The Minnesota Independent

Dean Barkley - Latest Stories

Barkley encourages tea partiers to take over the Independence Party

By Andy Birkey | 02.24.10 | 9:18 am

Dean_BarkleyFormer Sen. Dean Barkley told tea partiers in an email Tuesday that they should join the Independence Party and rename it the Tea Party. Already, tea party–affiliated candidates are aligning themselves with Gov. Jesse Ventura’s former party, including…

Barkley: Dobbs would be ‘perfect’ IP Party candidate for prez

By Paul Schmelzer | 11.24.09 | 9:02 am

Picture 7Could “Mr. Independent” — as Lou Dobbs promotes himself — become “Mr. Independence Party”? A Politico piece this morning ponders news that the illegal-immigration foe, Birther and former CNN anchor is considering a run for president in…

AM.MN: Palin and Barkley help the print media pay its bills

By Chris Steller | 11.16.09 | 8:53 am

am.mn logoMinnesota Public Radio is holding a “Future of the News” forum today, but a couple ex-office-holders are the ones who’ve really got the print media’s back. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former U.S. Sen. Dean Barkley…

Jonesing for Norm Coleman news? He’s baaack

By Chris Steller | 09.28.09 | 10:23 am

Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman was once a daily news staple but has largely fallen into civilian obscurity since bowing out of his recount battle with now-Sen. Al Franken. Now he’s back in the news and the blogs, and for…

Who’s in for 2010: Third party contenders

By Paul Demko | 06.29.09 | 1:25 pm

The 2010 gubernatorial contest will not be a two-party affair. With no clear favorites on either the Democratic or Republican side of the aisle, the political climate is potentially ripe for a third-party candidate to gain a toehold in the race.

Coleman faces “serious damage” to political future if contest drags on

By Paul Demko | 04.03.09 | 2:57 pm

Norm Coleman is not going down without a fight. But by continuing to drag out the contest, his political prospects could suffer “serious damage,” according to one-time rival Dean Barkley. Meanwhile, former Sen. Dave Durenberger, a Republican and Coleman supporter, believes that the most serious damage to Coleman’s political future has already occurred.

Coleman’s trial witness, a Dem, voted for Barkley — but court won’t hear it

By Chris Steller | 01.28.09 | 3:46 pm

He didn’t get the chance to say it on the stand, under cross-examination in the Senate election-contest trial. But Minnesota Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann, a Democrat, voted Nov. 4 for neither Al Franken nor Norm Coleman, opting…

Another post-recount poll: 47 percent want Franken in Senate, Coleman out of court

By Chris Steller | 01.10.09 | 8:12 pm

Another day brings another post-recount poll of Minnesotans about the U.S. Senate contenders, the recount process itself and what should happen next. According to a Daily Kos-Research 2000 survey, 47 percent of voters support seating Al Franken in the Senate (at least provisionally) and oppose former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman’s legal challenge to the recount. Though conducted only a day or two after a similar poll by Survey USA for KSTP-TV, the Daily Kos results show some intriguing differences.

Barkley’s short Senate tenure cited as example for Blago pick Burris

By Chris Steller | 12.30.08 | 2:41 pm

Roland Burris, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s pick to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate, should follow the example of former U.S. Sen. Dean Barkley of Minnesota by agreeing to serve only an abbreviated tenure. That’s the…

Survey USA-KSTP poll: U.S. Senate election, if held today, still deadlocked

By Chris Steller | 12.08.08 | 3:10 am

One scenario in the Minnesota Senate recount has the U.S. Senate ordering a new election to help them decide whether to seat Democrat Al Franken or Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. Another scenario leaves the decision to voters in a new election to be held late next year after the vacancy is temporarily filled by an appointee of Gov. Tim Pawlenty. But a re-run of the Nov. 4 election wouldn’t be any more conclusive than the original was, according to a new poll that Survey USA conducted for KSTP-TV.