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Democratic Sen. Al Franken hoped to win a second term in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday more comfortably than he won his first. Franken's victory by a mere 312 votes in a 2008 recount made him an alluring target for Republicans, who hoped to seize control of the Senate.
The leading candidates for Minnesota's top offices are spending the final campaign weekend giving pep talks to the party faithful knocking on doors and calling persuadable voters. Democratic Sen. Al Franken told canvassers in a St. Paul suburb that races are "won at the door" and says his 312-vote win six years ago proves nothing can be taken for granted.
In a cramped office tucked behind an old 10-cent general store, the voice of 10-year-old Parker Hall cuts through the hum of non-stop conversation. Fueled by bottles of Dr Pepper and a big bag of candy, he asks if he can count on a vote for GOP candidates. Then another call. And another. He's at it for hours.
Minnesota is one week out from Election Day, and many political campaigns are going "old school." Thousands of Minnesota mailboxes are filling up with campaign literature.
Democrats seeking to maintain control of Minnesota's House of Representatives have a hefty cash advantage heading into Election Day. Fundraising reports Tuesday show House Democrats' campaign arm has more than $1 million on hand.
President Barack Obama is making a rare appearance on the campaign trail to help the Democratic challenger to Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin's hotly contested race. Obama was scheduled to campaign Tuesday evening with Democrat Mary Burke, a former Trek Bicycles executive and state commerce secretary who is running close against Walker.
Upbeat music played while Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered an upbeat message to a crowd of 2,000 at St. Paul's Macalester College Thursday. "I'm still feeling that grandmother glow," Clinton said. The new grandma touted Minnesota's economic recovery as a model for all states.
The Associated Press invited Gov. Mark Dayton and his GOP challenger, Republican Jeff Johnson, to respond to several questions ahead of next month's election. Here are their verbatim answers.
Two Democratic state senators face ethics hearings in the coming weeks over Republican allegations that they misused their political positions for personal gain.
Democrats Sen. Al Franken and Gov. Mark Dayton are hoping for a boost from former President Bill Clinton. Clinton headlined a get-out-the-vote rally at the University of Minnesota on Friday, calling on young voters to break the pattern of low turnout for Democrats in midterm elections. Speaking to an auditorium packed with college students, Dayton and Franken emphasized policies they've pushed to help students.
Republican Senate challenger Mike McFadden is turning a Minnesota Senate debate against Democratic incumbent Al Franken into an infomercial. McFadden's campaign announced Friday it would pay to re-air their only one-on-one debate so far.
Democrats are continuing their TV ad war against Republican 8th district Congressional candidate Stewart Mills, calling him an "out of touch millionaire." But if he's elected, Mills would join hundreds of other millionaires in Congress, including many from Minnesota.
Minnesota Republicans are again accusing Gov. Mark Dayton's administration of using shoddy math to show a lower increase in policy costs through the state's health care exchange. State officials this week said plans on MNsure would rise by 4.5 percent on average for 2015. They got the figure by averaging each provider's average increase or decrease.
A mining project under regulatory review has fueled a sharp exchange among Minnesota's candidates for governor. At a debate Wednesday night, Republican challenger Jeff Johnson accused Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton's administration of "slow-walking" a regulatory review of the PolyMet copper-nickel mine project in northeastern Minnesota.
WCCO is hosting a debate between U.S. Senate candidates Mike McFadden and the incumbent Sen. Al Franken on Sunday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. We're looking for your questions!
In the chilly curling hall-turned-community center, hundreds of iron miners gathered on a September afternoon to celebrate five decades of feeding America's thirst for steel. Some on walkers, some still wearing hardhats, they listened and cheered as a procession of speakers recounted stories of mining's trials and victories through the years until one — state Rep. Jason Metsa — cleared his throat and stepped back to the microphone.
National Democrats are spending more than a $1 million on television campaign ads taunting Republican congressional candidate Stewart Mills. It's a signal that Democrats take first-time candidate Mills seriously in northern Minnesota's Eighth District race against incumbent Congressman Rick Nolan.
State Senate Republicans are questioning a powerful Democrat's involvement with a Minneapolis nonprofit that spent more than $800,000 in taxpayer dollars on trips and personal expenses. Minneapolis Sen. Jeff Hayden sat on the board of Community Action Minneapolis, which was found in an audit to have misused state grants to help low income people.
There's a change at the top of Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson's campaign with six weeks to go in the race. Johnson announced Friday that he was switching campaign managers.
Republican Jeff Johnson moved Thursday to make health insurance problems a bigger part of his campaign against Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, saying Minnesota's plan for complying with the Affordable Care Act is causing sticker shock as well as logistical headaches.
Several upcoming events on the calendar could help energize campaigns for Minnesota governor and legislative offices. They'll drive the messages voters will hear from candidates and their allies over the next two months.
The seat in Minnesota's 6th congressional district is completely up for grabs, with Rep. Michele Bachmann opting not to run for re-election. While the District is heavily Republican, two years ago businessman and Democrat Jim Graves came within one percentage point of beating Bachmann.
Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican challenger Jeff Johnson are getting big infusions of public money for their campaigns. Dayton received $534,000 in public subsidies in his bid for a second term, while Johnson took in about $389,000.
A new television ad from Minnesota Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mike McFadden accuses Democratic Sen. Al Franken of voting almost 100 percent of the time with President Obama. The ad, with a humorous tone, ties Franken to Obama with a very Minnesotan insult: a Franken look-alike struggling to back his boat into the water.
Democrats with presidential dreams are coming to Iowa with little fanfare, entourage or recognition. They are undeterred by talk of a Hillary Rodham Clinton candidacy in 2016 or her plans to visit the leadoff caucus state next month to honor retiring Sen. Tom Harkin.
The E-ZPass express lanes are a great way to zip through congested Twin Cities traffic, but to use those lanes during peak traffic times, you need a valid E-ZPass transponder or you need to carpool.
As Minnesotans get ready for Memorial Day weekend and travel, they're also keeping an eye on gas prices.
The Medicaid freeze impacting over a million Minnesotans doesn't look to be thawing anytime soon.
The Army Corps of Engineers' final easement decision closes a regulatory saga that began with the 2016 Standing Rock protests, though further litigation over the pipeline remains likely.
Kyle Busch's family earlier Thursday announced he had been hospitalized with a "severe illness."
The E-ZPass express lanes are a great way to zip through congested Twin Cities traffic, but to use those lanes during peak traffic times, you need a valid E-ZPass transponder or you need to carpool.
The Medicaid freeze impacting over a million Minnesotans doesn't look to be thawing anytime soon.
A Ramsey County deputy is accused of sending explicit pictures and messages to people he believed to be children, according to charges filed Thursday.
A 23-year-old man from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, faces a criminal vehicular homicide charge after prosecutors say he hit and killed a person on a highway, then fled.
The weekend is almost here, and if you're looking for activities for the whole family for Memorial Day weekend, we've got some ideas for you.
A Minnesota mother and father may face felony drug charges after police say their child brought THC candy to school earlier this week.
The crew says specialized equipment and training completed last fall enabled them to pull off the nighttime rescue.
Outside the Bell Museum on the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus, honey bee researcher Isabell Dyrbye-Wright kept busy on World Bee Day.
The money will go toward finding and replacing lead pipes that deliver water to homes, also known as service lines.
Wildfire-hit residents of Minnesota's North Shore can now return home to assess damage, according to the Minnesota Incident Command System.
A driver went airborne during a high-speed police chase in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, after fleeing a traffic stop.
Fifty beagles rescued from animal testing in Wisconsin are set to arrive in Minnesota Thursday.
A 100-mile stretch of Mississippi River towns is hosting its annual 100 Mile Garage Sale this weekend, drawing shoppers and sellers from across the region and beyond.
Minnesota animal rescues are stepping up to take in dogs from a Wisconsin research facility accused of animal abuse.
You may have heard of Give to the Max Day, where people donate millions of dollars to hundreds of nonprofits and organizations across Minnesota on a single day. That idea has spread to western Wisconsin, called Give Big Valleys.
A 23-year-old man from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, faces a criminal vehicular homicide charge after prosecutors say he hit and killed a person on a highway, then fled.
Quincy Street isn't just at the center of Art-A-Whirl, it's at the heart of the Arts District in northeast Minneapolis. The road itself, however, is falling apart. And the only thing bumpier than the exposed brick is the reaction to the city's plans to fix it.
Somali and Muslim leaders in Minnesota played a threatening voicemail at a public gathering Friday, saying businesses in their community are being targeted with messages warning of death.
The Black homeownership rate in the Twin Cities dropped to 29% in 2024, and the region had the largest gap between Black and White homeownership rates of any comparable metro in the country.
Bobby Rogers once came to the Minneapolis Institute of Art to sketch and study; now he leads its design and editorial work, shaping what visitors see and experience.
The U.S. Department of Justice and other federal officials will announce a "major law enforcement action involving fraud" in the state on Thursday.
Several top federal officials will be in Minnesota Thursday for a "major law enforcement action involving fraud" — a visit coinciding with the sentencing of Feeding Our Future mastermind Aimee Bock, plus more of the day’s top stories.
The new fund to provide payouts to those who say the legal system was "weaponized" against them raised immediate questions about its legality, implementation and enforcement.
Waymo already operates in cities like Phoenix, Miami and San Francisco and started testing their cars with drivers behind the wheel in the Twin Cities late last year.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges against 15 people Thursday morning in a series of Medicaid fraud schemes that prosecutors say cost taxpayers $90 million.
As Minnesotans get ready for Memorial Day weekend and travel, they're also keeping an eye on gas prices.
Target, which embarked on a turnaround plan under its new CEO earlier this year, reported an increase in first-quarter sales Wednesday.
The federal commodities regulator filed suit against Minnesota to stop a new state law, signed by Gov. Tim Walz, that would criminalize operating or participating in prediction markets starting Aug. 1.
Part of the end-of-session deal in the Minnesota Legislature rolls back skyrocketing tab renewal fees. Those fees have electric vehicle owners especially revved up.
In Minnesota, you'll be able to try one at St. Paul's CHS Field.
A Ramsey County deputy is accused of sending explicit pictures and messages to people he believed to be children, according to charges filed Thursday.
A 23-year-old man from Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, faces a criminal vehicular homicide charge after prosecutors say he hit and killed a person on a highway, then fled.
A Minnesota mother and father may face felony drug charges after police say their child brought THC candy to school earlier this week.
Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota, was sentenced to more than 40 years in prison on Thursday.
New fraud charges were unsealed Wednesday against a Minnesota daycare owner who federal prosecutors allege tried to flee the country just two days after shutting the center down.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz went to Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis Wednesday to talk about how the state is going to help the hospital financially.
Minnesota has legalized marijuana. Could magic mushrooms be next?
At least 80 deaths have been reported in a new Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and Uganda, authorities said.
It comes after insurers stopped paying for their kids' daily care, which they argue was covered as part of a 15-year-old state law. As the end of the Minnesota session nears, lawmakers have four days to make a change.
A Twin Cities teenager is facing an unimaginable battle: terminal cancer. She's fortunate enough to have family by her side through her fearless fight as they all hope for a miracle.
Lee Mendelson Film Productions alleges the U.S. Department of the Interior illegally used the jazzy tunes in social media posts and a video game.
"The Late Show" host Stephen Colbert is marking the end of an iconic late-night franchise on CBS.
Dave Ryan has been a pillar of Minnesota radio for over three decades who last week made the surprise announcement that he would retire from his morning show at KDWB.
If you're a Smashing Pumpkins fan in Minnesota, today may be the greatest day you've ever known. Billy Corgan and his band are bringing their next tour to Grand Casino Arena in St. Paul.
The Library of Congress revealed this year's list of 25 recordings to be preserved for future generations on the National Recording Registry.
Kyle Busch's family earlier Thursday announced he had been hospitalized with a "severe illness."
Joe Ryan matched his career high with 12 strikeouts over six innings, Ryan Kreidler hit a three-run home run against his former team and the Minnesota Twins beat the Houston Astros 4-1.
While Tim Connelly doesn't see this season as a total failure, he knows the team needs to evolve, whether by internal or external means, to compete for a championship.
The joint filing from attorneys on both sides also said Flores' team has made more than 1,000 document requests, which, along with the subpoenas, seek "wide-ranging information related to distinct hiring and employment practices."
Isaac Paredes hit a two-run homer in the first inning, Jason Alexander scattered four hits over six scoreless innings and the Houston Astros beat the Minnesota Twins 2-1.
Amy Klobuchar is putting her gubernatorial campaign into high gear. She faces no significant opposition in the race for the DFL endorsement and her existing record of statewide wins is formidable.
The legislation establishes a list of requirements aimed at improving transparency and reducing conflicts within HOAs. Minnesota estimates that 25% of its residents live in an HOA, and 82% of new homes are built within one.
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill with mandatory requirements for homeowners associations aimed at improving transparency and preventing disputes, after two years of legislative work driven by public complaints.
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill with mandatory requirements for homeowners associations aimed at improving transparency and preventing disputes, after two years of legislative work driven by public complaints. In Talking Points, Esme Murphy spoke with Dana Ohman, an attorney who handles HOA disputes, about some of the most common questions homeowners have.
Sen. Tina Smith is using her last months in office to vocally campaign for progressive and environmental causes. She hopes that a progressive will succeed her when Minnesotans go to the polls next November.
The sign is 51 feet tall and 63 feet wide. And when it was built 85 years ago it was one of the largest neon signs in the entire country.
There's a place in Wabasha County, Minnesota, where people go wild for wildflowers.
For nearly 50 years, Farmamerica has been sowing agricultural knowledge near Waseca, Minnesota.
The carillon has 56 bells, and the Mayo Clinic said that makes it one of the largest instruments in the world and the largest instrument in Minnesota.
When you think of masterful, memorable works of art, grain elevators don't typically come to mind. But in towns across the country, including in Minnesota, they're becoming an unlikely canvas for creativity.
If Minnesota lawmakers won't vote on a bill, why can't the people? That's what Carol from Stillwater wants to know after the gun reform bill never made it to the House floor. In Good Question, Jeff Wagner explains how statewide ballot measures are created.
Dozens of recreational marijuana dispensaries can now be found across Minnesota. Many of them opened last year, but it's still relatively new. And if you've visited dispensaries in other states, the rules can be different.
President Trump's idea to save drivers a few dollars at the pump could cost them in the long run.
More people than the entire population of Minneapolis, or half a million, were estimated to go fishing in Minnesota this past weekend. WCCO looks at how the tradition stacks up with other outdoor events that keep the state's economy running.
A deadly virus that's killed cruise ship passengers can be traced to small critters found hiding in homes.
A look back at the esteemed personalities who've left us this year, who'd touched us with their innovation, creativity and humanity.
Minnesotans got a great view of the northern lights Tuesday night.
A look at the newest addition to the polar bear population at St. Paul, Minnesota's Como Zoo.
From food shelves to school programs, our team is proud to serve where it matters most.
The Minnesota State Fair has unveiled its new food, drinks and vendors for 2025.
We warm up over Memorial Day weekend with Saturday temperatures hitting the 70s and Sunday hitting the 80s. However, there is a chance for rain. Chief meteorologist Chris Shaffer breaks down the timing and shares just how much rain we could see.
In Minnesota, weather can be all over the place. Here at WCCO, we want to give you what you need to prepare for what's happening next.
After a brief cooldown on Friday, we'll see a major warm-up over Memorial Day weekend.
The bulk of our Memorial Day weekend is looking nice with ample sunshine and warmer temps, WCCO meteorologist Mike Augustyniak reports.
We’ll have a couple of seasonably cool couple of days heading into Memorial Day weekend.
We warm up over Memorial Day weekend with Saturday temperatures hitting the 70s and Sunday hitting the 80s. However, there is a chance for rain. Chief meteorologist Chris Shaffer breaks down the timing and shares just how much rain we could see.
As Minnesotans get ready for Memorial Day weekend and travel, they're also keeping an eye on gas prices.
Senior citizens had their own senior prom.
The Medicaid freeze impacting over a million Minnesotans doesn't look to be thawing anytime soon.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges against 15 people Thursday morning in a series of Medicaid fraud schemes that prosecutors say cost taxpayers $90 million.