Politics

Brian Sullivan is not running for governor. If that news sounds familiar, it’s because the conservative businessman initially announced that he’d be sitting out the 2010 contest in June during an appearance on Minnesota Public Radio.

U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen is one of 33 Republicans in Congress who have “a giant target on their back” after voting against an overhaul of health-care system Saturday. That’s according to the Democratic National Committee, which announced plans to target Paulsen and other GOP reps whose districts voted for President Obama in 2008.

Tim Pawlenty didn’t bring it. Or he did, depending on who you ask. Here’s a roundup of reaction to the Minnesota governor’s speech to Republican activists in Iowa over the weekend.

Administrative Law Judge Kathleen Sheehy ruled on Friday that sufficient evidence exists that the St. Paul Better Ballot Campaign violated state statutes to merit a full hearing on the matter.

The Republican Party isn’t big enough to “throw people overboard,” Gov. Tim Pawlenty told GOP activists in Des Moines on Saturday. Jason Hancock of the Minnesota Independent’s sister site, the Iowa Independent, was there.

Taking his opening shot in the state that hosts the nation’s earliest presidential caucus, Gov. Tim Pawlenty could hardly miss by appealing to “Heartland values” that Minnesota shares with neighboring Iowa. But other parts of his Saturday-night speech to Republicans in Des Moines seemed slightly off-target.

There’s word that “Stunning” Steve King, congressman from Iowa, wants a Saturday reprise of U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s “Superbowl of Freedom” rally against health care reform. Before a second “House Call” protest blurs memories of the original, here is a sampling of reportage from a pair of eyewitnesses to Bachmann’s achievement on Thursday.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak romped to a third term while openly flirting with a 2010 gubernatorial bid. Today a state agency rebuked him for mingling funds while pursuing the dual political contests. Will the ruling hurt Rybak’s political viability?

There is a grassroots effort underway to draft Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher to run for governor. The campaign has set up Facebook and Twitter accounts to generate momentum for a gubernatorial bid. There’s also an online petition that Fletcher supporters can sign.
The “Draft Bob Fletcher for MN Governor in 2010″ Facebook page currently has [...]

How effectively will the House health care bill cover children? Turns out, it depends on where they live.