Rep Brad Tabke's Shakopee Newsletter: 8/14/2026
More Flock, more ICE, more Primaries, and Your Priorities for 2026
Primary Thoughts
Excited for the table to now be set for the 2026 elections in Minnesota!! We have an incredible group of DFLers working to help Shakopee and all Minnesotans live their best possible lives.
Proud of my friend Matt Little for his CD2 Primary win. Now he takes on Sen Eric Pratt in November. Pratt is lock-step with President Trump on ICE and even supported the Detention Center that DHS wanted to build here in Shakopee. Pratt and Trump are bad for us.
The number of Democrats voting in the Primary was incredible this year. We definitely have momentum on our side but I want to caution you about taking your foot off the gas.
Republicans also had record turnout - and also shunned their craziest of crazy candidates. We have a HUGE task in front of us to win in November. We must put in the work or else we'll be defeated by Trump and his cronies.
Here is how the numbers shook out in 54A compared to all of Minnesota or CD2. We were pretty closely aligned.
Flocking License Plate Readers
Flock continues to make news with their inability to control how their data is being used - for good and for bad.
I talked with Strib reporter Eric Roper about my two bills to: 1) limit how Flock and Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) should use our personal, private data and 2) if they can't protect our data should be banned.
“It’s not that the technology hasn’t existed for a long time, but it’s being used very differently today,” Tabke said. “And then also that existing data is being utilized and manipulated in ways that we just hadn’t expected and no one really consented to.”
Rep Matt Norris and I talk fraud in MN
Thank you to Rep Norris for joining me to talk about the scourge of fraud in our great state. Fraud is fucking awful and should not be part of our story. Fraudsters and shady non-profits are scamming the system and hurting seniors, kids, and people with disabilities - where the $$ is supposed to be helping.
Unfortunately it is something we have to tackle and Matt has been on the front lines of that work.
In today's Shakopee Podcast, we talk about fraud, what is happening, and what we're doing to stop it.
Key takeaways:
Fraud is awful and should never happen in our State. It takes away from Seniors, kids, and others in need where the money was supposed to go.
Understanding the Office of Inspector General and the 100s of bills passed to combat fraud
Other work by Rep Norris (where I'm a co-author) on the Manufactured Home Bill of Rights.
Like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
Question of the week
How do you rank these issues in importance as we head into the 2026 Election?
Passing Gun Safety Legislation
Keeping ICE and their Detention Centers out of Shakopee
Providing our kids with a world-class Education
Supporting Canterbury Park
Growing Small Biz and Economic Development
Climate Change and the Environment
Transportation and 169 Bridge Capacity
Affordability and Cost of Groceries/Gasoline
Stopping Fraud in MN
Taxes and funding our government
Click here to add your opinion on the Question of the Week.
Surveillance
During Operation Metro Surge, we knew the Feds were coming after observers but didn't know - until now - the extent that was happening.
They were literally rolling through parking lots and taking down license plates (they should not have had access to that private data!!!) and creating databases.
So Grandma Beth who was at a church during a resistance training is now on a Fed Watch List. It is an incredible abuse of power that we have no idea how far is spans.
This is how we win. Our opponent - Aaron Paul - is a supporter of President Trump and has not once denounced what ICE did here in Shakopee. Aaron Paul is rubber stamp for the Feds and cannot be trusted with representing our community.
AG Ellison coming to Shakopee 2x
Excited that Attorney General Keith Ellison is coming to Shakopee 2x to kick off knocks this month!!
And we'll have the first Saturday Pancakes of the year with him the weekend before Labor Day.
Click below to sign up!!
Tabke for MN Campaign Calendar
We win by listening to Shakopee voters. We do that by door knocking. We only won by 14 last time - so help me out. Click below to grab a shift.