Posts by Andy Birkey

LGBT and progressive groups are upset that Target Corp. made a donation to produce an ad backing Republican Tom Emmer for governor. Target gave $150,000 to MN Forward, a pro-business and largely Republican political action commitee that made an independent ad urging voters to support Emmer. OutFront Minnesota, Alliance for a Better Minnesota and a [...]

Violent crimes motivated by anti-LGBT sentiment climbed 64 percent in Minnesota, compared to only 7 percent nationwide.

KSTP’s Tom Hauser gave a pro-Tom Emmer ad the “Truth Test” on Wednesday night’s newscast. But the station failed to mention that the ad was created and distributed by MN Forward, a group whose donations include $100,000 from KSTP’s parent company, Hubbard Broadcasting.
Hauser gave the ad a “B+,” the highest rating that Hauser has given [...]

When U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann announced Wednesday the names of House members that had joined her House Tea Party Caucus, it left some congressmen scratching their heads. Many hadn’t actually signed up to be members, and the list put out by Bachmann was quickly removed from her website.

Alliance for a Better Minnesota released an ad on Tuesday that targets GOP-endorsed candidate for governor Tom Emmer on statements he made suggesting tip-earners’ wages should be below minimum wage in Minnesota. Emmer backtracked a bit last week saying he would approve a tax cut on the first $20,000 of tips earned and would simply [...]

The U.S. Navy Veterans Association (USNVA), an organization that is under investigation in a half dozen states, raised $870,695 in Minnesota over the last four years, tax records show. The group’s leader, Bobby Thompson, is in hiding after the St. Petersburg Times reported that the group, which likely only consisted of Thompson, funneled money to Republican candidates across the country, including in Minnesota. Though the group lists hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct support to veterans, no veterans groups contacted by the Minnesota Independent had any knowledge of USNVA.

Rep. Michele Bachmann’s loss is Randy Demmer’s gain. The Sixth District Republican lost a key fundraising staffer last week in an office shakeup that also saw the departure of her chief of staff. But that staffer, Bachmann finance director Zandra Walcott, is heading straight to the Demmer campaign to help in his bid to unseat [...]

The Republican Party of Minnesota is investigating one of its own, and it has GOP leaders a bit uneasy. The party sent a letter to the Morrison County Sheriff asking for records of 911 calls and law enforcement visits to Sen. Paul Koering’s residence. But, as the Brainerd Dispatch notes, Koering actually lives in Crow [...]

he Pioneer Press reports that the campaign of Rep. Michele Bachmann is freezing funds donated by Bobby Thompson, the founder of the United States Navy Veterans Association, a group that’s under investigation in a half dozen states. Authorities believe that Thompson may have funneled donations intended for veterans to Republican candidates around the country.

Delegates at last week’s NAACP convention in Kansas City  voted to repudiate what it calls racist elements within the tea party. Rep. Michele Bachmann, a tea party darling who is leading the effort to create a House Tea Party Caucus, defended tea partiers and blasted the NAACP. The NAACP, who has faced criticism from Bachmann [...]