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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz picked to lead the Democratic Governors Association

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Tim Walz was picked Saturday to lead the Democratic Governors Association, a new role for Minnesota’s second-term governor that will put him on the national campaign trail in the midst of a major presidential election year.

As the next chair, Walz will become the messaging face for the organization (DGA) in 2024, traveling across the country to raise money and campaign for Democratic governor candidates in 11 states where they’re on the ballot.

“Governors are where the action is at,” Walz, a former congressman and teacher, said in an interview. “It’s easy for me to get up there and talk about this. If states elect good governors, good things happen for their people.”

Walz was selected by his peers for the job Saturday at the DGA’s meeting in Phoenix. He’ll take over the gavel on Sunday and lead the organization through 2024, replacing current chair Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey.

In the 2022 cycle, the DGA’s political action fund spent more than $23 million trying to elect Democratic governor candidates and defend incumbent governors in states such as Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, according to campaign finance records. It also put resources into Walz’s second-term bid, which he won by nearly 8 percentage points.

“They were incredibly helpful to me in 2022. I want to pay back and do some of the things to help that they did to help me,” said Walz, who added that he’ll also tout Minnesota’s productive 2023 legislative session as a model for what other states can do if they elect Democrats.

“We elected a Democrat governor to a second term, and some of these progressive issues — from reproductive health care to school meals — got done,” he said. “There’s some momentum built on that and I’m certainly humbled.”

The DGA’s Republican counterpart is the Republican Governors Association. It spent nearly $32 million on many of the same races in the previous cycle, according to federal campaign finance reports.

Fewer governor races will be on the ballot in 2024, but Democrats face the challenge of having no incumbents to defend.

In North Carolina — a state then-President Donald Trump won in 2020 — they hope to elect a new Democrat to replace term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper. Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee is also stepping down after three terms, and Delaware Gov. John Carney is hitting his term limit, leaving his seat open.

Walz sees opportunity for gains in states such as New Hampshire — carried by Joe Biden in 2020 — where Republican Gov. Chris Sununu is leaving office. Walz said he did similar work for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s frontline program, helping candidates “who were just like me, in tough districts.”

“The DGA is hoping he can take some of the Minnesota magic and export it to other states around the country and win more governorships,” said DFL Party Chair Ken Martin. “[Walz] doesn’t have the biggest name in Democratic politics, but what he does have is a story to tell.”

Walz’s biggest task for the organization will be raising funds to help their candidates. Walz said he got a test run for the gig this year raising money in Minnesota for Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who held on to his seat in this fall’s election.

“The Andy Beshear race gives us incredible momentum,” Walz said. “That’s a state that Trump won by 26 points, and Beshear ran unabashedly on reproductive rights and was able to win.”

In a statement, Beshear said Walz was there for him through a “especially tough reelection campaign” and has “demonstrated he knows what it takes to win across the country.”

Walz will work with DGA staff and a handful of other governors on their campaign plan for 2024. He said he’s not worried about his ability to handle his national responsibilities on top of a busy 2024 legislative session and election cycle in Minnesota.

“I’ve always been able to multi-task, and I think even the Republicans’ critique of me is not that I don’t work hard,” Walz said. “My first and foremost responsibility is to the state of Minnesota, but I also feel this responsibility to help because we have good things going here.”



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Windom Park ice rink will remain open for the winter season

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Northeast Minneapolis will have an outdoor rink this winter after all.

The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board announced Friday that it will keep the Windom Park outdoor rink open for the 2024-25 winter season. That means northeast Minneapolis will still have three outdoor rinks, located in Windom, Logan and Van Cleve parks.

The decision was made after “hearing from the community” last week, according to a news release.

The Park Board’s original plan was to close four outdoor rinks — including the Windom Park location — due to climate change and increased supplies and materials needed due to inflation as well as fluctuating lake ice and warming house costs. Powderhorn and Webber Park rinks are still planning on being closed this winter, with up to three additional rink closures next year, according to the board.

Joe Dziedzic, a former Golden Gopher who went on to play in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes, grew up in northeast Minneapolis and defended the rink last week when hearing about its possible closure.

“For me, Windom is where it all began. It’s where I learned to skate and learned to love the game,” he said. “I spent a lot of hours playing with my buddies down at that rink. Lots of good memories.”

Northeast Minneapolis residents will have the chance to make some more memories at the rink this year, as long as rinks are open for more than one week, as was the case during last year’s record-breaking warm winter.



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Trump expected to name Marco Rubio as secretary of state

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Trump has made his choice for a number of other national security roles. He has selected Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., to be his national security adviser, and Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be ambassador to the United Nations.

Rubio was first elected to the Senate in 2010 as part of a new generation of conservative Tea Party leaders. But some conservatives considered him wobbly on immigration, an issue that caused him political problems when he ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 against Trump and others.

During that campaign, Trump belittled him as “Little Marco,” and Rubio responded with acerbic attacks.

But after Trump’s 2016 victory, Rubio went on to patch things up with him, serving as an informal foreign policy adviser and helping to prepare him for his first debate against Biden in 2020.

Under Florida law, Gov. Ron DeSantis can temporarily appoint a replacement to Rubio’s seat who will serve in the Senate until the next regularly scheduled general election is held. After last week’s elections, Republicans are set to hold at least 52 seats in the chamber.



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Speaker Mike Johnson says Republicans are “ready to deliver” on Trump’s agenda

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And while Johnson predicts next year will launch the ”most consequential” presidency and Congress in modern times, he has had difficulty this year leading Republicans who refused to go along with plans, forcing the speaker to often partner with Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Johnson’s troubles stem in part from his slim majority, but that could persist if Trump continues to tap House Republicans to fill his administration. Trump has already asked Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be ambassador to the United Nations and Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., to be his national security adviser.

”We’re pretty much maxed out,” said Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas. ”Everybody understands that.”

In the weeks ahead, Congress faces another deadline, Dec. 20, to fund the federal government or risk a shutdown, and conservatives are redoubling their pressure on Johnson not to cave on their demands to slash spending.

The House and Senate also will consider replenishing the Disaster Relief Fund to help provide aid in the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

And with President Joe Biden preparing to exit and Democrats relinquishing their hold on the Senate, there will be pressure to confirm more judicial nominees and to usher out the door any other bills that could possibly become law before Trump takes over.



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