Live from the polls in Mankato, Walz’s former hometown

CATHY WURZER: And of course, the polls are open. They close at 8:00 PM tonight on this primary day. We have reporters at polling places across the state as folks cast their ballots. There are several races statewide we're keeping a close eye on.

Hannah Yang is our reporter covering southern and western Minnesota. She's based in Mankato. And she is live from outside of a voting polling place. And what precinct are you in, Hannah? Where are you exactly?

HANNAH YANG: Hey, Cathy. I'm currently standing on east Main Street outside of one of the polling stations for CD1 at the Blue Earth County Library. Yeah, so it's a really sunny day, cars coming in and out of the parking lot earlier this morning. Some parts of the city are busier than others. It's picking up right now. It was way quieter this morning.

CATHY WURZER: So you are in a place, Mankato, where Governor Walz called home for years. He was a former high school teacher there. He represented that area in the 1st Congressional District. How are folks in Mankato reacting to all this attention over the governor now running for vice president?

HANNAH YANG: Since I started talking to voters when the news broke, it's actually a little more mixed with more people I've spoken to. While I encounter people who are excited about Walz possibly becoming VP and seeing Mankato in the headlines, I also met Kate Baumann who is a conservative voter who isn't a fan of him. She voted Republican and supports former President Donald Trump.

I met Baumann at her precinct's polling station on Hope Street earlier this morning. And this is what she had to say about Walz.

KATE BAUMANN: I'm not a fan of Governor Walz, and so for him to be VP-- and I don't know if this offends anybody-- but I don't like the things that he's primarily done with our state. So for to me to see that he might be the vice president if they win is kind of unnerving for me.

HANNAH YANG: I think the sudden interest in Walz and his association with Mankato at the national level is what may or may not amuse some who have known this for a long time. For Baumann, she says, it's the novelty because before Vice President Kamala Harris picked Walz, he wasn't really known beyond Minnesota. Now it seems everyone is trying to figure out everything about him.

KATE BAUMANN: I don't think a lot of people know he's actually from Mankato. I think when she announced him as VP, you would see on TV. And people were like, who's that guy? And until people-- I think it's going to take time for them to realize that this is where he lived and was a teacher at.

CATHY WURZER: So, Hannah, I'm curious, what races are folks-- what are the most closely watched races in your area?

HANNAH YANG: So here in Mankato, Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, voters did elect Tim Walz to Congress six terms before he was elected governor in 2018.

But it often leans more Republican. Incumbent Brad Finstad was overwhelmingly endorsed by the Republican Party to serve another term. He faces Gregory Goetzman and Shawn Tweten for competition on the Republican ticket. There is one DFL endorsed candidate running in this district, Rachel Bohman.

Across the state, we are watching closely if Royce White or Joe Fraser will run against incumbent long term US Senator, Senator Amy Klobuchar in the seventh congressional district, which spans the western half of the state. Incumbent Republican Michelle Fischbach faces a challenge from businessman Steve Boyd, who thinks Fischbach isn't conservative enough.

And in the 5th District, which covers the Twin Cities, DFL Congresswoman Ilhan Omar faces a rematch from former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels. Here's a Linda Zespy from the Linden Hills neighborhood who is supporting Omar.

LINDA ZESPY: She's a voice on the edge. And I think that voice on the edge is actually a valuable, needed voice in the House. I appreciate that. She's a refugee. I appreciate that her background is as a refugee, and she understands that experience. And the voice of someone who's been a refugee represents us well. We have so many people coming over the border. And I feel like there's a lack of voice of what that experience is like.

HANNAH YANG: Omar narrowly won the last primary challenge against Samuels by 2 percentage points. Omar is a member of quote unquote, the squad, which is known as a progressive left wing portion of the party. Jamieson Fish in Linden Hills says he wants someone more in the middle.

JAMIESON FISH: I just think a more moderate position is good on both sides. So I kind of felt wanted to go that way, and more common sense, practical, compromising solutions versus ideology-based politics. Ilhan, kind of just being too left on these issues, kind of-- she's had comments. We got to tear down the whole system, which I don't-- obviously, the system needs changes. But yeah, that's just ideology without any real practical, common sense solutions for it.

CATHY WURZER: All right. So, Hannah, what else do folks need to as we get through the day here?

HANNAH YANG: Well, the polls are open until 8:00 PM. And if you are in line at 8:00, you can still vote. And people can find their polling place and sample ballot on the Secretary of State's website. And Minnesota does allow same-day registration with an ID and proof of address.

CATHY WURZER: All right, Hannah Yang, thank you so much.

HANNAH YANG: No problem, Cathy.

CATHY WURZER: That's Hannah Yang live from the polls in Mankato. So if you have not gone to cast your vote yet, NPR News has an election guide so you can learn more about the candidates seeking your vote. For a fast way to start learning about some of the candidates, we have some quizzes based on the candidates' responses. You can take the quiz, see which candidate aligns with your views.

And the election guide is available in English, Spanish, Hmong, and Somali. You can find all of that at mprnewsq.org/election. By the way, we'll have special coverage. The polls begin closing, of course, as you know, at 8:00 PM. Tom Crann and Brian Bakst will be taking you through the night as the results roll in.