchar.

The Minnesota Republican Party state convention in Duluth endorsed its former chair Jeff Johnson for governor Saturday, the same endorsement Johnson won eight years ago.

Johnson’s deep roots in the party resulted in a third ballot victory by acclamation after challengers — Woodbury Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens and former teacher Phillip Parrish — dropped out of balloting.  “It’s Jeff Johnson’s time,” said Giuliani Stephens, who made the motion to endorse Johnson by acclamation.

In his victory speech, Johnson acknowledged the primary fight he faces against former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who bypassed the endorsement process. “This endorsement still means something.  So now it is time to defend this endorsement and that starts tomorrow,” he said.  ‘We could whine or cry about it, but instead, I would just rather go win it.”

Johnson also nodded to Pawlenty’s fundraising prowess. The former governor has nearly one million dollars in his campaign account and Johnson has less than half of that. “We are going to get outspent. We are going to rely on you,” he said, asking delegates to “throw a twenty dollar bill into a hat.”   

Johnson also tried to turn that disadvantage into a talking point. “This [primary election] is about the heart and soul of the Republican party,” he said at a post-endorsement news conference. “Are we a party of the political class, the wealthiest donors, the lobbyists? Or are we a party of the grassroots Republicans?”

Although almost all delegates stood in support of Johnson, state representative Jon Koznick of Lakeville, a delegate and Pawlenty supporter, said Pawlenty had broader delegate support than the endorsement vote indicated.  “There are other people here that may want to vote for Pawlenty, but since he’s not here, they’ll pick another candidate,” Koznick said.  “His base of strength is even higher here.”

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Doug Wardlow

GOP endorsed attorney general candidate Doug Wardlow may have been the big winner of the day. Incumbent DFL attorney general Lori Swanson failed to receive her party’s endorsement, and as soon as the news of Swanson filtered into the Duluth convention hall, Wardlow’s campaign started scooping up donations. “For the attorney general’s race, we are one hundred percent, lockstep unified and the message is, ‘We need an attorney general to push the rule of law above politics,’” Wardl0w said. “[Swanson’s] been dropping the ball, derelict in her duties, and playing politics.”

The convention endorsed two other statewide candidates: Pam Myhra for state auditor and John Howe for secretary of state.

Both Pawlenty and Johnson said they were ready to hit the campaign trail. Pawlenty will fly around the state on Monday.  As his news conference closed, Johnson said he too would be on a statewide tour.  “We’ll be driving around the state in our 2011 Jeep,” he said.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

U.S. Senate candidate Karin Housley

Ultimately, the only glitch at the Republican state party convention in Duluth was a faulty electronic ballot system, which forced the use of time-consuming paper ballots. 

The more than 1,900 delegates in attendance endorsed four candidates by acclamation, reveling in their unity — and thoroughly enjoying the rumors, tweets, and live reports from the comparatively chaotic DFL convention in Rochester.

In fact, two GOP candidates are already re-working their campaign strategies based on what they saw as dysfunction among DFLers.

The campaign team for U.S. Senate candidate Karin Housley is considering how to take advantage of former Bush White House lawyer and prominent Trump-basher Richard Painter’s decision to challenge U.S. Sen. Tina Smith, who won the DFL endorsement on the first ballot over the weekend.

At a minimum, the Housley campaign is hoping that the articulate Painter — a frequent cable news commentator — will be a distraction to Smith. But the hope is that Painter will also force Smith to amp up her anti-Trump rhetoric, alienating exurban and Greater Minnesota voters. Republicans claim that polling shows a close race between Housley and Smith, so that even small missteps could put the seat in the GOP column.

Republicans also see potential opportunity in the race for state attorney general. Minnesota has not had a Republican attorney general since the 1970s, but current AG Lori Swanson failed to get the DFL endorsement on Saturday, news that started the contributions flowing on the Republican convention floor into the campaign of the GOP’s endorsed candidate, Doug Wardlow, a Georgetown-educated attorney whose highest profile role had previously been representing a conservative Christian legal advocacy group. If Swanson doesn’t make a primary challenge (a big if), Wardlow will face DFL endorsee Matt Pelikan in the general election.

‘We can blow the friggin’ roof off’

For all that, though, GOP unity doesn't expand beyond the convention floor. Looming over the GOP is a primary challenge of its own — at the top of the ticket. The party’s endorsed candidate for governor, Jeff Johnson, faces former Gov. Tim Pawlenty in the August 14 primary.

Johnson, who friends and foes alike consider one of the nicest guys in politics, admitted he was advised to amp up his rhetoric in anticipation of the fight. He did so in his endorsement presentation, starting with an opening video that featured a swipe from Pawlenty’s lieutenant governor, Carol Molnau. “I wish him well, but I’m not looking forward to seeing him in St. Paul,” she said with a smile.

MinnPost photo by Brian Halliday

Republican endorsed candidate for governor, Jeff Johnson, with running mate Donna Bergstrom greet attendees of the 2018 GOP convention.

Johnson followed with a booming point-by-point description of what he would change as governor. “Minnesota’s participation in the refugee resettlement program is going to stop. Period…. I am the Met Council’s worst nightmare.… My boys don’t need a nanny any more and neither do you… We can blow the friggin’ roof off Minnesota,” he told the delegates, in a voice that — for Johnson — was nearly a roar.  

In the end, the Republican delegates were pleased with the convention, with Johnson and with the rest of their candidate slate. Even with the uncertainty that primary challenges will bring, the convention adjourned with a sense of satisfaction that comes from delivering exactly what’s expected.

It’s not easy being an outsider at a Trump rally.

It’s not just the protesters, like the two at the rally in Duluth who were circled by Trump supporters chanting the president’s name until security hustled them out of Amsoil Arena. It’s anyone who questions the basic aspirations of Trump voters or the president himself. On Wednesday night, those Trump backers — more than 6,500 who showed at the rally in Duluth — made it clear how unified they were, with cheers and taunts that punctuated Trump’s nearly hourlong speech.

Trump didn’t neglect Minnesota-specific issues. He started the program with an acknowledgement of Minnesota’s Republican candidates for U.S. House and Senate and ceded several minutes of podium time to 8th Congressional District candidate Pete Stauber, who was cheered almost as much as Trump himself. 

The crowd went euphoric when the president announced his plans for mining in the Superior National Forest. “We will soon be taking the first steps to rescind the federal withdrawal in Superior National Forest and restore mineral exploration … for the people and miners and workers and for the people of Minnesota,” he said, injecting a rare caveat, “We’ll do it carefully and maybe if it doesn’t pass muster, we won’t do it all, but it is going to happen.” 

No caveats were needed when Trump expounded on his other targets of the evening, though: the media, immigration, trade, taxes, and Hillary Clinton, about which he and his supporters bonded with a solidarity that left no room for disagreement.  

“Those very dishonest people back there,” is how Trump identified the media horde that covers the rallies. “Those very dishonest people.”  

The crowd needed no further prompting, as it turned toward the media platform and started chanting, “CNN sucks. CNN sucks! CNN sucks! CNN sucks!”

Trump then referred to the executive order he finalized just hours earlier ending the separation of families detained at the border, a move aimed at quelling widespread criticism of the practice. “Today I signed an executive order. We’re going to keep families together but the border is going to be just as tough as it’s been. Democrats don’t care about the impact of uncontrolled migration on your communities, your schools, your hospitals, your jobs or your safety. Democrats put illegal immigrants before they put American citizens. What the hell is going on?”

In response, the crowd roared, “Build that wall! Build that wall! Build that wall!” 

Trump added, “We do want people coming across our border, going through our ports of entry but we want people to come through merit, not just through luck or happenstance. We need people to help, but we need people to come through a merit system.”

“USA, USA, USA, USA,” the crowd chanted.   

From there, Trump pivoted to the Department of Justice inspector general’s report on Hillary Clinton’s emails. “Have you been watching what is going on with the inspector general’s report? What a scam this whole thing is. How guilty is she?” he asked.  

“Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up. Lock her up,” the crowd yelled. 

As for the president’s accomplishments, it was clear that his supporters have nothing less than complete faith in his claims. “Nobody’s ever seen growth like we’re having right now,” he said. “When I go around and meet foreign leaders they all congratulate me. ‘Mr. President, congratulations on the growth of the United States. Congratulations.’  Every one of them.”

The crowd didn’t doubt it, intoning another round of, “USA, USA, USA, USA, USA.”

Trump returned the compliments, and frequently, telling the TV crews to turn their cameras on the crowd, referring often to their work ethic and accomplishments. “Our people are the smartest and the hardest working. Smarter than anybody and the hardest working,” he reassured them more than once.

By the time Trump concluded his speech, it was clear the crowd was more than a little pleased, almost giddy, with the president — and with themselves. For many, Trump had already summed up their feelings when, midway through his remarks, Trump broke from his script to ask: “Is there anything more fun than a Trump rally?”