Politics Friday: A debate, candidate conversations fill out a two-hour show as election nears

Closing argument time is here for candidates working to lock in Minnesota votes in a year with a lot on the line.

On this Politics Friday special, we’ll host the latest in our series of debates. This one features the contenders for secretary of state. We'll also hear from the candidates running for state auditor — a contest guaranteed to deliver a new officeholder next year.

And in the governor’s race, our “In Your Backyard” series takes a closer look at what influenced the major-party nominees. MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst met with gubernatorial candidates Amy Klobuchar and Lisa Demuth in places that helped shape their lives and political journeys.

Guests:

• Steve Simon is Minnesota Secretary of State and the DFL incumbent running for reelection.
• Tad Jude is the Republican candidate running for Minnesota Secretary of State.
• Amy Klobuchar is a U.S. senator and the DFL nominee for governor.
• Lisa Demuth is the Minnesota Speaker of the House and the Republican nominee for governor.
• Scott Jensen is a former member of the Minnesota Senate and the Republican state auditor candidate.
• Zack Filipovich is an accountant and the DFL state auditor candidate.
• Jay Reeves is an Army veteran and the Forward Independence Party state auditor candidate.
• Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News.
• Peter Cox is a senior politics reporter for MPR News.
• Ellie Roth is a politics reporter for MPR News.

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