The Minnesota Independent

Elections/Campaigns - Latest Stories

In upset, Madore bests Powers to take on Kline in November

By Andy Birkey | 08.11.10 | 9:33 am

Former state legislator Shelley Madore defeated DFL-endorsed Dan Powers by a large margin Tuesday, 54 to 45 percent, and will take on Rep. John Kline in the November general election. Madore challenged Powers after losing the endorsement at the DFL…

Conservative suburbanites launch Minneapolis voter ID petition

By Andy Birkey | 03.31.10 | 12:02 pm

Two groups — Citizens for a Better Minneapolis and the Minnesota Voters Alliance (MVA) — are attempting to make voting in Minneapolis a bit more restrictive: They’ve started a petition in hopes of making photo identifications a requirement for voting in the city. But as critics — dubbed “fruitcakes” by MVA’s head — point out, most of the activists behind the drive don’t live in Minneapolis, and one of the groups didn’t exist until a week ago.

FEC: Bachmann’s campaign finance errors a “serious problem”

By Andy Birkey | 03.26.10 | 8:35 am

bachmannThe Federal Elections Commission sent a letter to Rep. Michele Bachmann’s campaign on Thursday warning of numerous errors in her campaign finance reports. Among the problems are accepting contributions above the legal limit from both individuals and political action…

Challengers line up to battle Oberstar, Peterson

By Andy Birkey | 02.19.10 | 9:02 am

oberstarpetersonAs the November elections get closer (only ten months to go!) a slate of Republicans are vying to replace some of the least vulnerable Democrats in the state. Rep. James Oberstar so far has five Republican challengers, and Rep.…

Menze to challenge Peterson again

By Andy Birkey | 01.14.10 | 3:22 pm

GlenmenzeRepublican Glen Menze has announced he will again run against Rep. Collin Peterson in 2010. Menze was defeated by Peterson in 2008 72 to 28 percent and was out-fundraised by Peterson by a factor of 100; Peterson raised $1.2…

Reed won’t abide by DFL endorsement in race against Bachmann

By Andy Birkey | 12.04.09 | 1:10 pm

maureenreed1The campaign of Dr. Maureen Reed says it will not abide by the DFL endorsement should it go to her opponent, state Sen. Tarryl Clark, the St. Cloud Times reports. Reed’s campaign says she hasn’t gotten a fair…

Like Maplewood’s Llanas, gay candidates nationwide face anonymous attacks

By Andy Birkey | 10.29.09 | 2:55 pm

maplewoodflierAn anonymous flier in Maplewood last week targeting openly gay city council candidate Jim Llanas has raised a ruckus in advance of Tuesday’s city election. But the situation in Maplewood is not unique: LGBT candidates across the…

Election shenanigans heat up in Maplewood city council race

By Andy Birkey | 10.27.09 | 12:14 pm

With just under a week until the Maplewood city elections, the quirky politics of the suburb just north of St. Paul have taken some interesting turns. Dueling fliers that some residents have found “racist and homophobic” and a 911 recording of a candidate allegedly threatening a neighbor are among the more noteworthy occurrences.

‘Racist, homophobic’ campaign fliers distributed in Maplewood

By Andy Birkey | 10.21.09 | 2:29 pm

When Maplewood city council candidate Jim Llanas told the Minnesota Independent this summer, “Brace yourself. It’s just going to get ugly,” he wasn’t far off the mark. An anonymous flier being distributed about Llanas, who would be both the first openly gay and the first Hispanic city council member in the city’s history, is being described as racist and homophobic by a progressive group and a city council member.

Supreme court rejects MN Majority case against Ritchie

By Andy Birkey | 07.24.09 | 4:27 pm

ritchie1A lawsuit filed against Secretary of State Mark Ritchie by the conservative Minnesota Majority and a handful of Republican lawmakers and activists was dismissed by the Minnesota Supreme Court on Thursday.…