Marty Seifert

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.

The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome is putting on a clinic for what “multi-purpose” means, with the Vikings game tonight sandwiched between what was supposed to be the Twins’ last game at the Dome Sunday and an added regular-season playoff with the Detroit Tigers Tuesday. That lent an air of error to Sunday’s postgame ceremony marking the [...]

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has perfected the political backpedal over the past few months, pressing forward then pulling back on one issue after another. He started on topics like whether he’d sign an election certificate for the Franken-Coleman winner or accept federal stimulus money, then moved on to death panels, states’ rights to opt out of [...]

No Republican contenders in the 2010 gubernatorial contest — except environmental activist Leslie Davis — believe in global warming, according to a report from Minnesota Public Radio. Perhaps most strident is state Sen. Mike Jungbauer (East Bethel), who told attendees at a recent State Fair debate that global warming is “pure, unadulterated BS.”

It turns out state Rep. Marty Seifert won’t be the only politician with a booth promoting a 2010 bid for the governor’s office at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair: Draft R.T. Rybak for Governor has snapped up a spot in front of the Epiphany Diner. But while Seifert plans daily face time at his booth, [...]

Updated: As first reported by the Minnesota Independent, only one candidate for any office has his own booth at the Minnesota State Fair: Republican state Rep. Marty Seifert. And now his staff is evoking the memory of another State Fair, another booth and another candidate for governor: Jesse Ventura.

Is Michele Bachmann running for governor? There certainly doesn’t seem to be any credible indication that the 6th Congressional District representative is seriously mulling a bid for the state’s top elected office. But Daily Kos readers could be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

One of the GOP contenders for governor has a theory about why state party leaders stopped a straw poll at Farmfest last week. “Apparently because it favored me,” explained state Rep. Marty Seifert. “They felt there was too much bias in favor of me.”

Of nearly 40 announced or possible candidates for governor in 2010, only one will have his own booth at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair. In fact, not counting Minnesota’s sitting U.S. senators, Republican state Rep. Marty Seifert will be the only politician with a booth this year.

Rep. Kurt Zellers is Minnesota’s new House Minority Leader. The four-term legislator from Maple Grove defeated Rep. Randy Demmers, of Hayfield, by a 32-13 margin on the fourth ballot at Tuesday’s GOP caucus meeting.