Minnesota Independent

At Day of Prayer, politicians advocate for God in government

By Andy Birkey | 05.07.10 | 10:53 am

About 100 people turned out Thursday for Minnesota’s National Day of Prayer event at the state Capitol, and many politicians were there to take part. Rep. Michele Bachmann sent a message by way of her husband, Marcus; a Secretary of State candidate said the military helps bring people to Christ; and an absent Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave his seal of approval for the event by way of an official proclamation.

Despite court decision, National Day of Prayer will endure in Minnesota

By Andy Birkey | 04.20.10 | 9:04 am

Despite a ruling last week by a federal judge in Wisconsin striking down the National Day of Prayer as unconstitutional, Minnesota’s commemoration of the annual event — almost exclusively an evangelical affair — will go on this year. It remains to be seen whether Gov. Tim Pawlenty will again sign a proclamation for the day in Minnesota.

AM.MN: Guv hopefuls carless, sickened by sprawl, scared to bike

By Chris Steller | 01.26.10 | 8:15 am

Leslie Davis is the only candidate for governor who doesn’t own a car. It’s too dangerous for John Marty to bike 12 miles to work. Urban sprawl sickens and saddens Tom Rukavina. That’s what

School ties don’t bind Pogemiller in effort to oust McElroy

By Chris Steller | 01.04.10 | 11:05 am

State Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller’s desire for an early end to Dan McElroy’s tenure as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) got a fresh airing last week by Minnesota Public Radio. One thing…

At least Molnau didn’t tweet the I-35W bridge collapse

By Chris Steller | 11.10.09 | 12:11 pm

Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau mishandled the I-35W bridge collapse badly enough that the state Senate stripped her of her second job as transportation commissioner. But at least she didn’t live-tweet that tragedy, as her counterpart in Missouri…

Oh, to be at the Fair with Carol Molnau!

By Chris Steller | 09.02.09 | 7:21 pm

UPDATED Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau. Minnesota State Fair. Celebrity butter carving contest. What more do you need to know?
Well, there is more to know, believe it or not, about Molnau’s activities with the National Lieutenant Governors Association. She…

Molnau finds something to get re-elected to

By Chris Steller | 08.22.09 | 10:17 am

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.

AM.MN: Pawlenty meets skeptics at Farmfest

By Chris Steller | 08.07.09 | 8:30 am

In a Farmfest speech that was as much national as state-focused, Gov. Pawlenty urged ailing dairy farmers to increase demand by selling to China and India and promised to create a Minnesota Farmer Assistance Network (MFAN) for…

Pawlenty will not seek third term, but stays coy about national political plans

By Paul Demko | 06.02.09 | 4:45 pm

Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s decision not to seek a third term is widely viewed as an indication that he plans to seriously test the waters for a presidential bid in 2012. But at a press conference this afternoon he insisted that he has no future political plans.

Pawlenty mulls third term; history shows he twice backed term limits

By Chris Steller | 03.30.09 | 3:24 pm

The Republican ticket of Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau has twice emerged from three-way races victorious by plurality. Now Pawlenty is thinking about seeking a third term in 2010. If he goes for it, he’ll have a past failure to thank for the opportunity: In the 1990s, he and Molnau sought to enshrine term limits on governors and lieutenant governors in the Minnesota Constitution.