>> CATHY: BETWEEN THE LIKELY FIRST TIE IN THE STATE HOUSE IN NEARLY FIVE DECADES, AND WE JUST TALKED ABOUT THAT, MINNESOTA TRADING A VP PICK FOR A CABINET NOMINATION THIS WEEK, THERE'S PLENTY OF POLITICS FOR OUR PANELISTS TO CHEW ON SO LET'S GET RIGHT TO IT.

DEMOCRATS UP FIRST TONIGHT.

KARLA BIGHAM IS A FORMER STATE SENATOR AND STATE REPRESENTATIVE, CURRENT WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMISSIONER.

ABOU AMARA IS A FORMER LEGISLATIVE STAFFER TURNED ATTORNEY.

REPUBLICANS HERE TONIGHT, ANNETTE MEEKS IS A FORMER CONGRESSIONAL STAFFER AND NOW HEADS THE FREEDOM FOUNDATION OF MINNESOTA.

AND ROUNDING OUT THE GROUP, WE WELCOME BACK FOREMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE PAT GAROFALO WHO RETIRED FROM HIS HOUSE SEAT AT THE END OF THIS YEAR'S SESSION.

I BET YOU'RE EXCITED, AREN'T YOU, THAT YOU RETIRED?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

>> Cathy: YES, THAT'S WHAT I FIGURED AS MUCH.

WELL, TOO BAD YOU'RE NOT THERE FOR THE FUN OF 67-67.

>> YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S INCREDIBLE.

IT REALLY IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING.

>> Eric: HOW'S IT GOING TO WORK?

>> Cathy: HOW WOULD YOU -- YEAH, WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND?

>> SO, I THINK WE GOT -- I HAVE NO INSIDE INFORMATION.

BUT I THINK WE GOT A PRETTY GOOD IDEA WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN AND THAT IS THAT THE THE COMMITTEES WILL BE SPLIT BY EVEN AMOUNTS.

THEY'LL HAVE REPUBLICAN AND DFL CO-CHAIRS.

THEY'LL ADOPT A RULE THAT SAYS THAT, LET'S SAY YOU'VE GOT TEN MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SIX VOTES TO PASS IT, SO IF ONE PERSON IS SICK OR SOMEONE STEPS OUT TO USE THE BATHROOM, YOU CAN'T PASS SOMETHING THROUGH THE COMMITTEE.

THEY'LL SPLIT THAT THROUGH, STAFF WILL BE EVENLY DIVIDED, CONFERENCE COMMITTEES WILL BE FOUR MEMBERS, TWO REPUBLICANS, TWO DFLers.

THE HARD PART IS GOING TO BE WHO GETS TO BE THE SPEAKER.

AND THAT'S THE PART THAT'S GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME BECAUSE, AS EVERYONE KNOWS, THE DFL HAS TOTAL CONTROL OF THE REST OF THE STATE.

AND THIS IS THE ONLY FOOTHOLD REPUBLICANS HAVE.

SO, YOU KNOW -- >> Cathy: YOU WOULDN'T SPLIT THE SPEAKERSHIP?

>> I KNOW THERE'S SOME PROPOSALS TO TRY TO DO THAT, BUT THERE HAS TO BE, AT SOME POINT IN THE PROCESS, A DECIDER.

>> YEAH.

>> AND, SO, YOU'RE -- AGAIN, THAT WILL BE NEGOTIATED BETWEEN REPRESENTATIVE HORTMAN, REPRESENTATIVE DEMUTH, BUT IT'S KIND OF -- IT'S WORKING TOWARDS THAT PATH.

>> I THINK YOU'LL SEE, AND THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME INNOVATIVE OPPORTUNITY HERE FOR LEADERSHIP, BUT I AGREE, I THINK, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF WORK WILL BE DONE IN COMMITTEE BECAUSE -- WHICH, YOU KNOW, IN ALL FAIRNESS, THAT'S WHERE THE WORK SHOULD BE DONE.

AND IT WOULD BE A LOT MORE TRANSPARENT AND I THINK THERE WILL BE A LOT MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR COLLABORATION BECAUSE IT'S GOING TO TAKE THAT.

AND THAT'S WHAT MINNESOTANS EXPECT AND THAT'S WHAT'S GOOD FOR MINNESOTA TO HAVE THE WORK DONE IN COMMITTEE.

AND I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, I MAY BE BIASED, BUT, YOU KNOW, SPEAKER HORTMAN, IN MY OPINION, OF THE 134 MEMBERS IS PROBABLY THE BEST MEMBER THERE WHO HAS THE MOST EXPERIENCE DOING THE JOB, AND I THINK YOU LOOK AT WHAT THE OTHER POWER SHARING LOOKS LIKE FOR LEADER DEMUTH, I THINK THEY GET ALONG VERY WELL, AND I THINK THEY WILL BE ABLE TO WORK REALLY WELL TOGETHER AND COME UP WITH A POWER-SHARING AGREEMENT WHERE THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GET THINGS DONE ON BEHALF OF MINNESOTA BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY EXPECT.

>> Eric: NOW, ABOU, I WONDER IF THE SPENDERS AND THE SOCIAL JUSTICE WARRIORS WILL BE FORCED TO THE SIDELINES, BUT HOW ABOUT SOME GOOD OLD-FASHIONED BIPARTISAN PROPERTY TAX RELIEF?

I THINK THERE'S GOING TO BE A HEADACHE AROUND THE STATE ON THAT.

>> WELL, LOOK, I DO THINK IT'S GOING TO FORCE ALMOST A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE WITHIN THE HOUSE, RIGHT?

THE HOUSE ITSELF IS A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.

AND, SO, YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO HAVE TO NEGOTIATE ON THE FRONT END ON LL KINDS OF THINGS.

WATCH OUT FOR THE RULES COMMITTEE, NOTHING'S -- NOBODY'S TALKING ABOUT IT, IT'S NOT A SEXY COMMITTEE, THAT IS THE COMMITTEE THAT SETS THE FLOOR OPERATIONS AND WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO BE VOTED ON.

IN ADDITION TO SPEAKER, WHICH IS THE MOST IMPORTANT, I THINK THE RULES COMMITTEE IS GOING TO BE ANOTHER REALLY IMPORTANT POWER STRUCTURE FOR ULTIMATELY HOW THIS ENDS UP GETTING DONE.

>> AND I THINK THAT SPEAKER DEMUTH UNDERSTANDS THIS, AND SHE ALSO UNDERSTANDS THAT THERE'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE A SEVERE MANAGEMENT OF EXPECTATIONS.

THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE A SESSION WHERE LOTS AND LOTS OF BILLS ARE GOING TO BE PASSED.

THIS IS OING TO BE A VERY MINIMAL, I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT, IT'S GOING TO BE MORE OF A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE, WORK'S GOING TO BE DONE IN COMMITTEE AND NOT A LOT OF IT.

PASS A BUDGET'S GOING TO BE VERY VERY DIFFICULT.

IF THERE WAS A MESSAGE THAT SENT THE REPUBLICANS TO A NARROW LEAD, ALMOST, IS IT'S REALLY THAT PEOPLE ARE VERY UPSET ABOUT WHAT'S BEEN GOING ON THE LAST TWO YEARS AND THEY WANT TO PUT A BRAKE ON THAT AND THEY DID.

>> Eric: HERE'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW.

THIS WAS TOUTED AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF UR LIFETIME.

AND THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD IS AT STAKE.

AND HERE'S A BILLION DOLLARS FOR GET OUT THE VOTE PROGRAM.

AND TURNOUT WAS LOWER.

>> WHAT?

>> I MEAN, THIS IS THE INCREDIBLE THING THAT HAPPENED IN MINNESOTA, IF YOU LOOK AT THE COMPETITIVE DISTRICTS, YOU HAD VOTERS GOING TO THE POLLS AND THEY VOTED FOR HARRIS, THEY VOTED FOR KLOBUCHAR, DFLers, THEY VOTED DFL FOR CONGRESS, AND WHEN THEY GOT TO STATE REPRESENTATIVE, THEY FLIPPED OVER AND THEY VOTED REPUBLICAN.

THAT IS INCREDIBLE.

THIS IS NOT THE SORT OF THING THAT WE'RE USED TO SEEING HAPPEN.

AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT SORT OF SUPER ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE MACHINE LISA DEMUTH PUT TO WORK, IT'S CLEAR THE REPUBLICANS FOUND SOMETHING.

I'D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT IT IS.

BUT THEY FOUND IT.

THEY CRACKED IT.

AND DFL VOTERS VOTING REPUBLICAN ARE WHAT BROKE THE DFL TRIFECTA.

>> THESE BY AND LARGE, ARE NOT DFL VOTERS, THEY'RE NOT JUST TENS OF THOUSANDS DFL VOTERS VOTING FOR REPUBLICANS IN THE STATE HOUSE, WHAT THEY ARE, I BELIEVE, ARE NEVER TRUMP REPUBLICANS, WHO ARE VOTING FOR KAMALA HARRIS, REJECTING DONALD TRUMP, THEY'RE VOTING FOR AMY KLOBUCHAR BECAUSE HER OPPONENT WAS INSANE, AND THEY SAID THE STATE HOUSE IS THE ONE PLACE WHERE WE CAN ACTUALLY RESTORE SOME LEVEL OF BALANCE.

RIGHT?

AND THAT'S WHERE THEY TARGETED AL ALL THEIR EFFORTS, BOTH ON THE MONEY SIDE AND ON THE VOTE SIDE OF.

>> I THINK YOU'RE A LITTLE OFF, THESE ARE THE VAST MAJORITY OF INDEPENDENT VOTERS THAT AREN'T REPUBLICAN -- >> NEVER TRUMPERS.

>> BUT THEY'RE NOT NEVER TRUMPERS, THEY'RE NOT NEVER KAMALA VOTERS.

THEY RE THE INDEPENDENT VOTERS THAT ARE OUT THERE.

THEY'RE EXHAUSTED, THEY'RE TIRED OF ALL THE FIGHTING, AND THEY JUST WANT SOME PROPERTY TAX RELIEF, THEY WANT SOME TAX RELIEF, FRANKLY, THEY WANT TO STOP THE CRAZINESS THAT THEY SAW HAPPEN FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS IN THE STATE.

>> AND I THINK ABOU AND PAT ARE BOTH RIGHT, THAT IT'S -- BOTH OF THEM ARE RIGHT IN THEIR ANALYSIS ON THAT, AND I THINK THAT'S RIGHT, TOO.

I MEAN, I DO BELIEVE WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT, I THINK PEOPLE ARE EXHAUSTED AND FATIGUED ABOUT OUR POLITICAL CLIMATE.

AND THEY PUT PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA, I'M GOING TO SAY IN MINNESOTA, THAT I THINK THEY JUST WANT RELIEF FROM, I THINK, SOME OF THE RHETORIC AND, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF THE TENOR THAT'S GOING ON IN POLITICS.

BUT I AGREE WITH WHAT THEY SAID.

>> I WOULD HOPE THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE TAKE FROM THIS ELECTION IS THIS, THERE'S BEEN THIS EBATE THAT MAYBE MINNESOTA IS A HARD LEFT FAR LEFT STATE, THAT IT'S AN OREGON STATE OR CALIFORNIA.

IT'S NOT.

THIS STATE IS PRETTY CLOSE TO 50-50.

AND WHOEVER HAS THE LEVERS OF POWER IN THIS STATE NEEDS TO GOVERN WITH ALL MINNESOTANS, NOT JUST A 50% PLUS ONE STRATEGY.

>> PEOPLE EXPECT TO GET THINGS DONE, THE CONTROVERSIAL THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO HAPPEN, THE OBSTRUCTION'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

>> Cathy: WELL, YOU SAY GETTING STUFF DONE, SO, GOVERNOR WALZ, WHEN HE HAD THIS SPEECH LAST WEEK, SAID THAT HE WAS GOING TO GO OUT INTO THE HINTERLANDS AND TALK TO VOTERS WHO DON'T AGREE WITH HIM.

WHICH OTHER PEOPLE WOULD ARGUE, HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING THAT BEFORE.

WHERE IS HE, BY THE WAY?

>> I WOULD HE WAS DOING THAT.

I WOULD ARGUE HE WAS DOING THAT.

I THINK ENDS.

HE'S BEEN GONE FROM MINNESOTA FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, MINNESOTANS AVE BEEN SEEING HIM MORE ON TV THAN ON THE STREET.

WHAT HE'S BEEN DOING, REASSURING MINNESOTANS, YOU KNOW, WHAT I UNDERSTAND I WAS GONE FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, YOU ARE THE PRIORITY, I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU BY CONTINUALLY BEING ON THE GROUND, I WOULD EXPECT DURING THE NEXT MONTHS AND THROUGHOUT SESSION, YOU'RE GOING TO EE HIM EVERYWHERE, ALL ACROSS MINNESOTA.

>> Eric: I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU TWO ON THE ABORTION ISSUE.

SEEMS TO ME IT WAS OVERSOLD BY THE DEMOCRATS AS SOME MAGIC BULLET.

>> I THINK THAT IS WHAT THEY CAMPAIGNED ON.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT, NOT ONE REPUBLICAN INCUMBENT LOST.

AND IF THIS WAS A MANDATE ON ANYTHING, IT WAS TO STOP THE MADNESS THAT'S HAPPENING.

AND IT WAS -- I REALLY BELIEVE THE DEMOCRATS OVERREACHED, THEY SPENT TOO MUCH, THEY GOT TOO INVOLVED IN PEOPLE'S FAMILIES, BUSINESS AND TELLING THEM HOW TO RAISE THEIR CHILDREN, THEY GOT TOO INVOLVED IN MICROMANAGING OUR SCHOOLS OF THE.

AND THIS WAS THE AVERAGE INDEPENDENT VOTER, ESPECIALLY IN THOSE SWING DISTRICTS THAT WE WON, THAT WERE HELD BY DFLers FOR A LONG LONG TIME, SAYING, STOP IT.

>> Eric: WHY WAS ABORTION RELATIVE TO -- >> I'M NOT THE LAWYER ON THIS PANEL, BUT I BELIEVE THE ONE THING TO WATCH OUT FOR IS THE COMSTOCK LAW, AND THERE ARE FEDERAL LAW -- >> Eric: WHICH IS?

>> WHERE IT'S A FEDERAL LAW, HELP ME OUT HERE, ABOU, IT'S A FEDERAL LAW -- >> INTERSTATE COMMERCE DEALING WITH -- >> DEALING WITH MAIL.

WITH MAIL.

>> ESSENTIALLY MAKING SURE THAT DRUGS FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS CAN GET ACROSS STATE LINES.

>> AND BIRTH CONTROL.

>> OVERSIMPLIFYING IT.

>> WHEN YOU CAN LIMIT THAT THROUGH FEDERAL CODE AND THROUGH EXECUTIVE ORDERS, NOW ABORTION IS GOING TO IMPACT EVERY STATE, NO MATTER HOW SAFE WE ARE HERE THROUGH COURT DECISIONS OR THROUGH STATE LAW IN MINNESOTA.

SO, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM IS SAFE IF WE HAVE AN ATTORNEY GENERAL IN A FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THAT IS GOING TO IGNORE THAT.

TO BE DETERMINED.

>> JUST TO PUT A PIN IN THAT POINT, I THINK IT WASN'T ASSAILANT, SO MANY AMERICANS LIVE IN STATES WHERE ABORTION IS PROTECTED.

SO IT WASN'T IMPACTFUL, YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN THE RED STATES, IN A LOT OF THE BLUE AND PURPLE STATES, IT IS PROTECTED.

>> LOOK AT THE POLLING, IT NEVER ROSE ABOVE DOUBLE DIGITS.

NEU.

>> Cathy: CAN I ASK YOU ABOUT MINNESOTA NATIVE PETE HAGSETH, BEING A POTENTIAL -- WELL, TRUMP NOMINEE FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT?

>> I THINK IT'S A GREAT HONOR.

AND I WISH HIM WELL.

IT'S GOING TO BE VERY VERY TOUGH CONFIRMATION PROCESS FOR A LOT OF THESE FOLKS, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT THEY DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT, PETE HAGSETH BEING ONE OF THEM.

SO, GOOD LUCK TO HIM.

AND GODSPEED.

>> Eric: GODPARENTS OF SPORTS GAMBLING, MINNPOST HAD A STORY SAYING IT'S A GO.

>> YEAH, I WOULD SAY IF I WAS A ETTING MAN, AND I WILL REMIND ALL YOUR VIEWERS THAT I AM, IN FACT, A BETTING MAN, I THINK THERE'S A BETTER CHANCE THAN NOT THAT IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.

I THINK THIS IS THE BEST CHANCE OF IT THIS YEAR.

A 67-67 HOUSE GIVES THEM A PERFECT CHANCE TO COLLABORATE, WORK TOGETHER.

ERIC, WILL IT BE THE FIRST THING?

NO.

BUT IS IT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT CAN HAPPEN?

ABSOLUTELY.

THEY HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER, THOUGH.

>> HECK NO, HECK, NO.

>> I'M SORRY.

>> 100% IT'S GOING TO, I THINK IT'S AN ISSUE THAT THEY NEED TO GET DONE WITH.

AND I THINK THAT HOPEFULLY HINDSIGHT IS 20-20 WITH SOME OF THE DEMOCRATS IN THE SENATE.

LET'S GO, LET'S GET IT DONE BE, IT'S SOMETHING YOU CAN AGREE ON, COME ON, LEGISLATURE, LET'S GET IT DONE.

>> Eric: THAT WILL BE A DEBATE THAT WE'LL HAVE YOU BACK.

>> WE'RE NOT GOING TO LET THEM FORGET ABOUT IT, ARE WE, PAT?