Supporters of 22,000 furloughed public employees rallied at the Minnesota State Capitol in support of a tax hike on the rich Wednesday evening. Their protest was nicknamed “Downeyville” for Edina Republican Rep. Keith Downey, who introduced legislation that unions said would eliminate 5,000 state jobs and threaten collective bargaining rights for public employees.
At least 10 challengers have announced their intent to run for the state House or Senate. Not surprisingly, given the strong Democratic majorities in both chambers, the bulk of the early contenders are Republicans.
What happened to the “override six” on election day? The half-dozen Republican legislators who crossed party lines to overturn Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of the transportation bill last February were immediately vilified within their own caucus. The Republican apostates were stripped of leadership positions and warned of vengeance at the ballot box.
Rep. Ron Erhardt is a man without a political party. The nine-term Edina legislator was kicked to the curb by the Republican Party after voting to overturn Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of the transportation bill in February.…
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