Politics and government reporter | Higher Education

Ryan Faircloth covers Minnesota politics and government for the Star Tribune.

Faircloth previously covered higher education and breaking news, contributing to the Star Tribune's Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of the police killing of George Floyd. A 2018 graduate of the University of Minnesota, Faircloth started his career covering state politics for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and was named Minnesota's Young Journalist of the Year by the state Society of Professional Journalists for his reporting at the Capitol. In his spare time, he enjoys practicing boxing and mixed martial arts – sports he once competed in – and searching the Twin Cities for barbecue and tacos that are even half as good as those he had growing up in Houston.


Fact check: Controlled substances not part of senator's burglary case

Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald said he mistakenly included boilerplate language in a court filing and has since filed an amended document, adding, "I'm sorry for the confusion I created."


Under pressure, Minnesota legislators debate proposal to allow early marijuana growing

"If we do not create a pathway for well-prepared cultivators to begin their build-outs right now, Minnesota will not have a cannabis supply chain until mid- to late-2026 at the earliest," one aspiring cultivator warned.


DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell returns to Capitol after burglary charge, casts votes amid criticism

Senate Republicans offered motions Monday to prohibit Mitchell from voting, but the DFL Senate president ruled them out of order. Democrats, including Mitchell, voted to uphold the president's decision.


Attorney Tayler Rahm wins GOP backing in battleground Second District

In the Third District, Republican activists endorsed former judge and state legislator Tad Jude. And a contentious convention in the Seventh District ended with no endorsement.


911 transcript gives more detail of Sen. Mitchell's alleged burglary

A caller now identified as Mitchell's stepmother told a dispatcher she "tripped over" a person who was on the floor next to her bed. That person was later identified as the DFL senator.


Minnesota Senate GOP files ethics complaint against Sen. Nicole Mitchell

Republicans moved to expedite a hearing on their ethics complaint after the Woodbury DFLer was charged with burglary, but the motion failed in a tie vote.


DFL state senator charged with first-degree burglary at stepmother's home

Sen. Nicole Mitchell's arrest could cause political complications for Democrats, who control the Minnesota Senate by a one-seat margin.


Woodbury state senator arrested in suspected burglary

Sen. Nicole Mitchell, a DFL lawmaker from Woodbury, was arrested Monday morning in Detroit Lakes and booked into the Becker County Jail.


Conservatives in Otter Tail County have been fighting for years, with no end in sight

A recent flare-up over precinct caucuses is the latest in a string of battles between local party officials and a group of grassroots activists.


Rep. Omar's daughter arrested, suspended from college for pro-Palestinian protests

Rep. Omar had questioned Columbia University's president about campus protests a day earlier.