Hank Long

6 days ago | alphanews.org | Hank Long

Republican Kendall Qualls is running for Minnesota governor. The Army veteran and former healthcare exec filed his 2026 gubernatorial campaign fundraising paperwork on Thursday—making him the first serious contender to do so. While Qualls declined a request for an interview, a spokesperson told Alpha News that he plans to make a formal campaign announcement next week.

1 week ago | alphanews.org | Hank Long

The Minnesota Senate returned to its 34-33, razor-thin majority that Democrats have over Republicans this week—with less than two weeks to go in the legislative session. Keri Heintzeman, who won the Senate District 6 special election one week ago, took her oath of office in the chamber late Tuesday morning and then took her seat representing the north central Minnesota area she’s called home for several decades.

1 week ago | alphanews.org | Hank Long

Following a more than two-hour hearing at the Minnesota Capitol on Monday, a panel of four state senators deadlocked at 2-2 on whether they should take any action regarding an ethics complaint filed last month against Senate President Bobby Joe Champion. On April 10, six GOP senators filed a complaint against Champion, a fourth-term DFLer from Minneapolis, alleging he improperly authored bills that appropriated state dollars to an organization led by Rev.

1 week ago | alphanews.org | Hank Long

A group of suburban lawmakers—who all happen to be Republican—are advocating for what they call a creative and pragmatic approach to helping school districts across the state retain teachers in an increasingly demanding work environment.

2 weeks ago | alphanews.org | Hank Long

The Minnesota House of Representatives came to a stalemate on Friday afternoon over a measure that would require local agencies to cooperate with federal authorities on illegal immigration enforcement efforts. The bill’s Republican sponsors have described HF16 as a crackdown on sanctuary cities that refuse, per their own ordinances, to cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).