Taylor Dahlin and Ethan Knight join this episode for reaction and analysis to the 2026 Minnesota primary. Peggy Flanagan cruise to an easy victory over Angie Craig, and will face NFL sideline reporter/Republican nominee Michele Tafoya in the race for the US Senate. Lisa Demuth defeated the pillow man and will take on Amy Klobuchar for governor. A guy we've never heard of will be this year's dangerous MAGA candidate for attorney general. Cedrick Frazier and Anders Folk will advance to the general election to succeed Mary Moriarty as Hennepin County Attorney. And John has collected a series of personal remembrances for a segment called "Diary of an Election Judge." And so much more.

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Irene Fernando, chair of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, joins me for a blockbuster conversation as we walk around Wirth Lake (using only practical effects, no CGI). We talk about what she's been up to in the 8 years since we last spoke; why she's running for a third (and final) term as a county commissioner; Blue Line vs the bus; the county's progress on street designs; what matriarchal leadership means; why she's earned "jeers" from the Star Tribune for using the title "Dr. Commish"; Hennepin County Sheriff overspending; her criticism of Mayor Frey and MPD over handling of domestic violence cases; why she craves stillness; how as a teenager she used an actual physical book called an "encyclopedia" to research Minnesota weather before moving here; and so much more.

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Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee

Angela Conley, currently running unopposed for a third term on the Hennepin County board, leads me on a walking tour of the Bryant neighborhood of Minneapolis, known to many as the home of George Floyd Square at 38th and Chicago. We talk about local street projects, visit neighborhood landmarks, pause to admire the bees, pet a cat, talk about the county's role in mitigating the devastating effects of federal cuts to healthcare programs, and see how Commissioner Conley reacts at a pedestrian crossing with 5 seconds on the clock. Plus we check out the house that had so many cars crash in their yard that they fortified it with concrete blocks.

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Support the show: https://patreon.com/wedgelive

Wedge LIVE theme song by Anthony Kasper x LaFontsee