This morning, I had the pleasure of speaking at the Star Tribune‘s North Star Summit in Minneapolis on our recent report, “Supplying Hope and Demanding (Real) Affordability: An agenda for Minnesota’s future.” It was a lot of fun, but I suspect my remarks on affordability were overshadowed in many people’s minds by two of the afternoon sessions.
In the first, Gov. Walz gave an “exit interview.” In the second, Attorney General Keith Ellison faced off against his Republican challenger, Ron Schutz.
Except he didn’t. While the two candidates had been billed as appearing together, just before kick off the moderator, Briana Bierschbach, informed the audience that Ellison had “declined” to appear on the stage with Schutz. No explanation was given for Ellison’s last-minute change of heart.
Instead, the two candidates appeared separately.
With Ellison trailing Schutz in the latest poll, seasoned politicos in the audience were surprised to see him duck this opportunity.