Paul Kohls

Republican state Rep. Paul Kohls has put his gubernatorial campaign on hold, according to the Jordan Indepedent. The Victoria, Minn., resident emailed supporters with the news this morning, noting that “it has become clear to me that the activists are lining up in much greater numbers behind some of the other candidates in the race, [...]

The only place for a politician to be on the last Friday of summer is the Minnesota State Fair. There are almost certainly more backs to slap and babies to kiss than at any other gathering of the year. It seemed like half the state’s residents were prowling the fairgrounds today. U.S. Sen. Al Franken was among the masses.

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.

Democrat Tom Bakk is running for governor. The state senator from Virginia made it official yesterday. Bakk originally set up an exploratory committee and began raising money roughly a year ago. The chair of the Senate’s Taxes Committee was a strong advocate during the recently completed legislative session for increasing taxes on the state’s wealthiest [...]

Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s decision not to seek a third term is widely viewed as an indication that he plans to seriously test the waters for a presidential bid in 2012. But at a press conference this afternoon he insisted that he has no future political plans.