Klobuchar and Demuth spar over taxes, costs and regulation at business forum

The forum hosted by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce begins at 9 a.m. Monday in Brainerd.

The candidates for Minnesota governor will meet at a business forum Monday in Brainerd and a televised debate Wednesday in Rochester, with just over two weeks until the election.

Klobuchar as made lowering health care costs a pillar of her campaign, while Demuth has pointed to her record at the Capitol to show how she would address the issue as governor.

The MyPillow founder also announced plans to sue voting machine companies before the election.

MANKATO, Minn. — Mike Lindell, the MyPillow founder and failed GOP gubernatorial candidate, is dropping a legal challenge related to his primary election claims and will back GOP candidate Lisa Demuth for governor of Minnesota. “Everyone’s just got to get out and vote, and we’ve got to vote for Republicans and especially Lisa Demuth,” Lindell told Forum News Service via telephone on Friday.

DOLWD counted 347,000 total nonfarm jobs in September, down from a revised 355,600 in August but 300 more than in September 2025, for a growth rate of 0.1 percent. The increase in September is the first growth since April; jobs totals were flat in May and negative all summer. Growth came from the private sector while the government sector continued to shed jobs. Federal, state, and local employment, which includes public schools, rose in September to 77,900 from a revised 74,600 in August, but that compares to 79,800 a year earlier, a difference of 2.4 percent. Federal employment, which excludes uniformed military, was flat since August but down by 1,300 jobs since September 2025. State and local government employment both rose since August but were down by 400 and 200 jobs, respectively, compared to a year earlier.