Good morning,

I hope the week hasn’t beaten you down just yet. Or, at the very least, you can take the beating until the weekend comes to give you space to breathe again.

Regardless of the metaphorical and/or hypothetical WrestleMania-style soul-crushing going on around here, you should read some news and figure out what’s going on. It’s what Marvin Gaye would’ve wanted.

And, if the stresses of college life and the greater folly of man really got you down, you should check out the advice column below about some stress management tips. That’s not, like, medical advice. I’m just some dude sending you emails.

Take it easy,

Spencer White | Editor-in-Chief | [email protected]

Top Story

Q&A with U.S. Senate-hopeful Melisa López Franzen

by Alexandra DeYoe | Published April 16, 2025

Former Minnesota State Sen. Melisa López Franzen said she is running U.S. Senate in March to support students and working-class Minnesotans by making education and healthcare access more affordable.

Lòpez Franzen previously worked in the state Senate for over a decade and served as the DFL minority leader in the Senate from 2021 to 2023, representing the southwest Twin Cities area. After leaving the Senate, she served as the government and community relations executive director at the University of Minnesota in 2023. 

Lòpez Franzen announced her campaign after Sen. Tina Smith (DFL-Minn.) announced she would not run for reelection. She will be running against Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the DFL primary.

Minnesota Daily: Why are you running for the U.S. Senate?

López Franzen: “I served in public service in elected office for 10 years prior to coming to the University of Minnesota. I've always had that spirit and the urge to represent voices that are underrepresented in government, and I served my community for 10 years. I left because I was redistricted, and then I ended up being tapped to take the role at the University of Minnesota in government relations. It was an area that I was really comfortable in. After I was redistricted, I still wanted to be involved in shaping policy. So that seemed to be a really natural fit for me to help the University tell its story and be able to be supportive of the institution, but also the research of students and the faculty that work there. It’s been a year and a half in that role and when the current federal administration started to make some changes and the cuts that were coming down the pike, they were directly impacting the mission of the university. I saw firsthand how important it is to continue that public service.” 

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