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Sanford Health, Twin Cities-based North Memorial Health agree to merge
Sanford Health has reached an agreement to merge with Minnesota-based North Memorial Health, marking a new move into the Twin Cities market for the Sioux Falls-based health system.
Sanford Health merging with North Memorial as hospital deals keep coming
South Dakota-based health system would finally break into the Twin Cities market, more than a decade after it first proposed a merger with a health system in Minnesota.
Tim Walz Minnesota forcing teachers to abide by ‘horribly disgusting,’ ‘crazy’ race standard, says lawmaker
Minnesota public school teachers must assess how their biases perpetuate oppression under state licensing standards tied to Gov. Tim Walz's tenure.
University of Minnesota breaks ground on new Community-University Health Care Center
Twice the size of the current clinic, the new, state-of-the-art building will expand patient access, enhance care delivery and strengthen the University's health professional training programs.
Minnesota Wild Support Mental Health Awareness Month at Playoff Home Games
Minnesota Wild Support Mental Health Awareness Month at Playoff Home Games The Minnesota Wild will host a monetary drive during Home Playoff Games 3 and 4 of the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs at Grand Casino Arena in support of Sophie’s Squad. As the nation recognizes Mental Health Awareness Month, the Wild are proud to spotlight this meaningful partnership and help advance [...]
The Vikings Have a Couple of ‘Sleepers’ on the Roster
The Minnesota Vikings’ offense was not a juggernaut — by any stretch of the imagination — in 2025, so fantasy […]
Minnesota Clean Energy Business Day | U.S. Green Building Council
The tenth annual Minnesota Clean Energy Business Day was held on April 21.
Lunchbreak: ‘Sports Illustrated’ Predicts Best Year 1 Players for All 32 Teams
Minnesota Vikings Latest News
MNUFC, Minnesota Amputee FC, American Amputee Soccer Association Host Inaugural Soccer Clinic at the National Sports Center
Three amputee soccer clinics to be hosted at NSC in 2026
Wembanyama, Spurs take out frustration on Timberwolves to even semifinal series
San Antonio handed Minnesota its largest postseason loss in franchise history.
Randy Moss Has Some Thoughts on Kyler Murray
Hall of Famer Randy Moss stays up to speed on all things Minnesota Vikings, the team that drafted him in […]
Children’s Minnesota resists federal subpoena for private health records of patients
The Minneapolis-based provider accuses Trump administration of overreach in its campaign to eliminate pediatric transgender medical care.
Busting five myths about mental health with University of Minnesota experts
University of Minnesota experts are setting the record straight with evidence-based research, new treatments and workforce innovations that are changing how mental health conditions are understood and treated.
Opinion | New bill would give Minnesota small businesses $100M after ICE surge
ICE actions have resulted in at least $600 million in lost revenue in Minneapolis-St. Paul alone and an estimated $240 million in wages, business leaders write.
GAME BLOG: Minnesota Wild V. Colorado Avalanche, Game 2
Welcome to our live thread for Game 2 of the Second Round Stanley Cup Playoff matchup between the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche
Vikings Linked to Veteran CB in Free Agency
Last year, when the Minnesota Vikings needed summer cornerback depth, some argued that the club should sign veteran Rasul Douglas. […]
From The Sports Desk: Ant-Man’s return
Back from injury, Anthony Edwards led the Minnesota Timberwolves to an upset win over the San Antonio Spurs to start Round 2 of the NBA playoffs.
What did Anthony Edwards loudly direct toward the Spurs bench
Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, who was listed as week-to-week after a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise, shocked everyone by returning in just nine days.
How a Minnesota landscaping business is navigating rising gas prices
More Minnesota farmers seeking help to navigate mental health challenges
Minnesota Twins' Byron Buxton Wins AL Player of the Week
Twins star Byron Buxton received an honor for his impressive week.
Where to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 1 NBA playoffs: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Monday, May 4
The Timberwolves and Spurs open their second-round series in the NBA playoffs.
AP, Washington Post, Reuters and Minnesota Star Tribune among Pulitzer winners for 2025 work
The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for scrutinizing the Trump administration’s sweeping, choppy cuts and changes to federal agencies. The Associated Press won the 2026 Pulitzer
Wembanyama, Gobert set to match wits as Spurs, Timberwolves meet
Minnesota is trying to reach the Western Conference finals for the third consecutive season, while San Antonio is bidding for its first trip there since 2017.
Anthony Edwards injury: Timberwolves give new update on status
Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards missed the final two games of the team's first-round series against the Denver Nuggets.
An asburd amount of goals, plus 3 Game 7s
The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Make a hard decision today. Coming up: 😮💨 15 goals 😵💫 Three Game 7s 💔 Time to trade a star? Normally, we would lead this newsletter with the three Game 7s that happened across both the NBA and NHL yesterday. But we cannot ignore the the goalfest that happened in Colorado last night: The Avalanche, the Stanley Cup favorite, allowed six goals to the visiting Minnesota Wild in their opening game of the second round...
MinnPost analysis: How Minnesota’s remarkable response to Operation Metro Surge changed politics
The pushback to Operation Metro Surge impacted policy and congressional politics, it’s also redefined how Americans relate to immigrants.
Ducks bring speed to challenge the playoff-tested Golden Knights
If the first round of the NHL playoffs played out almost exactly like the opening series a year ago when the Golden Knights eliminated Minnesota in six games, their next opponent is a striking reminder to the one they just vanquished. The Golden Knights again are the more playoff-seasoned team, but the Anaheim Ducks counter with a faster team interested in more of a track meet when their best-of-seven series opens Monday night in Vegas. Much like the Utah Mammoth, a team Vegas eliminated in six games on Friday night.
Opinion | Academic research in science is complicated
Complicated enough for a thoughtfully appointed National Science Board. Which, suddenly, we no longer have, writes a University of Minnesota professor emeritus.
NBA conference semis: Thunder-Lakers, Spurs-Wolves, Knicks-76ers
How they got here: San Antonio beat No. Portland 4-1, Minnesota beat No. Denver 4-2.
Burcum: The race to rescue HCMC
The fight to save Minnesota’s most essential hospital is urgent, unfinished, and only going to get harder, columnist Jill Burcum writes.
Toronto Blue Jays Dodge Bullet With Latest Injury Concern
Blue Jays slugger George Springer has avoided another serious injury after an early exit from a game against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday
Edwards' Health, Dosunmu's Status, TSJ's Breakout Top 3 Questions For Spurs-Wolves
Does Minnesota have enough to knock off San Antonio?
‘Don’t Minnesota’ my state: Land of 10,000 Lakes becomes a political punching bag
After a tumultuous political year, a higher profile for Gov. Tim Walz and problems with fraud in state programs, Minnesota popping up as a talking point elections far beyond its borders.
This May Day, even organizers are cautious, but hopeful
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, says that the pro-democracy movement needs disruption as big as Minnesota's protests at the scale of No Kings.
Youth Voices for Change: YWI Cabinet’s Agenda for Health Equity – Women's Foundation of Minnesota
WFM’s investment in building power and leadership with young people shows in the Young Women’s Initiative’s Statewide and Mankato Cabinets.
Politics Friday: Taking stock of Minnesota's session, campaign as May decision points near
May will be a critical month for state lawmakers and for candidates for a range of Minnesota elective offices. The end of the legislative session and the state party endorsing conventions are closing in. Friday at noon, we’ll check in on both.
Vikings Seemingly Have a Shadow GM
Since January, the Minnesota Vikings have lacked a clear leader in the building. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired after four […]
Wild beat Stars 5-2 for first playoff series win in 11 years
Minnesota outscored Dallas 17-5 at even strength in the series, including 12-4 at 5-on-5.
MN governor race to replace Walz sees major shakeup as GOP contender ends campaign: 'Don't see a path'
Minnesota Republican Kristin Robbins drops out of the governor's race, saying the math changed after Sen. Amy Klobuchar became the Democratic pick.
Timberwolves eliminate Jokic's Nuggets from NBA playoffs
The Minnesota Timberwolves knocked Nikola Jokic's Denver Nuggets out of the NBA playoffs with a 110-98 win Thursday to claim their first-round series 4-2.Sixth-seeded Minnesota will play the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference semi-finals after completing an upset defeat of third-seeded Denver, who won the 2023 NBA championship.
Minnesota sports fans descend on Twin Cities to watch Wolves, Wild playoffs
Ayo Dosunmu out for Game 6 in latest blow for Timberwolves, Aaron Gordon sidelined again for Nuggets
The Minnesota Timberwolves' injury situation has somehow gotten worse.
Which Minnesota schools are best for athletes? According to one study, these are the top 25
According to one study, these 25 schools are considered the best for athletes in the state of Minnesota in 2026.
Owner of autism center raided by feds tied to another business billing Minnesota Medicaid
Federal raids at autism centers in Minnesota reveal multiple Medicaid-billing businesses under shared ownership, a pattern first exposed by 5 INVESTIGATES.
Minnesota Senate approves funding to rescue Hennepin Healthcare from closure
Tech industry sues to stop Minnesota’s social media health warning law
A tech industry group is suing the state to block a law that requires social media platforms to show users health warnings.
Minnesota among top health systems, yet racial gaps remain stark
Racial disparities in the U.S. healthcare system are among the most persistent and well-documented issues.
'Lifestyle analysis' found Moorhead business owner hid income while collecting SNAP
A Minnesota business owner is facing several felony charges after investigators say she filed false tax returns while fraudulently receiving SNAP benefits.
USA Powerlifting settles trans athlete discrimination case but says Minnesota is 'out of step' with science
USA Powerlifting reaches settlement with trans athlete JayCee Cooper but says it still strongly supports sex-based categories in strength sports.
Federal law enforcement conducts raids on businesses in Minnesota fraud investigation
Federal officials are executing search warrants in the Minneapolis area tied to a fraud investigation, the Department of Homeland Security and a Justice Department spokesperson said Tuesday morning.
Where to watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets Game 5 NBA playoffs: Live stream, start time, TV channel, odds for Monday, April 27
The Nuggets will try to keep their season alive in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series against the Timberwolves.
Minnesota legislators retiring: Political violence drives lawmakers from office
A recent shooting at the same hotel as the White House Correspondents Dinner is hitting home for Minnesota lawmakers, many of whom are still reeling from targeted violence just ten months ago.
Monday Motivation: Minnesota mothers become successful business owners
White House Correspondents’ Dinner shooting: Minnesota leaders condemn political violence
Shots were fired outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington D.C. Saturday. Minnesota elected officials on both sides of the aisle condemning acts of political violence and thanking law enforcement.
Yandy Diaz homers and Rays beat Twins 4-2
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Yandy Diaz homered as part of a four-run third inning and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Minnesota Twins 4-2 on Sunday to complete a three-game series sweep.
2026 NFL Draft: Minnesota Vikings Draft Grade Roundup
What do the Really Smart Football People™ think?
Nuggets vs. Timberwolves odds, prediction, time: 2026 NBA playoff picks, April 25 best bets by proven model
SportsLine's proven model has revealed its Denver Nuggets vs. Minnesota Timberwolves best bets for the 2026 NBA playoffs
Opinion | This Minnesota bill would crack down on outrageous resale ticket prices
"There’s nothing free about a market where tickets listed don’t even exist, consumers don’t have a shot at tickets on on sale because they’re scooped up by algorithms, and prices are driven up by bots," Dayna Frank writes.
2026 NBA Playoffs: Denver Nuggets at Minnesota Timberwolves Game 4 best bet
The Timberwolves host the Nuggets in Game 4 Saturday as slight underdogs despite holding a 2-1 series lead with Denver's Aaron Gordon questionable.
Minnesota bill aims to capture lost $430M in major sporting events revenue
Minnesota is looking to boost its chances of landing more big-name sporting events with a new plan at the Capitol.
Minnesota startup changes direction to save business, help nursing moms
Minnesota Cup winner Momease will launch PetalSoft, a product to make using a breast pump more comfortable.
Politics Friday: Will Michele Tafoya's public profile transfer to politics?
It has been 20 years since Republicans last won a statewide race in Minnesota. Friday at noon, former sports broadcaster Michele Tafoya makes her case for why she can prevail in the U.S. Senate race.
Minnesota’s largest indoor ice rink is in desperate need of repair
The NSC Super Rink is where the U.S. women’s Olympic roster, Bethel University and a handful of local high school and youth hockey teams skate.
Nuggets-Timberwolves takeaways: Jaden McDaniels backs up his talk, as Minnesota dominates Game 3 with defense
Former councilman rallies against bill defunding sports complex
In a letter to the Minnesota House and Senate Taxes Committees, Bransford argues the state should not interfere with the result of a 2023 ballot measure, which approved a sales tax extension to raise $65 million for indoor and outdoor sports facilities.
‘FBoy Island’ star’s bet on his own Senate bid exposes perils of Kalshi
A former reality TV contestant turned candidate in Virginia and two U.S. House hopefuls in Texas and Minnesota have been banned from the prediction market for five years.
Kalshi Bans And Fines Three Politicians For Placing Bets On Their Own Races
The prediction market issued fines and five-year bans for political candidates in Minnesota, Virginia and Texas.
MN lawmaker takes action to get answers on Omar's alleged fraud ties after she skips key hearing: 'Ghosted us'
Rep. Ilhan Omar faces scrutiny after skipping a Minnesota hearing on her potential links to the massive Feeding Our Future pandemic fraud probe.
Three University of Minnesota professors elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The prestigious honor recognizes scholars for advancing their fields and serving the public good.
Senate takes key step toward funding ICE and border patrol with only GOP votes
With Congress still at a stalemate over how to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, Senate Republicans took a key step to tee up a party-line measure funding the most controversial immigration programs — and eventually reopen the government completely.
Tensions rise between Nuggets, Timberwolves ahead of Game 3
The war of words is picking up between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.
Kalshi Bans And Fines Three Politicians For Placing Bets On Their Own Races
The prediction market issued fines and five-year bans for political candidates in Minnesota, Virginia and Texas.
Kalshi suspends 3 political candidates for betting on own races
Kalshi has suspended three political candidates for betting on their own races, the prediction market platform announced Wednesday. Minnesota congressional candidate and state Sen. Matt Klein (D) a…
Defensive line rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft
Our final defensive line rankings our live and they are headlined by Rueben Bain Jr.
Minnesota educators fight for a way to lower skyrocketing health insurance costs
As health insurance premiums continue to rise, Minnesota school districts – especially small, rural ones – struggle to find good, affordable health care coverage for their staff. Minnesota educators across the state want to be able to band together for better coverage and bargaining power in the marketplace.
Walz: ‘Next Democratic president better figure out a way to get universal health care’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) advised the next Democratic president to focus on passing universal healthcare, a policy measure that has been hotly debated within the party in recent years. “We have t…
From The Sports Desk: Now we’re even
The lower-seeded Atlanta Hawks and Minnesota Timberwolves had comeback wins yesterday, to pull even in their respective playoff series.
Shaky political science: using "simulated" elections over real-world elections
[Dear DSOS readers – this article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in early December, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting. We found that many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data, and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first three articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report, the second one analyzing a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report, and a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research]. In this fourth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we shine a spotlight on seven studies that were web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group (the ERRG is an ad hoc committee headed by New America’s Political Reform Program and joined by the American Enterprise Institute, the Unite America Institute and Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law). This research consortium has been led by Lee Drutman, senior fellow with New America’s Political Reform Program. These seven studies are simply not credible from any objective standard about how political “science” is supposed to illuminate our understanding of either ranked choice voting or politics in general. The feature that six of these seven studies have in common is that they all used surveys – artificial, simulated elections -- to attempt to say something cogent or interesting about ranked choice voting (RCV) elections. None of them used real world data from actual RCV elections – either the 1000+ elections in the US or the many thousands of elections from places like Australia, Ireland and elsewhere where RCV has been used for 100 years. While a few of these studies conclude with some mixed positives about RCV, our analysis here is content neutral. The idea that, with a political reform like RCV, you can ask respondents in a mock, artificial election to vote with that method, with only the barest of explanation about how RCV works or its likely impacts (i.e. no spoiler candidates, majority winners, voters liberated to pick their favorite candidates, coalition-building), and then ask them their thoughts/reactions about voting in that system, with fake candidates and no real campaigning, no real exposure to an actual election or actual candidates, rests on some very puzzling assumptions. The findings of these seven studies actually are contradicted by the findings from many other studies based on real-world RCV elections. These New America studies also failed to list the real-world RCV studies in their own citations, instead including those studies that reinforced their conclusions. The seven studies featured in this article were chosen because they form a cohesive cohort which precisely illustrates one of the main points of our research paper, namely that using surveys, i.e. artificial elections, or mathematical/theoretical models, instead of real-world data, is in fact “shaky political science.” Below are summaries of our analysis of five of the seven New America studies. You can read our complete analysis of all seven studies at our paper, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting.” Choosing to “Vote As Usual” by Andre Blais, Carolina Plescia, and Semra Sevi. New America. (Blais et al., 2021). This study, web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group, used two surveys in which respondents completed ballots for simulated elections using plurality, approval, RCV and point (Score) voting. In both cases the authors provided the respondents with only minimal explanation of each method. For example, the entire explanation for RCV was “For this vote, rank the candidates from your first to your last choice (you do not need to rank them all). This is called the ranked vote.” That’s it. The study did not provide any context or explanation to survey respondents about why she/he might want to rank multiple candidates. Participants were not even told that ballots would be tabulated using an “instant” runoff, not to mention any description of RCVs ability to eliminate the spoiler effect or liberate voters to rank their favorite candidates without fear of helping the “greater evil” candidate to win. That’s like taking an iPhone back in time to 1970 and asking someone if they like it better than their rotary phone without explaining how it works. Their first survey targeted states that held 2020 Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and used the real candidates’ names in the survey; the second survey used fictitious candidates. In other words, they surveyed respondents who had only ever participated in plurality elections, had no history or background with using RCV or any of the other methods, had no clue about its likely impacts, and did not communicate how the alternative methods would be counted, and then asked them: “How satisfied are you with using each system?” Predictably, the winner was plurality elections, the system used for president, Congress, gubernatorial and state legislative elections – in other words, the method they have been using, year after year, all their voting lives. With so little explanation of RCV and its impacts, this study is simply not credible in discovering anything useful about real-world RCV elections. It merely shows that a basic voter education campaign is needed when adopting a new election system. Additionally, the result contradicts many other post-election surveys following real RCV elections, asking opinions from voters who had just participated in a RCV election, that showed a great deal of satisfaction with RCV (see details on that in Studies 22-25 in our paper, as well as the four studies cited in the review for Study 28). Share Other studies on “satisfaction” and “understanding” make similar mistakes, in terms of basing their surveys on inadequate explanation to respondents and lack of education about context. How could any survey ever hope to measure accurately, in essence simulate a real-world election, without actual campaigning candidates, the media writing about those candidates, organizations endorsing candidates and voters being inundated with crucial information? More than anything, what these “studies” based on surveys show is that if you ask voters about something they don’t know very much about, and fail to adequately educate them, their responses will unsurprisingly reflect their confusion. Equally puzzling is that New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group, headed by political scientist Lee Drutman, found this to be a credible enough study that they not only published it but highlighted it in Drutman’s own discussion of research related to ranked choice voting. This pattern was repeated in study after study featured by New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group. For example in Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Expression: Voter Guides Narrow the Gap between Informed and Uninformed Citizens by Cheryl Boudreau, Jonathan Colner, and Scott MacKenzie, the researchers based their analysis on a survey which found that respondents who were asked to vote in a simulated RCV election, with minimal explanation of RCV or how it works, displayed less evidence of being informed about how to use RCV effectively, with the least informed voters ranking fewer candidates. As pointed out under the study above, in a real election voters are informed by a wide variety of methods, including public education by the election administration, by interested political groups, the media, and the candidates themselves who benefit from voters being aware of how to vote in the new system. In Support for Ranked-Choice Voting across Race and Partisanship by Joseph Anthony, David C. Kimball, Jack Santucci and Jamil Scott, the researchers used respondents from different parties and races voting in simulated plurality and RCV elections, who indicated their satisfaction with each voting method. Instead of using real world election results, the authors fell back on the easy, armchair and less reliable academic research methodology of making up mock elections. As with the other studies, little explanation was given of how RCV works or what its implications might be (electing majority winners or eliminating spoilers, for example). Unsurprisingly, this study found that respondents were not very satisfied with RCV. However, when the authors added an explanation that RCV has a tendency to elect more women and people of color, they found that this greater explanation increased the preference for RCV. The more voters were familiar with it, and the more they understood potential positive impacts – surprise! -- the more they were open to switching away from the status quo. Of note, the results from this study are thoroughly contradicted by a number of other studies whose data was obtained from real RCV elections with real voters. Those studies show a great deal of satisfaction with RCV. More “fake election” research An interesting wrinkle on this “research by fake elections” approach, which only served to illustrate how unreliable such “research” can become, was taken in Ranked-Choice Voting, Runoff, and Democracy: Insights from Maine and Other U.S. States by Joseph Cerrone and Cynthia McClintock_,_ also web-hosted and funded by New America’s ERRG. It gets high marks for creativity, but an eye-roll for thinking this could possibly add anything meaningful to our understanding of real world RCV elections. This study tried to determine whether RCV, plurality or two-round runoff elections provided greater voter satisfaction and acceptance of election results. To determine that, the authors conducted a survey asking if voters were satisfied with a fictional newspaper report of an election, with three different versions given to respondents – plurality, runoff and RCV, with variations of Republican/Democrat winners and variations of “come-from-behind” winners,” i.e. candidates not initially in first place but who win the “runoff.” Again, a minimal explanation of RCV or how it works was given, and the survey showed that respondents had the greatest unfamiliarity with RCV than the other methods. The unsurprising result? Respondents were much more satisfied with “come-from-behind” victories in a traditional two-round runoff election than in RCV, even though RCV is also a runoff system but with a single round of counting. Interestingly, the dissatisfaction with RCV disappeared for those who were more familiar with RCV. In fact, among those respondents who were “very familiar” with RCV, they were equally satisfied with RCV, runoff and plurality. Surprise, surprise. Again, what this study revealed, more than anything, is not only the inadequacy of the explanation for RCV given by the authors of this study, but the failure of the research format itself, thinking that such an artificial mock election could somehow simulate what actually happens in the real world in a real RCV election. Those four studies reviewed above are fitting examples of inadequate and shaky political “science.” Other studies reviewed in our paper from the New America/Electoral Reform Research Group cohort which also used mock elections included: Ranked-Choice Voting is an Acquired Taste by Joseph Anthony and David C. Kimball. New America. (Anthony et al., 2021). Ranked-Choice Voting is No Refuge for Extreme Candidates by Melissa Baker. New America. (Baker, 2021). Also included in this New America cohort is Does Ranked-Choice Voting Reduce Racial Polarization? by Yuki Atsusaka and Theodore Landsman, which actually did use real-world election results data but applied an odd and unconventional methodology to the data which relied on shaky assumptions and non-real-world scenarios that were too divorced from reality. To determine levels of “racially polarized voting,” the researchers imagined “ethnic parties,” by which they mean political parties for each ethnic group, which was especially odd since the election data they were using came from nonpartisan RCV races. But then they made an even odder assumption, namely that since race and ethnic characteristics of studied voters were not available, the authors tried to infer that information based on who voters selected and the racial make-up of voters in each district. This amounted to little more than vague and ambiguous guesswork dressed up with a bunch of mathematical equations used to give it a veneer of scientific appearance. Indeed, it seemed to assume racial polarization in order to prove racial polarization. Based on this questionable methodology, the authors concluded that RCV doesn’t reduce racial polarization. But the premise of this study missed an obvious reality: since RCV incentivizes more candidates to run and can result in more diverse fields of candidates, one would expect more racially-polarized voting in voters’ top rankings, not less, because more voters would have someone on that ballot who represents their racial or ethnic identity and more freedom to vote for their real first choice. By encouraging more diverse candidates and eliminating the spoiler effect, RCV facilitates voting for a favorite candidate of your own race and then selecting a second choice with the best likelihood of winning. The real measure is what voters do with their additional rankings – do they consider other candidates and vote “for the best of the rest”? This study didn’t tell us anything useful about that. But readily available data shows this is common in real RCV elections, and candidates act on this knowledge by engaging with voters outside their racial group. So the authors of this study failed to consider or account for what actually happens in real-world elections, and their conclusions are tainted by this failure. New America has contributed a great deal over the past 2.5 decades to our understanding of many policy areas, including politics and political reform (full disclosure: Steven Hill, one of the authors of this article and of the “Shaky Political Science” research paper and series, is a former senior fellow and former director of New America’s political reform program, 2005-2010). So it was especially disappointing that New America funded and published such a large batch of dubious studies about ranked choice voting. The stated praiseworthy goal of its Electoral Reform Research Group was to inspire new academic research about ranked choice voting that would shed light and help the public better understand the impacts of RCV. Instead, the ERRG research did just the opposite. It produced dubious research that created more confusion and misinformation. In so doing, New America’s political reform program contributed to “shaky political science.” Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS, a reader-supported digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe
Opinion | The University of Minnesota’s vision for health care is flawed
"Based on our years of experience with the U and its health sciences, we would argue that moving the clinical practice of the university’s medical school back inside the university is a bad idea," the authors write.
Learn how a transfer happens in Minnesota high school sports
Hundreds of athletes transfer every season. How, exactly, does that happen? Here’s a step-by-step explainer of the process.
NBA Playoffs: Atlanta Hawks stun New York Knicks to level series as Minnesota Timberwolves end Denver Nuggets' win streak
Cleveland Cavaliers trio of stars Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley stepped up in 115-105 win over Toronto Raptors that secured a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series; watch the 2026 NBA playoffs live on Sky Sports
Eagles trade rumor could lead to deal with Vikings
The Philadelphia Eagles are reportedly looking to be active in the trade market during the 2026 NFL Draft, and the Minnesota Vikings might be in their crosshairs. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is plotting to…
More than sports: Special Olympics USA Games coming to UMN this summer
When the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games come to Minnesota in June, thousands of athletes, coaches and volunteers will gather for a week of competition. For athlete Lucy Haugland and...
Business looks to make Minnesota a leader in manufacturing jobs again
Tolkkinen: These rural Minnesota Catholics prefer Trump for politics, Pope Leo for theology
Trump’s tussles with Pope Leo haven’t shaken their support.
In wake of political violence, states use campaign cash for personal security
The number of states approving this use of campaign funds has more than doubled since the assassinations of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and activist Charlie Kirk.
NHL playoffs winners and losers: Stars falter in Game 1 again
The Dallas Stars don't have a good recent record in opening games of playoff series. It happened again with a 6-1 loss to the Minnesota Wild.
Minnesota medical drivers plead for help from politicians after national business cancels contract over fraud allegations
A national medical transportation business says allegations of fraud caused it to recently cancel a 20-year contract with a local company. The company says it's not true.
Minnesota company denies fraud allegations after national medical transportation business cancels co
Minnesota company denies fraud allegations after national medical transportation business cancels co
Somali-owned Minnesota transportation company calls contract cancellation ‘blatant discrimination’
Medical Transportation Management’s decision to end its contract with Southdale Transportation Services could result in 95 workers losing their jobs.
Transfer center, Malick Kordel is coming to Minnesota
Minnesota gets another Michigan transfer
Exclusive | Ilhan Omar Says She Isn’t a Multimillionaire, Blames Accounting Error
The Minnesota Democratic congresswoman, facing potential investigations pushed by President Trump and House Republicans, said she isn’t as wealthy as documents she previously submitted to Congress suggest.
Increasing Health Access & Services at the Capitol – Women's Foundation of Minnesota
Closing gaps in coverage for sexual, reproductive, and mental health is a necessary part of valuing women’s healthy and whole lives.
Minnesota up against the clock on Medicaid changes
Democrats and Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature say they need to either pass legislation or update existing rules soon to ensure that state programs comply with new requirements from the federal government.
Dining, lodging businesses struggle as middle-class Minnesotans cut back
Decline in leisure spending signals strain for the state’s nearly $9 billion hospitality industry.