Arne Carlson

Allen Quist has been largely out of the political spotlight for roughly a decade. But according to a recent report on Bluestem Prairie, the conservative Republican is mulling a run at U.S. Rep. Tim Walz in the First Congressional District.

There’s nothing subtle about Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s (popular?) radio show: He makes the most of the hour WCCO-AM gives him every Friday to broadcast his political views, boldly and baldly. But beneath the banter and partisan bluster — sorry, swagger — Pawlenty has in each of his past two shows stealthily slipped a blade between [...]

After former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson chastised Gov. Tim Pawlenty for traveling when he should be governing, T-Paw’s spokesman grumbled, ”Some people apparently don’t know when it’s time to leave the stage.” But the guv knows when it’s time to leave the state: lunchtime on Saturday, when he’ll address Michigan Republicans at Mackinac Island.
Elsewhere in Minnesota headlines [...]

Carol Molnau, Minnesota’s lieutenant governor and former transportation commissioner, has been re-elected chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association’s (NLGA) Midwest Region.

Legislation to rejigger the state’s redistricting system passed the state Senate last week. Stakes are high, as the state may lose a congressional seat after the 2010 U.S. Census, and whether it’s Michele Bachmann’s in the Sixth District or someone else’s will be decided during redistricting. But some people closest to the work of shaping Minnesota’s political boundaries last time around say the system worked pretty well.

Looking for a sure-fire way to piss off scores of people all over the country? Put your NCAA hoops bracket online for the whole world to see. That’s the politically foolish step that President Obama has taken. He has Minnesota exiting to Texas in the first round. Arne Carlson is not amused. Rumor has it [...]

In a clever distraction from dire predictions about its fate, the Pioneer Press has launched a late-winter companion to its popular Winter Carnival medallion hunt. The PiPress blog City Hall Scoop notes the appearance of a new anti-Chris Coleman blog called MyMayorIsCheatingOnMe.com:
But who’s behind it? … many are unsure — but they’re trying to find out. [...]

With Norm Coleman set to address the media at 3 p.m. CST, speculation abounds about whether the now-former senator will file a lawsuit to prevent certification of a win by Al Franken or, less likely, concede. One GOP bigwig has weighed in, urging Coleman to step down: Former Gov. Arne Carlson, who attended the 1996 [...]

Is the term “progressive Republican” an oxymoron? With religious hardliners and anti-tax crusaders dominating the party in recent years, that would certainly seem to be the case. But a documentary airing this Saturday on Twin Cities Public Television makes the case that GOP politicians in Minnesota have a long tradition of advocating policies aimed at alleviating poverty and reducing inequality.