Latest news with #JuliaColeman
CBS News
13-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Here's who is considering running for the open U.S. Senate seat in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Multiple people have either tossed their hat into the ring, or confirmed they are at least considering doing so, for the U.S. Senate following Sen. Tina Smith's announcement she will not be running for reelection in 2026. Democrats already faced an uphill battle in trying to regain control of the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority that has enabled them to confirm President Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees. Smith's retirement will deprive Democrats of an incumbent as they try to recruit candidates for races in states that will likely be tougher for them to win. While no Republican has won statewide office in Minnesota since 2006, a couple came close in 2022, and the traditionally Democratic state has become increasingly competitive in recent years. Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan quickly announced plans to run for Smith's seat on Thursday. "I love Minnesota and my intention is to run for United States Senate and continue to serve the people of this state," Flanagan said. Flanagan, the country's highest-ranking Native woman elected to executive office, said on social media she will make a formal announcement later this month. Gov. Tim Walz Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is currently serving his second term in the state's top office, is also considering running for U.S. Senate, according to the Associated Press. Sources close to Walz told AP he has "not ruled out" a run for Senate, but would not pursue a run if Flanagan does a formal bid for Smith's seat. In an interview with WCCO on Sunday, Walz would not confirm plans to run for a third term as governor in 2026, but said he would "be honored to continue to serve." Walz said the decision about his political future will come sometime within in the next year, but for now, he is focused on the current legislative session. He added that his decision depends, in part, on his approval rating, which a recent poll from Morning Consult shows is at 55%. The former vice presidential candidate currently has $1 million in his campaign treasury. Sen. Julia Coleman Republican state Sen. Julia Coleman told WCCO she is considering running for the seat. "Right now I'm focused on undoing the immense damage Democrats inflicted on this state, but I am absolutely considering it and talking it over with family, friends and Minnesotans at this time," Julia Coleman said. Julia Coleman is the daughter-in-law of former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, who served from 2003 to 2009 as a Republican until he lost his seat to Al Franken, whose seat Smith replaced in 2018 following allegations of sexual harassment. Rep. Ilhan Omar Rep. Ilhan Omar's office confirmed the Minnesota Democrat is also considering running for the open seat. "Congresswoman Omar will be talking with Minnesotans about the future of the Senate seat and the DFL party in Minnesota," Connor J. McNutt, a spokesperson for Omar, said. Royce White Royce White, who lost to U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar in 2024, had already said he would challenge Smith in 2026 as a Republican, and he affirmed on Thursday that he's still running in a post on X that included a photo of him with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who's now Trump's health secretary. "The People Are Coming and we get the government we deserve," he tweeted. Will Al Franken run for his old seat? A year after Smith took over Franken's seat in 2018, Franken told The New Yorker that he "absolutely" regretted resigning from the Senate without an ethics investigation. "I wanted due process, but I had 36 colleagues and a majority leader who wouldn't give it to me, so it was impossible," Franken said. "But you do have some regrets. It was a very weird, tough situation at that moment. I love the Senate. I love the work that I did." In 2021, Franken said in an interview published by the Massachusetts-based newspaper The Republican he was "keeping his options open." That same year, Franken told CBS Mornings he was not giving active thought to returning to politics, but that he was "open to it." Franken did not announce plans to run for his former Senate seat on Thursday but thanked Smith for her work. "She's worked hard to make their lives better at every step of her career and has admirably served them in the U.S. Senate," Franken said. "As DFLers, we are lucky to have a deep bench of people who are guided by Paul Wellstone's words: we all do better when we all do better. I look forward to supporting the candidate we nominate to work on behalf of Minnesotans in Washington."
CBS News
06-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Legislation in Minnesota Senate would require quick notice to parents of any fights, bullying at schools
ST. PAUL, Minn. — School safety was in the spotlight in a Minnesota Senate education committee on Wednesday as lawmakers discussed plans to increase the speed and frequency of parental notification of any incident that happens in classrooms or on campus. A trio of Republican-backed bills got a hearing, including two that aim to increase transparency between school leaders. One proposal would require 24-hour notification of any violence, harassment or bullying to both the parents of the student harmed and the student who instigated it. Another would flag violent incidents or if there were weapons on school grounds to any parent or guardian who signs up for such messages—regardless if their child or classmates are involved. And it would protect teachers and school staff from retaliation if they report it. "Speaking as a mother to the transparency part – whether there is a fight at school and it happened with 8th graders or there was a gun in school and it wasn't their classroom, I want to know," said Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia, who sponsored one of the bills. "And every parent should have the right to know." The hearing came just a week after a violent attack at a high school basketball game in New Hope, which led to five teens facing assault charges. Video of the fight circulated online. Bob Driver, executive director of the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals, worried that the 24-hour mandatory reporting window might be too stringent, since some incidents require more investigation, especially if they involve threats online. Usually disputes can be resolved by end of day, but not all of the time. "There are situations that require more time to ensure the investigation is accurate," he said. A separate proposal requiring school staff to report violent fights to police got the most pushback. Supporters said the goal is to ensure there are consequences for unlawful assaults, not lock-up children. But detractors argued it would cause more harm than good. "School is where kids learn to grow up. Not suffer adult consequences for having non-formed frontal lobes," said Sen. Erin May Quade, DFL-Apple Valley. Some testifiers during Wednesday's shared concerns about the rising number of fights and threats of violence. Allison Gans, a second grade teacher in Hibbing, said in the preschool and elementary school-level, the district is encountering more verbal and physically violent outbursts from students, like destroying items in the hallways, throwing books and pencils in the classroom or screaming in class, creating distractions. Current law limits the district's ability to enforce consequences, she told the committee. "Our children deserve to be in schools where they feel safe and have the opportunity to learn and our teachers deserve to be in an environment where they feel safe as well and this isn't happening right now," she said. Wright County Sheriff Sean Deringer, who is president of the sheriff's association, testified in November they investigated a threat at a middle school in which kids sent texts to classmates saying there would be a school shooting the next day. "It turns out the threat was not serious, but we did find an available firearm uncased and accessible by that student," he said. All bills were tabled for future consideration in a larger education package at the end of the session. That's when lawmakers will put the final touches on the next two-year budget, which must pass to avert a government shutdown.
CBS News
05-02-2025
- Business
- CBS News
School supplies would be exempt from sales tax under Minnesota Senate proposal
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota families could see a tax break when their kids go back to school under a proposal up for consideration in the state Senate. The legislation, pitched by Republican Sen. Julia Coleman of Waconia, would exempt school supplies like notebooks, pencils, pens, backpacks, calculators and more from sales tax, joining clothes, groceries and pharmaceutical drugs that don't face the surcharge. Coleman told the Senate Taxes Committee Wednesday that parents can spend on average $300 per child for what they need for the classroom. With a state sales tax rate of 6.875%, an exemption would mean more than $20 in savings on that purchase. There are also local sales taxes in parts of Minnesota in places like Minneapolis and St. Paul, bringing the total closer to 10%. "I quick did the math in my head with my boys heading into kindergarten, and families that look like mine, we're looking at almost $1,000 a year on school supplies," she said. "So I think this is one small way the state can try to help out parents with these costs." She added that she's working on an amendment that would make clear that businesses buying similar supplies for the offices would not be covered by this sales tax carveout. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in a larger tax package at the end of the session. Corey Gordon, CEO of the Kids in Need Foundation, a national organization in Roseville, said it provides up to $75 million in free school supplies across the U.S. for children in underserved communities. Gordon endorsed the bill and said surveys show there is a 99% improvement in class participation when kids have what they need to learn. In the schools the foundation supports, two in three students show up on the first day with no supplies at all. Baby products like diapers, breast pumps and pacifiers are also exempt from sales taxes. Another bill from Coleman would've expanded it to include cribs and strollers, but that didn't clear the finish line two years ago. She intends to introduce the measure again.
