Randy Demmer

At a candidate meet-and-greet Thursday night in Mankato, Republican candidates vying to run against Rep. Tim Walz openly courted the Tea Party vote and distanced themselves from “typical” Republicans. Allen Quist and Randy Demmer attended an event at the WOW! Zone Family Entertainment Center.

First Congressional District candidate Allen Quist is building his national profile — among left-leaning news outlets. His comment, first reported by the Minnesota Independent, that defeating liberals is a bigger “battle” than fighting terrorism has been noted by high-profile national blogs. And last night the St. Peter Republican led off a segment on Rachel Maddow’s MNSBC show about GOP candidates hoping to use what she dubs the “terror exploitation machine” to win election.

By Gov. Pawlenty’s executive order, the State of Minnesota checks everyone it hires to confirm they’re legal to work. But the Texas firm to which the state farmed out its E-Verify program didn’t safeguard employees’ data, leaving Social Security numbers and other private info out in the open, online. A cook at the governor’s mansion tells [...]

When he announced his bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Tim Walz on Tuesday, state Rep. Randy Demmer told the Minnesota Independent he opposed Walz’s support for a “culture of dependency” and entitlement. But according to the Environmental Working Group, the Hayfield Republican has received nearly $75,000 in one form of government help — farm subsidies. But Demmer says it’s not a fair comparison.

After 25 years living in Washington, Jim Hagedorn has moved back to Minnesota to challenge Tim Walz for the First Congressional District seat. The son of former 2nd Congressional District Rep. Tom Hagedorn, the Blue Earth Republican said in a statement this morning that he’s running because “[t]he greatness of America is under assault by [...]

As expected, state Rep. Randy Demmer announced Tuesday morning that he’ll be challenging U.S. Rep. Tim Walz for the First Congressional District seat. In a call with the Minnesota Independent, he said he’s a clear alternative to second-termer Walz, who he says supports a “culture of dependency, entitlement” and the “idea that government is supposed [...]

State Rep. Randy Demmer (R-Hayfield) will be challenging U.S. Rep. Tim Walz in the First Congressional District, according to an email obtained over the weekend by Bluestem Prairie.

News cycles are funny things — an item can be news right up until the point that something bigger comes along and makes it passe.

In today’s case, that Something Bigger is the Iowa Caucuses, set for this evening, which will officially kick off the 2008 presidential race.  But that doesn’t mean there isn’t local news [...]

Mark Meyer, the Republican school board member seen in many quarters as engaging in a quixotic quest for the Republican nomination in Minnesota’s First congressional district, withdrew from the race Tuesday and endorsed Randy Demmer, one of three remaining candidates.  What does this mean for the remaining Republican candidates, State Sen. Dick Day and Mayo [...]

The impressive:

Although she wouldn’t confirm it at the time, Terri Bonoff’s Q3 total (10 days of it, at least) of $88,500 is both impressive and pretty darned close to the number MN Publius reported several days before the official report.  Where does the $770,000 Jim Ramstad had on hand before announcing his retirement end up?  [...]