Jeff Johnson Switches Campaign Managers
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.
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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.
Republicans closed ranks Wednesday behind the winner of Tuesday's primary election for governor. Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson won a decisive primary victory over three opponents. He'll face incumbent Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton. Johnson promises a campaign of ideas, not smears.
A residency dispute involving a Minnesota legislator has landed in court and could put a Republican-held seat in contention at a time when the party is fighting to wrest chamber control from Democrats.
The City of Stillwater is taking a controversial stance on who they want in parades. The city has upped its entry fee to $1,000 for politicians wanting to walk in this weekend's Log Jam Parade, according to reports.
This weekend an estimated 300,000 people packed the Pride Festival in the Twin Cities. The Festival is one of the largest GLBT events in the nation and a parade Sunday morning attracted top Democratic political leaders. It's an indication of how powerful gay voters are.
The crowd at President Barack Obama's economic policy speech isn't made up entirely of his supporters. Some say they showed up Friday because they couldn't pass up a chance to see a sitting president in person even if they don't share his views.
Ardent Minnesota supporters of President Barack Obama say they share his frustrations that the economy hasn't taken flight as fast as hoped. But some who turned out for the Democrat's economic policy speech on the shores of Lake Harriet say it's not for lack of effort on the president's part. Non-profit executive Norm Munk was among those quick to defend Obama. Munk says he worries that a polarized Washington is stunting the nation's progress.
President Barack Obama is pitching his ideas to boost the American middle class in Minnesota, a state that already has embraced a key component of the president's economic agenda by moving to raise its minimum wage. Obama was closing a two-day trip to the Minneapolis area on Friday with a speech on the economy at a castle-shaped bandshell on picturesque Lake Harriet. He'll seek to frame his agenda in terms that resonate for Americans still struggling financially despite the recovery, reinforcing a populist "on your side" economic push that Obama and Democrats are making in the run-up to the 2014 midterm elections.
Both political parties see opportunity in President Barack Obama's two-day visit to Minnesota that starts Thursday. For Democrats, their party's biggest name will draw attention to a signature initiative: the large, upcoming bump in the state's minimum wage. For Republicans, his presence alone will give them a tangible way to connect targeted Democratic candidates to a struggling president as campaign season intensifies.
Minnesota Democrats face a major challenge as they seek to keep Gov. Mark Dayton and U.S. Sen. Al Franken in office -- getting their supporters to show up at the polls. Republicans face the challenges of uniting the party after a fractured state convention and a potentially divisive primary campaign ahead.
After elaborate videos, sharp-toned speeches and even indoor fireworks, Minnesota Republicans are voting to back a candidate for U.S. Senate. Half a dozen candidates vied Friday for the GOP endorsement at the state convention, with the winner likely having to overcome an August primary challenge to face Democratic Sen. Al Franken in November.
The Republican chase to be Minnesota Sen. Al Franken's fall challenger is reaching a crucial point in Rochester. Delegates to the state GOP convention will vote to endorse a candidate.
Minnesota lawmakers are gone from the Capitol after ending the 2014 session on Friday night. It was an unusually short and productive session. Included on the completed list is the bill to legalize medical marijuana, which became among the most publicly visible -- and contentious -- issues of the year.
There was something a little different going on at the State Capitol Tuesday: A major bill that everyone appears to agree on. It means a second round of tax cuts could be heading your way. State lawmakers already passed income tax relief on the way to hundreds of thousands of middle income Minnesotans. Now, homeowners and renters are getting a break.
President Obama will be in Minneapolis next month to raise money for House Democrats. This will be one of more than 20 fundraisers Obama has committed to hold for Democrats ahead of the November elections.
When Tina Smith arrived at an eat-in bakery recently as an ambassador of Gov. Mark Dayton's re-election campaign, there wasn't much mystery about the allegiance of her assembled audience. A couple dozen tried-and-true Democrats who huddled around Smith were anxious to meet the governor's new running mate, and she was just as eager to deliver an early call to action.
Lawmakers entered a 10-day Easter/Passover break on Friday. Next week, House Democrats will hit the road to talk about what they've done so far, and Republicans will be sharpening their election year message.
This legislative session has stalled out with battles over a proposed $90 million Senate office building and a proposed minimum wage increase. But the battle is not between Republicans and Democrats - it's the Democrats who are fighting amongst themselves. With Democrats controlling the Minnesota House and Senate as well as the governor's office, it's the Democrats who are battling with each other over key issues.
Legislative Republicans pressed Monday for a speedy resolution to a controversy over a proposed Senate office building, making clear they oppose its construction. Several GOP lawmakers said the state should make do with the space it has, and reconfigure Capitol renovation plans if necessary.
