Minnesota Miracle: Democrats Use Supermajority to Pass Abortion, Voting, Labor, Tenant Reforms & More

The Democratic majority in Minnesota's state Legislature, along with Democratic Governor Tim Walz, have enacted sweeping progressive reforms this year, with many praising the ambitious agenda as a Minnesota Miracle." Democrats have successfully codified abortion rights; protections for transgender people; driver's licenses for undocumented residents; new gun control rules; the restoration of voting rights for previously incarcerated people; a $1 billion investment in affordable housing that includes rent assistance; stronger protections for workers seeking to unionize; and paid family, medical and sick leave, among other measures.

Peter Callaghan, a staff writer at MinnPost, says Democrats are using their governing trifecta after years of pent-up demand" from progressives. We also speak with Robin Wonsley, Democratic Socialist city councilmember in Minneapolis, about how Minnesota Governor Tim Walz faced backlash from labor organizers in May after he issued the first veto in his entire tenure blocking a bill that would have granted minimum wage and better worker protections for Uber and Lyft drivers. The veto came just hours after Uber threatened to pull out of Minnesota.