BACK TO YOU, CATHY AND BRIAN.

>> Cathy: ALL RIGHT.

WE'LL KEEP TALKING ABOUT POLITICS.

WE'RE BRINGING BACK ANOTHER MEMBER OF OUR STELLAR POLITICS STAFF HERE AT MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO, THE ONE AND ONLY DANA FERGUSON.

[Cheering] >> YOU GUYS MUST BE SO TIRED.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE AT THE FAIR.

>> OH, 74 DAYS TO GO?

>> Cathy: 74 DAYS.

I THINK YOU'RE COUNTING.

>> AND THE GOVERNOR SAYS WE'LL SLEEP APPARENTLY WHEN WE'RE DEAD SO THAT APPLIES TO POLITICAL REPORTERS.

SO HERE WE ARE.

>> Cathy: A TRUE STATEMENT.

WHAT DID YOU BOTH MAKE OF WHAT WE HEARD AND SAW AT THE DNC THIS WEEK?

>> OBVIOUSLY A MESSAGE OF JOY.

WE HEARD THE WORD JUST REPEATEDLY, OPTIMISM, THE PIVOT THAT CAME TWO, THREE WEEKS AGO NOW AS THE TICKET WAS RESET AND WE HEARD THAT GOVERNOR WALZ IS GOING TO BE THE VICE PRESIDENT'S RUNNING MATE, YOU COULD FEEL A SENSE OF ENTHUSIASM FROM THE FOLKS OUT THERE AT THE DNC, AND TALKING TO FOLKS AROUND THE STATE HERE, THERE IS A RENEWED SENSE OF EXCITEMENT AROUND THE TICKET.

>> YEAH, THAT SENSE OF DESPAIR THAT WAS THERE EARLIER IN THE SUMMER, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE JUNE DEBATE WHERE PRESIDENT BIDEN DIDN'T DO SO WELL AND DEMOCRATS WERE NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS STRETCH RUN.

NOW THERE SEEMS TO BE A LITTLE BIT OF BOUNCE IN THEIR STEP.

>> Cathy: I'M WONDERING ABOUT THE EFFECT OF GOVERNOR WALZ BECAUSE THAT'S WHO WE'RE REALLY FOCUSING ON HERE.

AS REGIONAL REPORTERS.

THE EFFECT OF WALZ ON THIS TICKET.

A LOT HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE TICKET AND ESPECIALLY HIS APPEAL TO ESSENTIALLY WOO VOTERS.

>> SO MUCH TALK ABOUT HIS GUY-NESS AND THE DAD ENERGY OUT THERE, THE MIDWESTERN EVERYMAN THAT PEOPLE WERE DESCRIBING HIM AND HE'S REALLY, REALLY LIENED INTO THAT.

THE SPEECH HE GAVE FROM THE STAGE, IT WAS VERY PLAIN-SPOKEN, JUST MORE ABOUT HIM AND WHAT HE STANDS FOR, WHAT THE COUNTRY -- WHAT HE WANTS THE COUNTRY TO TAKE FROM HIM, SO IT WAS INTERESTING TO WATCH.

>> AND I THINK YOU NOTED EARLIER, JUST THE SENSE OF VIRAL MEMES JUST AROUND HIS COLLOQUIALISMS, THE MOMENTS WITH HIS FAMILY, HIS SON AND DAUGHTER THAT JUST TOOK OFF BECAUSE FOLKS SAW THAT AND FELT THEIR OWN FAMILY OR THEY FELT CONNECTED TO THOSE MOMENTS.

>> THAT IMAGE OF GUS POINTING TO HIS DAD SAYING, "THAT'S MY DAD" ON STAGE, THAT WILL BE ONE OF THE INDELIBLE IMAGES OF THIS CONVENTION.

>> Cathy: OF COURSE, NOW WE'RE REALLY DOWN TO BRASS TACKS HERE AND IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT THE MEDIA HAS DONE TO PICK APART WALZ'S RECORD HERE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

WE'VE DONE A LOT OF REPORTING OBVIOUSLY OVER THE YEARS BUT WHAT HAS STOOD OUT TO YOU, DANA, ABOUT THE STORIES YOU'VE SEEN SO FAR ABOUT WALZ'S RECORD?

>> I WOULD SAY A LOT OF IT AND WE WEREN'T SURPRISED BY IT WHEN THE GOVERNOR WAS SELECTED AS THE V.P.

CANDIDATE.

WE KNEW SORT OF HIS PLAIN-SPOKENNESS, THE WAY HE OCCASIONALLY MISSPEAKS, HAS GAFF MOMENTS WOULD BE SOMETHING THAT POTENTIALLY FOLKS WHO DON'T KNOW THE GOVERNOR ALL THAT WELL MIGHT NOT BE PREPARED FOR SO A LOT OF WHAT WE HEAR FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY NOW IS, OH, WELL, HE DIDN'T SAY THIS CORRECTLY.

HE LIED.

HE MISSTATED HIS RECORD WITH THE ARMY NATIONAL GUARD OR WITH HIS FAMILY'S FERTILITY TREATMENTS.

AND SO THAT'S REALLY WHERE THEY'VE HONED IN AND IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF THEY CONTINUE TAKING THAT TACK OR IF THEY LOOK TO SOME OTHER SORT OF ATTACK ON THE GOVERNOR AND HIS RECORD.

>> THE GOVERNOR HAS BEEN TRAVELING QUITE A BIT BETWEEN NOW AND NOVEMBER, HE HAS THE BIG DEBATE ON OCTOBER 1 WITH J.D.

VANCE, THEY'VE BEEN SPARRING FROM AFAR, SO WHEN THEY GET ON THAT STAGE, YOU CAN WATCH FOR MORE OF THOSE RECORD ASSESSMENTS.

>> Cathy: I WONDER IF WE'LL SEE THE GOVERNOR HERE AT THE STATE FAIR.

HAVE WE HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THAT?

>> THEY'RE STILL KEEPING QUIET ABOUT THAT BUT IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT HE WOULDN'T WANT TO BE HERE.

I KNOW THAT IT IS A PERSONAL FAVORITE OF HIS, HIS FAMILY'S AND THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR'S, TOO, SO HE MIGHT BE A LITTLE INCOGNITO BUT I WOULD THINK HE WANTS TO BE HERE.

>> I WOULD STAND BY THE TURKEY STAND.

HE LOVES THE TURKEY.

[Laughter] >> Cathy: I'M WONDERING ABOUT THE DOWN-BALLOT EFFECT OF WALZ BEING ON THE TICKET?

>> YOU HAVE TIM WALZ ON THE TICKET, AMY KLOBUCHAR ON THE TICKET, DEMOCRATS ARE FEELING MUCH BETTER THAN THEY WERE, AS I SAID, EARLIER IN THE SUMMER.

THERE'S FOUR SEATS THAT REPUBLICANS WOULD HAVE TO FLIP TO GET THE HOUSE.

THAT'S NOT A LOT, AND THERE'S THAT ONE WINNER TAKE ALL SEAT FOR THE STATE SENATE OUT IN THE LAKE MINNETONKA AREA SO WE'RE GOING TO SEE PERHAPS A HUGE REMAKING OF STATE GOVERNMENT NEXT YEAR BECAUSE, IF TIM WALZ WINS, PEGGY FLANAGAN MOVES OUT AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH THE REST OF THOSE SEATS.

>> Cathy: THAT SENATE RACE IS REALLY INTERESTING, CONTROL IF THE SENATE HANGS ON THAT.

>> AND IT'S GOING TO BE A REALLY EXPENSIVE ONE, PERHAPS THE MOST CAMPAIGN SPENDING WE'VE SEEN IN A LEGISLATIVE RACE IN THIS STATE BUT AS YOU NOTED, IT IS EXTREMELY CONSQUENTIAL, DETERMINES CONTROL OF THE SENATE, AND MONEY THAT COMES INTO THAT RACE COULD IMPACT HOUSE RACES IN THE REGION, GO UP AND DOWNSTREAM FOR OTHER RACES, TOO.

>> Cathy: SAY, YOU MENTIONED AMY KLOBUCHAR.

SHE HAS AN OPPONENT.

THE GOP-ENDORSED CANDIDATE IS ROYCE WHITE.

THIS MORNING ON MPR, I WAS TALKING TO 8th DISTRICT CONGRESSMAN PETE STAUBER AND ASKED HIM IF HE SUPPORTS WHITE AND HE SAID HE'S NEVER MET HIM.

SO I'M WONDERING, ARE WE SEEING SOME OF THESE LAWMAKERS, OTHER CANDIDATES TRYING TO PEEL AWAY AND STAY AWAY FROM ROYCE WHITE?

HE'S A VERY CONTROVERSIAL FIGURE.

>> IT SEEMS LIKE THEY MIGHT BE TRYING TO DISTANCE THEMSELVES.

THE CONGRESSMAN SAID, YOU KNOW, HE'S FOCUSED ON HIS LANE, HIS RACE IN THE 8th, AND WE MIGHT SEE THAT FROM OTHER REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES JUST NOT WANTING TO ASSOCIATE WITH HIM AS A CANDIDATE BECAUSE OF SOME OF THE BAGGAGE HE BRINGS TO THAT RACE.

WE WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT SOME OF THE 2022 RAISES AND SOME OF THE TOP TICKET REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES H. >> Cathy: THAT WOULD BE INTERESTING, THAT'S FOR SURE.

YOU DID SUCH A GREAT JOB THIS WEEK, BOTH OF YOU, IT'S BEEN A LONG SIX WEEKS IF YOU THINK ABOUT EVERYTHING THAT'S HAPPENED.

AND SHOUT OUT TO CLAY MASTERS AND MARK WHO DID A LOT OF THE WORK OUT IN CHICAGO.

>> Cathy: THEY'RE COMING HOME RIGHT NOW.