What you need to know ahead of the St. Paul mayoral debate

Good morning. We're about to get started with our St. Paul mayoral debate. Candidates Melvin Carter, Elizabeth Dickinson, Tom Goldstein, Pat Harris and Dai Thao are here for a conversation-style debate with MPR News host Tom Weber.



We'll cover a lot of ground in the next two hours. Here are some of the bigger news items of the race so far:



• Gun violence has become a prominent issue in the race. After a violent weekend last month, the leading candidates outlined their plans for stopping the gunfire.



• Most of the candidates are running as DFLers, but the party • Most of the candidates are running as DFLers, but the party didn't officially endorse any of them



• Dai Thao, a City Council member running for mayor, had • Dai Thao, a City Council member running for mayor, had bribery allegations leveled against his campaign. Authorities investigated whether his campaign solicited an improper campaign contribution from a lobbyist, but no charges were ultimately filed