2010

While Rep. Michele Bachmann was the highest-profile catch for the “Appeal to Heaven” gala for the controversial You Can Run But You Cannot Hide International ministry (even though she ultimately was a no-show and sent a video message instead), another rising star in the local Republican party reportedly managed to make it to help raise [...]

As expected, Dr. Maureen Hackett has officially entered the race to challenge Rep. Erik Paulsen in the Third Congressional District. A psychiatrist who served in the Air Force for seven years, Hackett announced her candidacy on her website and in an email to supporters.

Former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, said on Thursday that he would not seek reelection no mater the outcome of his campaign for governor. Seifert stepped down as Minority Leader in June when he announced his campaign to replace Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who announced in June he wouldn’t be seeking a third term.

Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, abandoned his exploratory committee for governor yesterday, citing fundraising difficulties and a refusal of many Republican activists to support an openly gay candidate, ECM Publishers reports.

A new poll released Thursday by Public Policy Polling (pdf) asked Minnesotans their opinion about former-Sen. Norm Coleman’s chances should he run for governor. The poll found Democrats R.T. Rybak and Mark Dayton out-polling Coleman and that the battle over the recount hurt Coleman’s standing with the public.

The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure board agreed to fine the campaign committee of gubernatorial candidate Matt Entenza on Tuesday for inadvertently accepting a campaign contribution from a lobbyist.

Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, told the Pioneer Press he’s thinking about jumping into the race for governor in 2010. Koering, a gay man, opened up about his sexual orientation in 2005 during a bitter debate over a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Woodbury attorney Chris Johnston says he is “mulling a run” against Rep. Michele Bachmann in the next Republican primary. Johnston says the district needs to be represented by a Republican “who thinks before they speak.”

Roll Call released its list of vulnerable House Democrats and Republicans, and Minnesota Reps. Michele Bachmann and Erik Paulsen made the cut. The state’s two most vulnerable House members also took in more money than most in the first quarter, with Bachmann at $323,000 and Paulsen at $225,000. Only Mark Kirk, R-Ill., raised more ($696,000).

As one election season ends, another’s just begun: With the DFL convention only six months away, candidates in Minneapolis are positioning themselves to run for the city’s top leadership spot, but all eyes are on City Hall, where Mayor R.T. Rybak is pondering whether he’ll stay on or take a shot at the governor’s mansion in 2010.