Neil Peterson

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.

After a tough 2006 electoral battle in which Democrat Ken Tschumper prevailed over incumbent Gregory Davids, the opponents will face off again this year. It is perhaps the most intriguing rematch of the electoral season, but it’s far from the only one. There are at least seven other competitive state House contests that pit foes against each other for a second — or even third — time.

Al Franken will comfortably advance from today’s primary election to take on Norm Coleman in the U. S. Senate race. With more than 80 percent of the results in, Franken is carrying 67 percent of the vote in the seven-candidate field. His most credible challenger, attorney Priscilla Lord Faris, is currently garnering support from 29 percent of voters.

TakeAction Minnesota members recommended endorsing four state legislative candidates at its first screening of the electoral season last night. The three incumbents who garnered backing — Shelley Madore, David Bly, and Sandra Masin — are all freshmen legislators from swing districts who knocked off GOP incumbents in 2006. They each won their posts by fewer [...]

The Minnesota House Republican caucus lost more than a dozen seats in the 2004 elections, then again in 2006, losing the majority to the DFL. Now, in the aftermath of transportation legislation spun by the Republican Party as pork-laden, Republican activists are expressing their dissatisfaction with their incumbents who voted with the DFL to override [...]