Susan Gaertner

Reaction to Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s Tuesday press conference announcing his unallotment of nearly $2.7 billion from the state budget has been swift and, at times, scathing.

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.

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 [...]

At last month’s Duluth Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party convention, party activists passed a resolution, with just one dissenting vote, calling on Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner (pictured) to drop all charges against the so-called RNC Eight. The resolution is the latest proof that the controversial, high-profile prosecutions are having a damaging effect on Gaertner’s attempt to secure [...]

Former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton comes closest to out-polling Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a theoretical match-up in the 2010 governor’s contest, according to a new SurveyUSA poll commissioned by KSTP (Channel 5).  The two-term Republican incumbent defeats Dayton by a 47-43 margin.
The KSTP phone survey of 551 registered voters also looked at potential match-ups with [...]

Supporters of the so-called RNC Eight believe electoral politics is at the center of Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner’s decision to drop terrorism charges against the defendants. But the prosecutor — and gubernatorial hopeful — says she’s simply doing what it takes to obtain convictions in the high-profile cases.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office is preparing to drop terrorism charges against the so-called RNC Eight, according to a source close to discussions about the high-profile prosecutions. The group of activists, who have been accused of a criminal conspiracy to disrupt the Republican National Convention, will still face felony charges of criminal conspiracy to riot and damage property.

The charges that will be brought against the RNC Eight highlight the legal questions surrounding the nature of conspiracy, including a logic that legal experts say draws “perilously close” to prosecuting people for thought crimes.

A bike tour of sites that had been raided by police in the days before the Republican National Convention (RNC) attracted the interest of…police. That’s apparent from a video of the tour, which took place on Saturday.

The RNC Eight, accused of a criminal conspiracy to wreak chaos during the Republican National Convention, are unlikely to go on trial for at least another six months. But the battle to shape public opinion on the high-profile case has been taking place since the moment of their arrests on the eve of the St. Paul convention in early September. At a hearing Tuesday, the judge said she ‘won’t tolerate any games’ by the prosecution or defense.