The continued technical difficulties come at a critical point for the exchange.

The race had divided many of the city's prominent Democrats.

Less than a week after the DFL convention failed to endorse a candidate in the Minneapolis mayoral contest, there is one less contender. Gary Schiff dropped out of the race on Wednesday and backed fellow Minneapolis City Council member Betsy Hodges.

Minneapolis DFLers will gather on Saturday morning to consider endorsing a candidate in the mayoral contest. The field of at least six credible challengers will make it difficult for anyone to reach the 60 percent threshold required for party backing.

The Service Employees International Union announced on Thursday that it is backing Betsy Hodges in the Minneapolis mayoral contest. The two-term city council member is seeking to replace R.T. Rybak, who is not running for a fourth term.