Margaret Anderson Kelliher

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.

Only one thing is certain about the 2010 gubernatorial contest: It will be crowded field. Some three dozen politicians are thinking about climbing into the race. Here’s a look at the crop of DFL contenders.

Former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton comes closest to out-polling Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a theoretical match-up in the 2010 governor’s contest, according to a new SurveyUSA poll commissioned by KSTP (Channel 5).  The two-term Republican incumbent defeats Dayton by a 47-43 margin.
The KSTP phone survey of 551 registered voters also looked at potential match-ups with [...]

Gov. Tim Pawlenty intends to fix the state’s nearly $3 billion budget hole unilaterally. Democrats accuse him of pandering to fiscal conservatives in order to further his national political ambitions. How the budgetary endgame plays out will have consequences for politicians on both sides of the aisle.

In the final minutes of the legislative session last night, the Minnesota Legislature took up a tax bill. By a House vote of 82 to 47, the bill prevailed — as did fast-paced parliamentary pugilistics and full-throated partisanship.

The budget stalemate continues at the Capitol with no resolution in sight. The latest salvo comes from Gov. Tim Pawlenty. In a letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and House Speakers Margaret Anderson Kelliher today, the governor chides them for failing to come up with a credible plan to close the state’s $4.6 [...]

Fresh off criticisms of partisanship by possible 2012 DFL challenger RT Rybak, Gov. Tim Pawlenty has sent a letter to state Democrats outlining areas of compromise on the state budget. As the Pioneer Press’ Rachel Stassen-Berger notes, Pawlenty lists three areas where he’d budge:

• “Significantly reduce” his use of nearly $1 billion in borrowing.
• “Accept [...]

His plan offers tax breaks for corporations, but steep spending cuts for higher education, local governments and health and human services. Plus, it relies on more than $3 billion in one-time fixes, dubbed “gimmicks” by Democrats.

When union workers at Regina Medical Center in Hastings walked off the job for two days last month to highlight a contract dispute, their cause drew a few noteworthy supporters. On day one the workers were joined by St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Tarryl Clark (pictured) and House Speaker Margaret Anderson-Kelliher. The next day Rep. Paul Thissen and former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton helped rally support for their cause. While the Democratic pols were no doubt sincere in their support for the workers, their presence was conspicuous for another reason: each are on the (not-so-short) list of potential 2010 gubernatorial candidates.

A man presented as an “ordinary voter” in a New York Times article today about the impending recount in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race has strong ties to the Republican Party and conservative causes that the article does not reveal. Noah Rouen says he told writer Christina Capecchi about his background.