State surplus, sports gambling, Dean Phillips: Minnesota political stories to watch in 2024

New year, new stories. A president will be elected to a four-year term. All 134 Minnesota House members are also on the November ballot, with the GOP eager to end the DFL's power monopoly at the Capitol. A look at some of the developments we expect in 2024 while we await the surprises none of us saw coming.

State surplus: The state got some good budget news in December: Minnesota has a projected $2.4 billion budget surplus. But the state's economic forecast also projected a deficit of almost the same size for the next two-year budget, a reality that could throw cold water on spending the surplus in the upcoming legislative session. Lawmakers will get updated numbers in February.

Sports gambling: A last-minute Senate legalization effort failed in 2023. Back-room talks continued after session ended and a deal may be forthcoming. The goal is a bipartisan vote on a proposal that satisfies the core players: racetracks that need revenue, tribes with exclusive gambling rights, and pro sports teams wanting in on the action that has exploded since a 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing it.

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-political-stories-to-watch-in-2024/600332566/