The year 2024 in government and politics as told in real time by the people who made it all possible.
“I’m more hopeful than last year that we can get an all DFL Senate bill for sports wagering this session,” — Sen. Matt Klein, DFL-Mendota Heights, in January assessing the chances that a sports betting bill would finally pass. It didn’t, and the bill that came close was a bipartisan deal.
“I don’t lose sleep over that anymore, and I did. I’ve moved on to other things,” — Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle about the Kenilworth Tunnel that had delayed construction of the SWLRT project.
“We’re just going to put everything in a stew and let it simmer. That just means the status quo is going to go forward, and it will perpetuate the lack of transparency and the lack of accountability.” — Washington County Commissioner Karla Bigham about a decision by a Met Council governance task force to send all of its ideas for reform to the Legislature rather than recommending lawmakers take a specific course of action.
“The Office of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor departed from its Standard Operating Procedure for Executive Director Appointments in its process for selecting Erin DuPree as the Director of the Office of Cannabis Management.” — conclusion of a report by the Office of the Legislative Auditor on the botched appointment of the state’s first cannabis czar.
“We’ve been fighting this now for a hundred and one years, and 40 years for the state. It’s hard to put the brakes on the activists.” — ERA Minnesota founder Betty Folliard on the legislative debate over whether and when to put a state Equal Rights Amendment on the ballot. It passed in the House, but the Senate didn’t vote on it this year.
“I think it’s kind of a deceptive or fraudulent product. People think they’re getting beer and they’re getting less than that. It’s truth-in-advertising. If you’re gonna sell beer, let’s sell beer.” — Sen. Matt Klein on his bill to allow groceries to sell beer stronger than 3.2% ABW. It didn’t make it out of committee this year.
“I have only one word for them and that word is ‘no.’ ” — Senate Taxes Committee chair Ann Rest about fellow DFLers who were proposing tax increases.
“No, I don’t have a different answer.” — Gov. Tim Walz when asked whether he would have responded differently than Rest.
“We have our eyes on that structural imbalance in the tails. I do not foresee making any commitments to spending that we can’t pay for.” — House Speaker Melissa Hortman on requests for new spending during the 2024 session.
“These parents who are exploiting their own children, to me there should be a special punishment for that.” — Rep. Peggy Scott, R-Andover, as she was considering an amendment to specifically address parent-run websites that sexually exploit their children.
“In my time in the Legislature, I haven’t seen a coalition like this.” — House Housing Committee chair Mike Howard, DFL-Richfield, on a bipartisan and multi-organizational proposal to push cities to build more housing, especially affordable housing.
“It shouldn’t be surprising to us that cities are an effective lobbying force, but what did surprise me was how hook-line-and-sinker some of our members took the messaging we heard from cities — much of it sky-is-going-to-fall hyperbole.” — Howard, after the housing bills died.
“You’re brave.” — a light rail operator to Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, after seeing him get off the middle car — sometimes dubbed the party car — on a Green Line trip from the Capitol to Union Depot.
“In-game betting is one of the most problematic for problem gamblers. It can take a single sporting event and turn it into hundreds of betting opportunities.” — Sen. Jordan Rasmusson on his amendment to ban in-game prop bets in a sports betting bill.
“We’re certainly not creating these proposals based solely on the lens of mitigating legal risk. But it is certainly a factor that we consider, because one of the biggest challenges in other states has been the constant parade of legal challenges.” — State cannabis regulator Charlene Briner on law changes designed to head off lawsuits. Nine months later the first license lottery was stopped by … lawsuits.
“It seemed so ridiculous, that you are supposed to go to the Department of Revenue and pay taxes on your illegal drugs. ‘Can you weigh these for me and tell me how much I owe?’ ” — Sen. Clare Oumou Verbeten on her bill to repeal a 1986 law that requires drug dealers to pay taxes. It did not pass.
“If you give a mouse a cookie, Rep. Long, … it’ll be one thing after another after another after another. And then we become California or New York. Members, don’t give the mouse the cookie.” — Rep. Jim Nash, opposing a measure to lift day limits on how long the Legislature can be in session.
“We can just let the bloodbath begin if we want.” — House Taxes Committee Chair Aisha Gomez before a hearing on her bill to restrict the use of sales taxes for local government projects.
“I, for one, am not optimistic about this. We are setting this market up for failure. I guess you can call this prediction time, I don’t think we’re going to have a smooth launch.” — Rep. Nolan West after being the only negative vote on a conference committee report on changes to the recreational cannabis law.
“But just as the rules provide that the minority has a right to be heard, the rules also provide that the majority has a right, and the responsibility, to govern.” — House Speaker Melissa Hortman after abruptly closing debate on the ERA constitutional amendment days before the end of the 2024 session.
“What you just witnessed, what just happened in the House of Representatives in the state of Minnesota, I would have never expected. The minority voice was shut down by the Democratic majority.” — House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth after the DFL passed a 1,400-page omnibus bill one hour after it emerged from committee on the session’s final night.
“We’re a big tent, y’all, and it can get real messy in here.” — DFL Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to the state DFL convention amidst a dispute over the war in Gaza.
“Not that that’s wrong, but you can’t just trust everybody. I wish we could but clearly we can’t.” — State legislative auditor Judy Randall about an audit of state oversight of recipients of public money who were determined to be fraudulent.
“We are not a party that all wears red hats and marches to the same drummer. Knowing the threat of a second Trump presidency far outweighs the discussions we’re having now. At this point in time, if President Biden says he’s going forward, then that’s where I’m at. I’m working with him.” — Gov. Tim Walz about speculation that Biden would defer to Kamala Harris and Walz could be considered as a vice presidential running mate.
“What a great thing that we expunged all of these misdemeanor convictions. Perhaps we shouldn’t have done that before they needed the evidence of convictions to apply for social equity status.” — Cannabis law attorney Jason Tarasek on how trying to help those with convictions ultimately harmed some of them in the license process.
“Why would we say, ‘Well you can’t practice law but you can preside over cases and try cases and decide cases and apply the law even though you can’t practice law?’ ” — Acting Chief Justice Francis Connolly during a hearing on a request by suspended lawyer Michelle MacDonald to be allowed to run for the court.
“When we’re running against the generic Republican, our races are always really close, but there’s no such thing [as a generic Republican]. These guys are weird. Once they start running, their weirdness shows up, and especially with the nominee on the other side. I don’t think it’s that surprising.” — Gov. Tim Walz to Politico in one of the first uses of the phrase that became a campaign meme and boosted his selection by Kamala Harris to run for vice president.
“That’s my dad. That’s my dad.” — Gus Walz reacting during his father’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention.
“I know I piss you off sometimes.” — U.S. Rep. Angie Craig to Minnesota DFL delegates to the Democratic National Convention about the positions and votes she takes to represent her purple district.
“I love you all. I think I should move here.” — GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump speaking at a Trump rally in St. Cloud.
“Apparently, if you’ve got a whole bunch of people that are looking to cause trouble — if you put bubbles out there, it’s really hard to look tough when you’ve got bubbles floating around.” — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey suggesting using bubbles for crime prevention.
“I’ve tried to do the best I can, but I’ve not been perfect, and I’m a knucklehead at times.” — Walz during the vice presidential debate as he struggled to explain why he falsely said he was in China during the Tiananmen Square uprising.
“If it’s above 40 degrees, then you want to get to it relatively quickly to start the processing.” — Art Vinson, a sheriff’s deputy in Douglas County, on the need for speed when trying to take home a deer killed on the highway.
“We see people trying to give these products away or say, buy a shirt and we’ll give you cannabis, or offering a subscription service.” — state cannabis enforcement director Margaret Wiatrowski on work-arounds by hemp retailers selling still-illegal cannabis.
“We’d prefer to have the majority and I think the Republicans would prefer to have the majority. But it is a golden opportunity to show people we can get along.” — DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman after the election turned her four-seat majority into a 67-67 tie.
“Maybe we won’t agree on many issues, hell maybe we won’t agree on any issues but maybe when the campaign signs come down, we all get a little break from the rhetoric, a little break from the TV ads and the fundraising texts — and I’m sorry about those — we’ll be able to look at each other and see not enemies, but neighbors, and be able to set down over a coffee or a Diet Mountain Dew and just talk.” — Gov. Tim Walz shortly after the Harris-Walz ticket lost the presidential election.
“Are you kidding me?” — interim state cannabis czar Charlene Briner after her agency discovered that an out-of-state company had submitted 240 mostly identical applications to enter the social equity lottery, each with a different applicant name at the top.
“I don’t want to sugar coat this. The 648 social equity applicants who qualified and were expecting to participate in the lottery are understandably disappointed.” — OCM interim director Charlene Briner after canceling a social equity lottery due to lawsuits filed by applicants rejected by her office.
“This is not like hair on fire.” — Gov. Tim Walz after seeing a revenue forecast that showed state finances in the black for the upcoming budget period but in the red in the period after that.
“It’s a bit rich to be lectured by a Republican about people’s criminal backgrounds when we have a felon in the White House, who is a serial sexual assaulter and a rapist.” — DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman after a GOP senator said Sen. Nicole Mitchell shouldn’t be allowed in the Senate until a felony burglary charge against her is resolved.
Which led to what is certainly a strong nominee for correction of the year in MinnPost, thanks to internet audio …
Correction: This story has been changed to correct a statement attributed to House Speaker Melissa Hortman. During the panel discussion, Hortman called President-elect Donald Trump a rapist, not a racist, as was first reported.
MinnPost reporters Winter Keefer, Ava Kian and Ana Radelat contributed to this report.
