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WASHINGTON Heading into the heat of his reelection race against Dallas Congressman Colin Allred, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz is testing the waters with a rebrand.

Cruz, who has made a name for himself as an uncompromising conservative stalwart, is casting himself as a bipartisan lawmaker with a penchant for reaching across the aisle.

I actually have very good relationships with many of my colleagues across the aisle, Cruz told The Texas Tribune, citing his work with Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker and Amy Klobuchar. I've worked with all three of them and all three are friends.

The interview was part of Cruzs recent media blitz highlighting his work with Democrats, off the heels of his Democrats for Cruz announcement which aims to attract left-leaning voters this November. He debuted that messaging during a Laredo meeting with the U.S. Hispanic Business Council, where he stressed the value of bipartisanship legislating and enumerated several bills hes written with Democratic senators. Meanwhile, Cruz is blasting Allred as not as bipartisan as he claims, citing the Democrats voting record with his partys leadership.

It is easy and probably more fun to cover the battles that I have waged against the Obama administration or the Biden administration, or [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer, Cruz said. Those may make for easy headlines, but often overlooked are now 99 different pieces of legislation that I've authored and passed into law in my time in the Senate.

The rhetorical shift comes as polls show another tight race for Cruz. A February poll by the University of Texas at Tyler showed the two candidates equally polling at 41%. Another poll conducted in March by Marist College found Cruz ahead by six percentage points.

His critics say hes trying to rewrite history, noting that Cruz has built a persona that demonizes Democrats. In his podcast, countless radio and television appearances, and his books, Cruz routinely blasts the other party as actively working to destroy the country.

Cruz consistently votes against some of the biggest bipartisan bills in Congress and is routinely ranked as one of the most conservative members in the Senate. He was ranked 91 out of 98 senators in 2021 in the Lugar Centers bipartisan index by Georgetown University (Two senators werent included in the ranking because they hadnt served for at least six months). Texas senior Sen. John Cornyn was ranked 8th.

I dont think Ted Cruz is fooling anybody, Allred said. He spent 12 years being the most divisive and proudly so partisan warrior in the United States. And I think its kind of laughable actually that at this point, when hes in a close race, that he wants to now stress, 'Oh, actually I have been working in a bipartisan way.'

Cruz has a lot of work cut out for him undoing his reputation as an enemy of the left. The senator launched himself to national fame by being one of the most antagonistic conservatives in Congress. In his first year in office, he led a 21-hour filibuster against former President Barack Obamas Affordable Care Act, then orchestrated a two-week federal shutdown to strip funding from the law. He was one of the senators who led a challenge to the 2020 election results ahead of the Jan. 6 insurrection, and Cruz says he will continue to back former President Donald Trump fully if he is elected president again.

Cruz doesnt deny that hes a cultural warrior and has often worn the personal dislike he invokes among Democrats with pride. He remains one of the most popular elected officials among conservative leaning voters in Texas. Cruz regularly calls President Joe Biden corrupt and supports House efforts to impeach him. Cruz endorses candidates who are hardline conservatives and do not care to compromise with Democrats. And he does not shy from attacking his Democratic colleagues.

"When I first arrived in the Senate 12 years ago, there was such a thing as moderate Democrats. They existed. You could work them," Cruz said at the Texas Public Policy Foundation's Texas Policy Summit last month. "There aren't any left. The Democrats, they hate Trump so much their brains have melted, and what's happened is they have gone crazy off the edge to the left."

But Cruz asserts that for all the ire, he still gets things done. He ranked the 16th most effective Republican senator during the 2021-2022 session of Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking at the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University.

Campaigns are always about two things: the record of each candidate and the vision of the candidate for the state, Cruz said. And in terms of my record, I've spent 12 years fighting for the people of Texas and delivering major victories for the state of Texas over and over again.

To prove the point, Cruz launched a group of Democrats for Cruz last month to highlight his work on Texas-specific issues that may not grab the national headlines. The group includes Democrats across the state, including local elected officials, law enforcement, business owners and industry advocates, who back Cruz in his reelection campaign. Cruzs campaign says the group continues to grow.

I know a different Ted Cruz. The Ted Cruz that never, never gets mentioned in our national media. The Ted Cruz that collaborated with me in trying to reform H1B high tech visas, said Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council, during a Laredo event with Cruz. Now we dont always get along, and we dont always agree, pobrecito, but Im working with you.

Palomarez, a lifelong Democrat who is part of Cruz coalition, formerly led the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce until 2018, when he stepped down over allegations of financial misconduct and sexual harassment. Palomarez later told The New York Times that his ouster was retaliation over his willingness to work with the Trump administration.

Other members of the group include former Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz, a conservative Democrat.

No members of Congress were highlighted in the video launching Democrats for Cruz. And no Democratic senators cited by Cruz as friends or collaborators agreed to speak for this story.

Democratic senators have similarly cited their ability to work with Cruz in their own campaigns. U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia, released an ad in 2022 joking that he and Cruz worked surprisingly well together after the two collaborated to extend Interstate 14 from the Permian Basin to Georgias Atlantic Coast.

The corridor was passed unanimously in the Senate before being added to the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Cruz voted against the IIJA, which was one of Bidens cornerstone legislative priorities.

We do a lot more together than people know, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, said in a Fox News interview. Cooperation isnt sexy. So when we do stuff together, its not likely to get the attention as when we have disagreements.

Kaine and Cruz are working together on legislation to track xylazine, commonly known as tranq, as it is smuggled into the country. The senators serve together on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Kaine is also up for reelection this year.

During the Laredo event, Cruz again highlighted working with Gillibrand on legislation to do away with a policy at service academies requiring pregnant cadets to either withdraw or give up their child. The bill was signed into law.

Cruz also worked with U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, to streamline the permitting process for bridges used to cross the Texas-Mexico border to encourage international trade. In his first term in Congress, he passed a law that would deny admission to U.N. representatives who had engaged in espionage.

He did a great job and we were able to pass it together, Cuellar said of Cruzs work on the international bridge legislation. Im willing to work with anybody thats willing to do bipartisan work.

When asked if he felt Cruz was a bipartisan lawmaker, Cuellar emphasized: Im saying just in this case, it was bipartisan.

But Cruz has also voted against nearly every major bill pushed by Biden, including bipartisan bills that garnered the support of other Texas Republicans. He opposed the CHIPS and Science Act and the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act both major bills that Cornyn worked on. The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which he voted against, ended up investing billions into Texas roads and bridges.

Cruz said he supported and worked on parts of the CHIPS and Science Act and the IIJA, but voted against the bills because he had misgivings about the final forms of the massive packages. The CHIPS and Science Act would include billions in federal payments to semiconductor manufacturers, which Cruz said amounted to corporate welfare. Cruz said on the Senate floor at the time that the IIJA had far too high a price tag.

When bipartisan Senate negotiators unveiled a border plan that would put harder caps on the number of migrants admitted into the country, Cruz panned the deal as not going far enough and advocated instead for a hardline House-passed Republican border package. The deal died among Senate Republicans after Trump blasted it publicly.

This is what members of Congress do, said Dan Diller, policy director of the Lugar Center. Diller was formerly a legislative director for the late Republican Sen. Richard Lugar. They go through a primary promising all the most extreme things that appeal to their party's base. Then they get into a general election, and they pull out a few samples of bipartisanship and talk about them.

As he rehabs his own reputation, Cruz is also taking aim at Allred who has run on a ticket of moderation and bipartisanship since he first flipped his House seat in 2018. Beating Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions that year in what was then a competitive district, Allred focused heavily on his endorsements from both organized labor and Dallas business community. He was endorsed by both the AFL-CIO union and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Allred has since been ranked the most bipartisan member of the Texas congressional delegation by the Common Ground Committee, a nonprofit organization dedicated to combating divisiveness in politics. All but one of the 43 bills hes cosponsored that got passed into law was with Republican buy-in and all but one were when Democrats had the majority. Of the bills he has introduced, about a third of them have buy-in from Republicans. He worked with Rep. Jake Ellzey, R-Midlothian, to bring federal funds for veterans health care to North Texas a bill that was eventually signed into law.

The Lugar Center ranked Allred 119th out of 435 members in its bipartisanship index. The Lugar Centers metrics do not include messaging bills such as those renaming a post office and bases its rankings on bills members have sponsored and cosponsored with members of the opposite party.

Bipartisanship remains a central element to his campaign message as he takes on Cruz, whom he casts as more occupied with being a conservative celebrity than a serious legislator.

I do want to find a way to actually get things done. And in my experience, the best way to do that, and to make sure that's effective and can last is to be bipartisan, Allred said in a recent interview. That's what we're looking for, somebody who will actually try and bridge some of these divides and actually deliver instead of just pulling off political stunts that don't help anybody.

Allred beat the more progressive state Sen. Roland Gutierrez of San Antonio in the Democratic primary. His openness to work with Republicans and at times buck his own party to do so led to criticisms from Gutierrez of handholding with Republicans.

Gutierrez took particular issue with Allreds support for a nonbinding Republican resolution condemning the Biden administrations handling of the southern border. Allred defended his vote as expressing dissatisfaction with the status quo of migration policy.

Still, Allred is a loyal Democratic voter on major legislation, voting 100% in line with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during the four years Democrats were in the majority. Cruz claims voting so closely with Democratic leadership is antithetical to being a truly bipartisan lawmaker.

He's fond of describing himself as bipartisan, by which he means that he votes for bills that most or all the Democrats are voting for and some Republicans are voting for, Cruz said. It's a little bit like someone who arrives at the parade and waves in the parade and then claims credit for the parade.

But the criticism goes both ways. Cruz has voted 92% in line with Trumps positions, including 100% aligning himself with the former presidents agenda after Trump left office, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.

There have been instances where Cruzs conservative fighter ethos has staved off would-be partners. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive New York Democrat, spurned Cruzs invitation to collaborate on securities trading legislation after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

I am happy to work with Republicans on this issue where theres common ground, but you almost had me murdered 3 weeks ago so you can sit this one out, Ocasio-Cortez wrote on social media at the time.

Disclosure: Texas Public Policy Foundation, New York Times and US Chamber of Commerce have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

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Ted Cruz angles for a bipartisan rebrand - The Texas Tribune

FUN

Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and friends from the Disney Kingdom don their skates and search for the true meaning of what it means to be a hero as "Disney On Ice presents Find Your Hero" takes over North Little Rock's Simmons Bank Arena, 7 p.m. today and Friday; 11 a.m., 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 2 p.m. Sunday. Mirabel ("Encanto"); Moana ("Moana"); Anna, Elsa and snowman Olaf ("Frozen"); Ariel ("The Little Mermaid"); Rapunzel ("Tangled"); and Belle ("Beauty and the Beast") discover that courage, determination and heart are all part of being a hero.

Tickets are $22-$87 ("subject to change based on market demand") via Ticketmaster.com. A pre-show Character Experience includes a dance party, crafting and interactive time with Moana.

THEATER

'POLI POP'

BRUSH Theatre, a theatrical performing arts company based in Seoul, South Korea, brings its production of "POLI POP" to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, for shows at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Playful siblings Poli and Pola refuse to go to sleep and decide to embark on imaginary adventures (via technology and special effects), traveling to faraway islands and seeing the roaring seas, having a dance party and even seeing the Milky Way. Tickets are $20, $15 for museum members, free for children 2 and younger if seated in an adult's lap. Visit events.arkmfa.org/series/ poli-pop.

Playful siblings turn their refusal to go to sleep into a set of imaginary adventures in BRUSH Theatre's "POLI POP" this weekend April 13-14 at Little Rock's Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/courtesy of BRUSH Theatre)

Young 'Anastasia'

The Foundation of Arts is staging "Anastasia the Musical," Youth Edition (music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, book by Terrence McNally), 7:30 p.m. Friday and April 19, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and April 21 and 6 p.m. April 20 at the Forum Theater, 115 E. Monroe Ave., Jonesboro. Presenter is First National Bank. Tickets are $15-$17; $14-$16 for those 65 and older, military and Arkansas State University students, faculty and staff, $13-$15 for children 3-12. Cast members will take part in a "Princess Meet and Greet," 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Stage Too, 33 S. Main St., Jonesboro. Tickets are $10 per household, separate from tickets for the show. Call (870) 935-2726 or visit foajonesboro.org.

MUSIC

Chorus makes 'Connections'

The River City Men's Chorus concludes its 20th anniversary season with a program titled "Connections," 3 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. Monday and April 18 in the main sanctuary at St. James United Methodist Church, 321 Pleasant Valley Drive, Little Rock. David Glaze conducts. Admission is free. Visit rivercitymenschorus.com or facebook.com/River-City-Mens-Chorus-35531191118.

Chancellor's Concert

Student ensembles and soloists from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Literary and Performing Arts perform for UALR's third annual Chancellor's Concert, 7:30 p.m. today in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, Fine Arts Building, UALR, 2801 S. University Ave. Admission is free. Call (501) 916-3291 or visit ualr.edu/litperforming.

The program: Concert Choir, "The Last Words of David" by Randall Thompson; Piano Ensemble, "Spanish Dance," op.12 No. 1, by Moritz Moszkowski; Chamber Singers, "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel, arranged by Bob Chilcott, and "In Noctem" by Nicholas Hooper; Jazz Ensemble, "Buckjump" by Troy Andrews and Mike Ballard, arranged by John Wasson; Clarinet Ensemble, "Caprice for Clarinets" by Clare Grundman; Percussion Ensemble, "Watercolor Sun" by Ivan Trevino; Women's Choir, "Las Amarillas" arranged by Stephen Hatfield, and "Dies Irae" by Z. Randall Stroope; and the Wind Ensemble, "Dusk" by Steven Bryant and "Waltz No. 2" by Dmitri Shostakovich, arranged by Michael Brown.

Flutist Max Reyes performs "Hypnosis" by Ian Clarke; soprano Val Bell-Ovwiomoriemu sings "La Diva de l'Empire" by Erik Satie. Soprano Shelby Loftis sings "There's a Fine, Fine Line" from "Avenue Q" by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx. Soprano Kyndal Collins performs "Chanson d'amour" by Gabriel Faur. And pianist Nakira Bates plays the "Grand Waltz in A-flat major, op.34 No. 1, by Frdric Chopin.

Coterie concert

Little Rock Musical Coterie award winners will perform for the coterie's April meeting/concert, 2 p.m. Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1101 N. Mississippi St., Little Rock. Admission is free. Call (501) 422-8355.

Pianist Jane Fetterly, homeschool student (headed for the University of Central Arkansas in the fall) and winner of the Wang Coterie Award, will play the Prelude and Fugue in c minor, BWV 847, by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Gershwin's Prelude No. 1. Pianist William Baker, recipient of the coterie's Queen Award and a student at Harding University, will play the first movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 9 in E major, op.14 No. 1; Frederic Chopin's Polonaise in c-sharp minor, op.26 No. 1; and three of the Preludes, op.38 -- No. 22 in g minor, No. 8 in f-sharp minor and No. 6 in b minor -- by Dmitri Kabalevsky. And violinist Abraham Brito, a student at UCA and the Coterie Award recipient, will play the "Chaconne" from Bach's Partita for solo violin No. 2 in d minor and the Praeludium and Allegro in the Style of Paganini by Fritz Kreisler.

ART

Mixed-media works

Mixed-media works with an abstract style by Tifany Hamlin go on display with a 5-7 p.m. reception Friday in the Parish House Gallery at Christ Episcopal Church, 509 Scott St., Little Rock. The show will be up and Hamlin's works will be available for sale through June 30. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-noon Friday and 7:30 a.m.-noon Sunday. Email lallyrbrown@gmail.com.

"I Want Candy," "Only Love Can Do That" and "Some Other Spring" by Tifany Hamlin go on display Friday at Little Rock's Christ Episcopal Church. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

ETC.

Student winners

Three high school students in each of six categories took home top honors and cash prizes in the Arts Across Arkansas finals, March 30 at the Westwind School for Performing Arts in Maumelle. It's the Arkansas Arts Council's mentorship and support program for young "creatives."

Literary Arts -- First place: JJ Stone, El Dorado High School; second place, Laynee DeJarnette, Eureka Springs High School; third place, Caroline Buxton, Siloam Springs High School and home school

Music Composition -- First place, Alexander Back, and second place, Grace Adams, both from Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts; third place, Ethan Chen, Maumelle Charter High School/Studio of Linda Kennedy

Film -- First place, Corbin Pitts, North Little Rock High School; second place, Calen Long, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts; third place, Madelyn Terry, Star City High School

Dance Choreography -- First place, Madison Robinson, Little Rock Central High School; second place, Catherine McCraw, Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School; third place, Jamisyn Johnson, North Little Rock High School

Photography -- First and third place, Clint Newton and Cadyn Mizell, both from Star City High School; second place, Keith Massey, Hillcrest High School

Visual Arts -- First and second place, Gwendolyn Oliver and Olivia Busby, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts; third place, Addison Reibling, Thaden School.

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ENTERTAINMENT: 'Disney On Ice' skates in to Simmons Bank Arena | Arkansas Democrat Gazette - Arkansas Online

Given the polarization of the American electorate, one might wonder if bipartisan civil discourse is still possible.

Former North Dakota U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a Democrat, and former North Dakota Gov. Ed Schafer, a Republican, have been in the political trenches for years. And they say not only is that kind of old-style, decent conversation possible, its necessary.

The two recently hosted a free talk at Concordia College in Moorhead to encourage people to break out of a cycle of cultural divisions, public outrage and mistrust. They talked with MPR News host Cathy Wurzer as part of our Talking Sense project, which helps Minnesotans have better political conversations.

This conversation has been edited for clarity and style. Click on the audio player for the full interview.

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

Schafer: Theres so much political rancor today. When this opportunity came up, it made a lot of sense since Sen. Heitkamp, then Attorney General Heitcamp, and I worked together in the Capitol for the people of North Dakota and focused on getting something done for the people.

Heitkamp: Well, let me tell you what Im seeing, because I spend a lot of time with students. Im currently the director of the Institute of Politics in Chicago. And what I hear from students is they dont want to be involved in politics.

They think its a mean business, they think you have to hate the person on the other side. And my concern is theyve not experienced the kind of relationship that Gov. Schafer and I had when we were both in state government. And Im not saying it was always Kumbaya, but we figured out how to get along and actually have fun on many occasions.

Im hoping we can model that and tell people: You dont have to buy into the rancor, you can conduct yourself differently. And that means that you can run for office, you can engage in public service.

Heitkamp: I think youre always going to have the 20 to 30 percent that are the loudest, and they get the most airtime. Then the people in the middle say, just get your job done. I think that were just listening to people who see the opposition as the enemy, and not as an opponent that needs to be listened to.

Schafer: I think that the difficult thing is to separate that public policy discussion from the political discussions. If you focus on the public policy, its good. If you want to develop something thats best for the people, you have to understand the humaneness of all this.

Its just not someone that youre fighting with over politics theres a real person there. We need to get out of our cubicles, get off of social media. Community is built with a handshake and a hug, and a slap on the back.

We have to bring people together face to face, which then allows you to understand youre both human beings, youre both caring, you both arrive at your conclusions in a good way. And they might be different. But that doesnt mean theyre wrong.

Heitkamp: The advice that I give people when they say, so and so is mad at me, or, this person is my political opponent, and they go, what should I do? I say, go to some event that theyre at and stand next to them. Because its really hard to be that mad at somebody who is right there.

The other advice I would give to young people is: It doesnt have to be that way. Dont get caught up in other peoples ideas of how you should conduct your business. Live your values, and then even if it doesnt work out, if you dont get reelected, you hold your head up high and you figure out another way to be of service.

Schafer: There are many, many people out there who are models of good public servants. The problem is we dont see them. The media focuses on the bad folks and the rancor and the angst.

Heitkamp: There are people like Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who was behind every major piece of legislation that passed, whether it was CHIPS, whether it was the Inflation Reduction Act. She frustrated a lot of more progressive Democrats, but yet she was in the arena, working to get things done. I dont know that the infrastructure bill would have happened without her.

On the other side, theres a guy named Sen. Todd Young. To Eds point, youve not heard of him. And probably the best example I can give people is Sen. Patty Murray, from Washington. And Sen. Susan Collins literally led the appropriations committee and got almost unanimous support for the 12 funding bills, but that didnt get focused on.

All of the rancor gets focused on. There are people who are doing the work. There are unsung heroes, and I have to say, I would throw Sen. Amy Klobuchar into that mix.

Heitkamp: You love the people in your life, the people who are in your family. Dont let a political belief, for voting for one side or the other, dont let them separate you. And talk less, listen more. Thats always a good piece of advice. My dad used to say, God gave you one mouth and two ears and that you should use them proportionally.

Schafer: We take this stuff much too seriously. You got to have this belief that we have a great system, that its going to work out, that were resilient, that we can have hope out there, that things move forward.

You know, that this is a discussion to have, theres differences of opinion. But you know, its not the most important thing in the history of the world. Focus on your family and your care and your love for each other and have civil good conversations.

For a recording of the event, go to http://www.lorentzsencenter.com.

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A Republican and a Democrat make the case for civility in politics - MPR News

The head of the House Democratic Caucus suggested Wednesday that Democratic lawmakers stand ready to rescue Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a potential GOP coup  if he ushers Ukraine aid through the lower chamber and on to President Biden’s desk. 

Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) stopped short of saying he would vote personally to save Johnson from a motion to vacate resolution. But echoing an earlier message from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Aguilar noted a number of Democrats are already on record saying they’d help keep Johnson in power if he stages a vote on the Ukraine package that passed through the Senate in February.

That willingness by Democrats to cross the aisle, Aguilar suggested, should be enough to overcome the number of Republicans who might try to topple Johnson.

“The Speaker needs to put that bill on the floor,” Aguilar said during a press briefing in the Capitol. “You have also heard me say, you have also heard Leader Jeffries say and he has pointed out that it was an observation, not a declaration that we feel that if the Speaker does the right thing that he is in a good position.

“But look, we’ve got to do the right thing. We’ve got to pass these bills. We’ve got to have some sanity under this dome. And that means putting bills on the floor that have 300 votes.”

The comments arrive as Johnson is scrambling for a strategy to move a Ukraine package though the lower chamber, where conservatives in his conference are ardently opposed to sending billions of dollars more to Kyiv. Some of those critics want to secure the U.S. border first. Others want assurances that the costs will be covered by changes elsewhere in the budget, so they don’t add to the debt. And still others, like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), simply oppose the concept of Ukraine aid, saying it would only prolong a war that’s already a lost cause.

Greene has already introduced a resolution to vacate the Speakership, and although she has so far opted not to force a vote on the measure, she’s strongly suggested she’ll do so if Johnson puts a Ukraine bill on the floor. 

Funding Ukraine is probably one of the most egregious things that he can do, Greene told CNN last week.

It’s unclear how many other Republicans would support Greene’s motion if she forces it to the floor.

A number of conservatives are already furious with Johnson for cutting a deal with Biden last month to fund the government. And many are also up in arms over Johnson’s endorsement of legislation to extend the government’s domestic surveillance powers. But no Republican has come out publicly in support of Greene’s vacate resolution.

Aguilar said he doesn’t know of any direct talks between Johnson and Democratic lawmakers over the potential vote a conversation he said is best left between the Speaker and Jeffries. 

“If the Speaker wants to have a conversation with Leader Jeffries about that, that is where the discussion should be had,” Aguilar said. “Members want to see the Speaker do the right thing. House Democratic members want to see the Speaker put this bill on the floor so we can send it to the president’s desk so we can deliver the important aid to Ukraine. 

“That’s what we want done.”

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Top Democrat says Johnson in good position to remain Speaker if he stages Ukraine vote - The Hill

Sandra Feist and Kristin Robbins sat behind a desk in a state Capitol committee hearing room, preparing to tell a panel of their colleagues about their bill requiring schools to have student cell phone policies.

They were working together on the bill despite the vast political gulf between them: Feist is an immigration attorney and progressive state representative from New Brighton who sponsors bills that would, for example, make Minnesota a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants.

Robbins is former executive director of the Economic Club of Minnesota and a Maple Grove representative who sponsors pro-police bills aimed, for instance, at progressive Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty.

At the hearing, their appearance broadcast their different vibes: Feist looked ready for a show at First Ave: bright pink lipstick, cat-eyed glasses, her trademark swath of red dyed hair atop a pixie haircut and a loose, white V-neck shirt and dark jacket. Robbins was more business luncheon ready: She donned a Rachel-style blowout, subdued pink lipstick, a dress shirt, black suit jacket and gold jewelry.

But their smiles matched perfectly. And most important: Theyre both mothers concerned about cell phones and kids.

They get it: The countrys partisan polarization, including its at-times violent, dehumanizing rhetoric, has landed at the Minnesota Capitol, and Republicans and Democrats dont often pair up to try to get bills passed.

But Feist and Robbins got to know each other through the Civility Caucus, where a handful of Republicans and Democrats regularly gather and try to get beyond politics through lunches, happy hours and hot dish cookoffs.

Thats how Feist and Robbins discovered they share a concern about cell phones in schools, and ended up co-sponsoring the bill (HF4581/SF4749). It requires the Minnesota School Boards Association to develop a model policy on student cell phone use by Dec. 15, and requires school boards to adopt policies by March 15.

In the process, Feist and Robins forged a genuine relationship.

We really enjoy talking to each other, Robbins said. We both care about bipartisan relationships. Its really about the building of relationships so you know each other as colleagues so that when it comes to the hard negotiations, you can sit down and trust each other.

The Civility Caucus is chaired by two lawmakers from the House and Senate, one Republican and one Democrat: This session, the House chairs are Robbins and Feist, and Senate chairs are Republican Zach Duckworth and Democrat Grant Hauschild.

Feist is a lawyer, but not oppositional: She likes to turn the temperature down.

It hit her one day while leaving the Capitol: All those lawmakers riding the elevator and getting in cars to go home were her coworkers. It reminded her of the Looney Tunes characters Ralph the Wolf and Sam the Sheepdog, who clocked in for work each day, fought like hell, and then amicably clocked out and went home.

It is our job to represent our constituents values. And so I feel like Im able to have a sense of emotional distance to say, you know, I might not agree with (them) but it is their job to come here and reflect their communitys values, Feist said.

One of the unintended consequences of barring lobbyists from buying lawmakers dinners is that they dont get together as often, she said.

Meanwhile, the debate you see on the House and Senate floor is theater, Feist said.

Were expected to be colorful and interesting. I would prefer to be boring. Id prefer for everyone not be interested in my bills, Feist said. I really like the nerdy, technical work of legislating.

At Civility Caucus gatherings, conversation might go to hot-button issues, but the conversations are much more productive, she said.

I think ultimately we make better law when we can hear one anothers perspective, Feist said. I legitimately enjoy the company of people who I disagree with on most things.

For example?

I really like Pat Garofalo, she said. Hes a traditional, pre-Trump Republican. We dont have a lot of the same political opinions, but weve worked together on things and I always enjoy having an exchange of perspectives and hearing his take on things.

Robbins joined the caucus her freshman year, in 2019.

It was a great way to get to know colleagues that you normally would never encounter, she said.

Outside of committee colleagues, she said, lawmakers have very little time to get to know each other, especially those in the other chamber.

Were all just running 100 miles per hour, Robbins said. It just really brings people together over a meal where you just sit by someone you never met and just start talking.

And thats how they learn they have a lot in common, from caring for children, to caring for aging parents.

Were all in this together and were all trying to accomplish good for the state and see that people are well, even if we have significant policy disagreements, Robbins said.

Robbins worked for the late Harris Fawell, an Illinois Republican congressman, and former U.S. Rep. Tim Penny, a Minnesota Democrat, on the bipartisan Porkbusters Coalition, which exposed lawmakers pet pork projects. She and Penny founded the nonpartisan Economic Club of Minnesota.

So when it came to the Civility Caucus, I didnt think twice, Robbins said. Ive always been someone whos tried to build relationships across the aisle.

The caucus is even more necessary now that the DFL controls both chambers and has less need to work with Republicans, she said. In the recent past, Minnesotans have elected divided government, and the parties had to work together.

Former state DFL Rep. JoAnn Ward of Lake Elmo founded the Civility Caucus in 2017.

I sat on the House floor and listened to grandstanding and pontificating and people speaking to the camera and thought: This is not effective government. We could do so much better, Ward said. Theres just so much time wasted.

Ward is a former teacher with a background in organizational development who has long focused on getting people to work together. Shes a fiscal conservative, social liberal. When she first pitched the idea of bringing Republicans and Democrats together, people thought it was crazy.

Here I am, this little freshman. Ageism is real. Its really powerful now at the Capitol. The men would say, Honey, things dont work that way, Ward said.

About a half dozen lawmakers showed up at the first meetings many of them her friends and they began holding lunches every month or two. Sometimes they helped pack food at shelters or spent a day at a shelter.

When she was campaigning, people would often ask Ward why Republicans and Democrats cant just get along. The Civility Caucus gave her an answer.

I could say, This is what Im doing about that, Ward said.

Hauschild got involved with the caucus soon after getting elected to the Senate in 2022.

I consider myself to be a pretty moderate, middle-of-the-road legislator, he said. Its really just a great, great way to meet a lot of folks across the aisle, and folks within your own caucus or in the other house in kind of a non-pressurized, non-political way.

You might still adamantly disagree on policy or in committee or on the floor, but you kind of see their humanity, Hauschild said.

He used to work for former North Dakota U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, a moderate Democrat who worked across the aisle with former Sens. Bob Corker of Tennessee and the late John McCain. So he set out to do the same: He and two Republican senators flew around the North Shore and Duluth together on a Cirrus jet which are manufactured in Hauschilds district.

Hauschild represents a very rural district, and shares a lot of issues with rural Republicans. He said hes forged a good policy relationship with Republican Sen. Jordan Rasmusson of Fergus Falls, who represents an area where Hauschilds grandparents had a lake cabin. Theyve worked together on outdoor education funding, hatcheries, and boat landings.

While Feist allows that many in the caucus are who youd expect, e.g., moderates, some seemingly partisan lawmakers, like Republican Sen. Mark Koran, who once ran for state party chair, have been members, too. Koran is a former co-chair of the Civility Caucus. He knows people think hes a radical conservative, but says he has broader views on children, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

Thats actually the reason I did it: To challenge peoples views or perception (of) not just who I am, but who Republicans are, Koran said. If youre just willing to have a conversation, you can find agreement on a whole pile of issues.

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In the Legislature's Civility Caucus, Republicans and Democrats actually like talking to each other Minnesota Reformer - Minnesota Reformer