The Minnesota Legislature’s 2026 session started with reflection about the deadly shootings that killed state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.

Another lawmaker, state DFL Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, survived a connected shooting at their home. Hoffman was honored in the Senate chamber.

It was the first time the Legislature had been in order since months of traumatic and tragic events left them and the state grieving and challenged to take action.

The session will go fast, with just about three months to squeeze everything in. There will be debates about fraud, immigration, guns, taxes, work requirements for benefit recipients, social media guardrails, data center regulations — just to name a few.

Another thing worth keeping an eye on this year: The tone lawmakers take with each other.

We’ll have a recap of the first week of session and committee hearings. We’ll also hear from Colin Hortman, the son of Melissa and Mark Hortman, about grief and finding ways to honor his parents.

Minnesota lawmakers will face constituent pressure to take action on some potent issues from guns control, immigration, fraud, taxes and more as the convene the 2026 session on Tuesday.

The Capitol also remains deeply split, with legislative seats almost evenly divided between the parties in the House and Senate. Progress will be a challenge in an election year when some key players are looking up the political ladder or worried about the political winds back home.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with the Minnesota’s four caucus leaders about what’s in store for the session and what could get accomplished.

Guests:

• Republican Speaker of the Minnesota House Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring.
• House DFL Caucus Leader Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids.
• DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, of St. Paul.
• Republican Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, of East Grand Forks.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.

Tens of thousands of voters across Minnesota convened at schools, community centers and other gathering places to pick their preferred candidates for governor.

They also vented their concerns on immigration, fraud and other priorities for the state’s major political parties.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst recaps the results from caucus night and where campaign 2026 goes from here.

House Speaker Lisa Demuth finished atop the GOP straw poll and U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar cemented her place as the DFL Party’s frontrunner for governor. Both declined to come on the show, either taped or live, to discuss the results.

But Kendall Qualls, whose second place showing improved on his first run for governor, is a guest. Independent candidate Mike Newcome, who could be a November factor, also joins the show.

Later, political analysis from caucus results and the broader electoral landscape, and we’ll hear from the voters themselves.

Guests:

• Kendall Qualls is an Army veteran, think tank founder and a Republican candidate running for Minnesota’s 2026 governor’s race.
• Mike Newcome is a business owner and a Forward Independence Party candidate for governor.
• Todd Rapp is the president and CEO at Rapp Strategies and a veteran DFL strategist.
• Preya Samsundar is a GOP political analyst and a campaign consultant.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.