The Wake

MN State Fair

Yesterday I attended the Minnesota State Fair, the famous annual festival full of deep-fried Twinkies, chocolate-covered bacon, and alligator on a stick, among many other strange foods. It had been ten years since my last visit, and I nearly forgot how Minnesota politicians of all kinds use the Fair to their advantage during election seasons. The first stands I saw on entrance (after buying an $8 ticket from a scalper — the regular price is $11) were for the Minnesota Farmers Union and …

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U.S. Senate candidate Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer

While most Minnesotans have stuck comedian Al Franken in their minds as the next Minnesota DFL Senate candidate, St. Thomas peace studies professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer is still vying for the party’s upcoming June nomination. Despite barely being mentioned in the local media, Nelson-Pallmeyer surpassed Mike Ceresi in the race and is slowly but surely winning over the most liberal sectors of the DFL. After looking into his campaign, I found out that Nelson-Pallmeyer is a more progressive, less elite …

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