R. T. Rybak

“Gearin’ up for the new year” was Gov. Pawlenty’s self-described status on talk radio. Then Wednesday a different Gearin — Judge Kathleen — threw a wrench in his unallotment plans, prompting DFLers’ own status updates, declaring “victory for all Minnesotans” and an end to “hatchet tactics.”
Elsewhere in Minnesota news this morning …

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak romped to a third term while openly flirting with a 2010 gubernatorial bid. Today a state agency rebuked him for mingling funds while pursuing the dual political contests. Will the ruling hurt Rybak’s political viability?

There is a grassroots effort underway to draft Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher to run for governor. The campaign has set up Facebook and Twitter accounts to generate momentum for a gubernatorial bid. There’s also an online petition that Fletcher supporters can sign.
The “Draft Bob Fletcher for MN Governor in 2010″ Facebook page currently has [...]

Ballot referendum measures in Minneapolis and St. Paul will be decided by voters next week, but the cities’ daily newspaper editorial boards say today how those votes should go. The Star Tribune says to vote yes on eliminating the city’s tax board, and the Pioneer Press says to vote no on instant-runoff voting. So remember: [...]

AFSCME Council 5, the state’s largest union for public employees, has endorsed former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton for governor.
“Mark Dayton has won statewide elections — twice,” said Eliot Seide, director of AFSCME Council 5, in a press release announcing the endorsement. “Minnesotans know and like Mark. That’s because he listens more than any other candidate. [...]

Al Flowers believes the cops are out to get him. The mayoral candidate filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court today alleging that Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies violated his Constitutional rights while executing a search warrant at an Edina home last month.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak isn’t officially running for governor, but he’s already secured his first endorsement. Teamsters Local 120 is backing Rybak for the state’s top post. The union is the largest Teamsters local in the state and the fifth largest in the country.

The results of a DFL-sponsored “practice” election for governor using instant-runoff voting (IRV) would have been the same even if IRV hadn’t been used: The winner was state House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher – who made her run for guv official this morning — with Mayor R.T. Rybak in the runner-up slot.

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak raised roughly $260,000 during the first eight months of the year, according to his campaign. The two-term incumbent had $67,000 cash on hand at the start of September.

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 [...]