Matt Entenza

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum is backing former state Sen. Steve Kelley for governor, according to Kelley, who formally announced his candidacy Monday.

A Democrat hasn’t been elected governor in Minnesota since 1986. If that trend continues in 2010 it certainly won’t be for a lack of qualified candidates. Currently nine DFLers have announced their intention to seek the state’s top office, with a few others still mulling a run. On Tuesday seven of the challengers showed up [...]

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.

Dana Houle came to Minnesota with one goal in mind: defeating U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. So when Elwyn Tinklenberg, whose campaign Houle was managing, decided to pull the plug on his congressional run it seemed likely that the veteran political operative would be headed back to Washington, D.C. But Houle apparently couldn’t resist the allure of Minnesota in winter: he’s now the campaign manager for Matt Entenza’s gubernatorial campaign.

Late results of a very early straw poll in the race for DFL governor show state Sen. John Marty slightly ahead of former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton for the lead, with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman running neck-and-neck close behind. The number of DFL gubernatorial candidates (and near-candidates) who gathered [...]

Five Democrats running for governor have agreed to abide by the party’s nominating process, reports Eric Black at MinnPost, but several others — including some well-funded presumptive front-runners — won’t make such a promise.

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.

The 2010 gubernatorial contest will not be a two-party affair. With no clear favorites on either the Democratic or Republican side of the aisle, the political climate is potentially ripe for a third-party candidate to gain a toehold in the race.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s announcement earlier this month that he will not seek a third term has unleashed a political gold rush among Republican politicians in the state. Minnesota’s current political landscape includes an eye-popping 18 declared and possible gubernatorial contenders.

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.