[ Applause ] ♪♪ >> ERIC: HERE WITH MORE ON THE GOVERNOR'S STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS AND THE STATE OF THE LEGISLATURE AS THEY HEAD INTO THE FINAL FEW WEEKS BEFORE ADJOURNMENT, MARY LAHAMMER HAS RUN UP HERE FROM THE AUDIENCE AND JOINS US ON THE COUCH.

HERE TOO, CATHARINE RICHERT, MPR NEWS REPORTER BASED HERE IN ROCHESTER.

MARY, THE GOVERNOR'S GOT SOME OPTIONS ABOUT HIS POLITICAL FUTURE.

ONE HAND, HE SAID IN HIS SPEECH, I LOVE MY JOB.

THE OTHER PART OF THE SPEECH, HE SAID THAT I NEED TO BE AVAILABLE TO REBUILD THE GOVERNMENT WHEN TRUMP IS GONE.

>> Mary: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

>> Eric: THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

>> Mary: YES.

>> Eric: WHAT ARE WE TO READ ABOUT THIS?

>> Mary: I THINK WE READ THAT HE'S RUNNING FOR OVERNOR AGAIN AND PERHAPS PRESIDENT.

HE DID MENTION THE PRESIDENT, ALTHOUGH NEVER BY NAME, I DID NOTE THAT, HE NEVER SAID THE PRESIDENT'S NAME, BUT HE REFERENCED THE PRESIDENT A DOZEN TIMES IN HIS STATE OF THE STATE.

THE JOKE AROUND THE CAPITOL IS THAT MAYBE IT WAS A LITTLE MORE STATE OF THE UNION THAN THE STATE OF THE STATE.

HE'S DEFINITELY WITH HIS NATIONAL TRAVEL, KIND OF FILLING A VOID SINCE, YOU KNOW, KAMALA HARRIS IS NOT OUT THERE AFTERWARDS.

THERE'S SOME OTHER PEOPLE ON THE NATIONAL SPEAKING CIRCUIT, BUT HE SPENT THREE DAYS IN SWING STATE OHIO RECENTLY.

HE'S GOING TO BE DOING AN INTERNATIONAL TRIP TO CANADA.

THIS SOUNDS LIKE SOME THINGS MIGHT BE AHEAD, YEAH.

>> Cathy: SO NOW, -- BY THE WAY, STATE OF THE STATE AS A LITTLE LATE IN THE SESSION, USUALLY IT'S EARLIER.

SO NOW WE'RE HEADING INTO, IT'S LESS THAN A MONTH THAT WE HAVE SESSION, AND I'M WONDERING, BECAUSE YOU ARE SO GOOD WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR "TALKING SENSE" SERIES, HOW PEOPLE HAVE TOUGH POLITICAL CONVERSATIONS, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT IN THE WAY OF BIPARTISANSHIP, PERHAPS, BETWEEN NOW AND THE END OF SESSION?

>> GIVEN OW THE SESSION STARTED, I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN A NOTABLE LEVEL OF BIPARTISAN BILLS THAT ARE MAKING IT PAST COMMITTEE AND MOVING FORWARD.

BUT IT'S ALMOST LIKE FORCED MINNESOTA NICE BECAUSE THE CHAMBERS ARE SO CLOSELY -- ESPECIALLY IN THE HOUSE, RIGHT, BY NATURE, THOSE BILLS THAT ARE MOVING FORWARD HAVE TO BE BIPARTISAN.

SO WE'LL SEE HOW THAT CONTINUES TO PLAY OUT IN THESE FINAL DAYS.

WHEN THE BUDGET PROCESS IS, YOU KNOW, GOING HROUGH AND WHETHER BIPARTISANSHIP CAN REALLY SHINE THEN.

>> Eric: WHEN YOU DID YOUR REPORTING, TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TOGETHER ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF STUFF, NOT BE SO ANGRY ABOUT IT, WHAT'S THE MOOD OUT THERE OF THE VOTERS THAT YOU TALKED TO?

>> OH, GOSH, YOU KNOW, SO A YEAR AGO, I WOULD HAVE SAID THAT EVERYONE I WAS TALKING TO FELT GENUINELY FED UP WITH THE POLITICAL POLARIZATION AND THEIR FAMILIES AND THEIR COMMUNITIES.

AND REALLY WANTED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES THERE.

I THINK SINCE THE ELECTION, THOUGH, I'VE SEEN PEOPLE RETREAT A LITTLE BIT.

IT'S BEEN HARDER -- PARTLY BECAUSE I THINK THE NEWS IS COMING SO FAST AND FURIOUS, IT'S ALMOST HARD TO KEEP UP SOMETIMES.

>> AND I THINK, WHILE MINNESOTA VOTERS, WE DIDN'T LEAD THE NATION, YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE BAD NEWS THAT WE FINISHED SECOND.

>> Eric: JUST BY A WHISPER.

>> Mary: BUT WE DID LEAD THE NATION IN HE YOUTH VOTER TURNOUT SO, WE CAN STILL BRAG ABOUT THAT.

BUT WE ARE HIGHLY ENGAGED POPULACE.

MINNESOTA ALWAYS DESERVES CREDIT FOR THAT.

AND I THINK MINNESOTA VOTERS ARE STILL PRETTY ENGAGED BECAUSE HISTORY'S HAPPENING.

NEVER BEFORE IN THE ENTIRE STATE HISTORY HAVE WE HAD A TIED HOUSE AND A IED SENATE IN THE SAME SESSION, NOT AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME, AND ITCHING WE'VE ONLY HAD TWO HOURS OF A FULL COMPLEMENT OF 201 LAWMAKERS BETWEEN A SPECIAL ELECTION AND AN ARREST OF A CERTAIN SENATOR SOMEWHERE.

SO IT'S BEEN A HIGHLY UNUSUAL SESSION.

AND THE BIPARTISANSHIP, AS CAT MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THESE CO-CHAIRS, AND WE'RE SEEING THE PROOF OF IT, WE'RE ALREADY SEEING A COUPLE OF BUDGET BILLS, OMNIBUS BILLS COME THROUGH, SOME OF THE EASY STUFF THEY ALL AGREE ON, VETERANS, AGRICULTURE.

BUT THE AGRICULTURE BILL THAT WENT THROUGH TODAY DOES SHORE UP SOME OF THE CUTS THAT HAVE COME FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, MINNESOTA FARMERS LOST DIRECT PAYMENTS FOR THIS FARM TO SCHOOL, THIS FARM TO TABLE CONCEPT.

THE STATE IS ALREADY FILLING SOME OF THAT.

SO THEY HAVE TO REACT TO WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S DOING.

>> Cathy: SAY, WHEN YOU TALK TO PEOPLE DOWN HERE, CAT, IN SOUTHEASTERN MINNESOTA, ARE THEY PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN St. PAUL?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I WAS AT A ROCHESTER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE LUNCH LAST WEEK, AND THE THING THAT EVERYONE WAS TALKING ABOUT WAS PAID FAMILY MEDICAL LEAVE, WHICH SEEMS LIKE ONE AREA WHERE WE CAN SEE MAYBE SOME FIREWORKS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE DEMOCRATS REALLY CONSIDER THAT TO E A FEATHER IN THEIR CAP, REPUBLICANS DO WANT TO MAKE SOME CHANGES TO THAT AS IT ROLLS OUT.

IN A COMMUNITY THAT IS VERY MUCH DRIVEN BY BUSINESS, THAT'S A BIG DEAL HERE.

THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK PEOPLE ARE REALLY PAYING ATTENTION TO ARE TARIFFS AND THE ECONOMIC CHANGES THAT ARE HAPPENING ON THE NATIONAL AND GLOBAL SCALE, ALL OF YOU KNOW, ALL THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S GOING ON OUT HERE RIGHT NOW, BIG DEVELOPMENT WITH DESTINATION MEDICAL CENTER AND, OF COURSE, MAYO'S $5 BILLION EXPANSION, WE'LL SEE IF THE TARIFFS AND SOME OF THAT ECONOMIC UPHEAVAL ACTUALLY AFFECTS THE SCALE AND THE SPEED OF THAT DEVELOPMENT GOING FORWARD.

>> Cathy: MARY, I'M CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, SOME OF OUR POLITICAL PANELISTS ARE PRETTY SKEPTICAL THAT THE SESSION WILL FINISH ON TIME.

THAT A UDGET BILL CAN BE REACHED, RIGHT?

AND I'M WONDERING, DO YOU THINK THEY'RE GOING TO GO INTO OVERTIME OR WILL THEY FINISH ON TIME?

>> WELL, I'M A STUDENT OF HISTORY, MY PARENTS WILL BE HAPPY THAT I REFERENCED MY HISTORY MINOR, WE LOVE HISTORY, AND IF THAT'S ANY GUIDE, WHICH I THINK IT'S A DECENT GUIDE, IN DIVIDED GOVERNMENT IN BUDGET YEARS, WE GO INTO SPECIAL SESSION NEARLY EVERY TIME.

SO, IT'S VERY LIKELY, AND IT MAKES IT EVEN MORE LIKELY WITH THE UNKNOWN OF THE FEDERAL CUTS ECAUSE SOME OF THESE THINGS BLINK ON, BLINK OFF, THE TARIFFS BLINK ON, BLINK OFF.

IT'S VERY HARD FOR THE STATE TO BALANCE ITS BUDGET.

AND THAT WAS PART OF THE GOVERNOR'S POINT BY BRINGING UP THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SO MUCH IN HIS STATE OF THE STATE ADDRESS, BUT MAYBE SOME OTHER MOTIVES.

>> Cathy: YOU KNOW, FINAL QUESTION HERE TO CAT RICHERT, BECAUSE YOU DID SO MUCH WORK ON "TALKING SENSE" AT MPR, WHAT COULD LAWMAKERS LEARN FROM THE FOLKS THAT YOU'VE TALKED TO OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS ABOUT HOW TO HAVE TOUGH POLITICAL QUESTIONS?

>> ASK BETTER QUESTIONS OF THEM.

REALLY GET TO KNOW THEM.

BE CURIOUS.

PIGEON HOLE PEOPLE OR SILO'T- PEOPLE INTO WHAT YOU THINK THEY MIGHT BELIEVE JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY THAT THEY VOTE.