At Issue: Sept. 6 — Peacetime emergency negotiations, election season heats up

Gov. Tim Walz and state health officials painted a grim picture of Minnesota’s COVID-19 situation as summer turns to fall.

With Minnesotans expected to travel during the Labor Day weekend, the governor warned residents to be vigilant as cases continue to rise. This message comes even as deaths — obviously the worst-case scenario — are largely trending downward throughout the state.

Heading into the weekend, the governor met with Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, with hopes to mend their rocky working relationship. Gazelka told the media he believes the peacetime emergency is over and Walz should relinquish some of his executive authority. The governor believes otherwise.

Meanwhile, the race for the White House, the U.S. Senate and even the U.S. House could come down to voters in Minnesota. The Trump campaign is pouring in money and time into the state, while the Biden campaign is airing a number of TV ads. Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez weighs in, saying the Democrats aren’t taking Minnesota for granted — but the Trump campaign believes otherwise.

Finally, September marks the 20th anniversary of “At Issue.” All month long we’ll be looking back at the people and the politics that make up the show over the past two decades. This week, we got to peek back in time at a younger Mike Erlandson.