Legislative Session Starts; MMA to Focus on 5 Major Issues
February 19, 2026
State lawmakers returned to St. Paul on February 17 for the second half of the 2025-2026 biennium.
Physician Drops Out of Governor’s Race, Joins State Auditor Race
February 12, 2026
Former state senator and Watertown physician Scott Jensen, MD, announced on February 9 that he was ending his campaign for governor and will instead run for state auditor.
In January, Jensen finished fourth in a statewide straw poll of GOP candidates. Current State House Speaker Lisa Demuth finished first.
Jensen ran on the Republican ticket for governor in 2022 with running mate, former Minnesota Viking Matt Birk. They lost to Gov. Tim Walz by 7 percentage points. Jensen first joined the Minnesota Senate in 2016 representing Carver County. He served one term before his run for governor.
Latest News
MMA Leaders Testify on Medicaid Cuts
February 19, 2026
On the second day of the legislative session, MMA leadership was already advocating for one of its top priorities - minimizing the harm of federal changes to Medical Assistance (MA).
MMA Priority Bill on AI and Prior Auth Already Moving at the Capitol
February 19, 2026
Legislation to prohibit the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in prior authorization requirements was heard in the House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee on February 19.