Tom Rukavina

Asked what the biggest threat facing Minnesota now is, gubernatorial candidate and state Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, is quick with an answer: Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s unallotments. In a video by Craig Stellmacher, Rukavina says the legislature “should’ve come out swinging” immediately after Pawlenty decided unilaterally to cut $2.7 billion from the state budget. He believes [...]

State Rep. Tom Rukavina tried to announce his 2010 run for governor at the AFL-CIO Labor Day picnic in Duluth but got the bum’s rush from organizers who said speaking slots were filled with locals. So Rukavina moved his announcement to the wings, promising “moxie,” as other DFL gubernatorial hopefuls mingled away from the mics. [...]

A Democrat hasn’t been elected governor in Minnesota since 1986. If that trend continues in 2010 it certainly won’t be for a lack of qualified candidates. Currently nine DFLers have announced their intention to seek the state’s top office, with a few others still mulling a run. On Tuesday seven of the challengers showed up [...]

That’s because those are the days with the shortest wait-times for help from state workforce centers, according to Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Dan McElroy. But in other testimony before a state House committee Monday, a man who was among 200 workers laid off at a Chanhassen printing plant suggested it’s useless even [...]

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 [...]

State Rep. Tom Rukavina is not hesitant to advocate higher taxes. While many of his DFL colleagues danced rhetorical circles around the state’s budgetary mess during the last legislative session, the 12-term Iron Range legislator repeatedly stated that increased revenue would need to be part of any solution. Now Rukavina is looking to bring that blunt — and perhaps politically obtuse — talk to the 2010 gubernatorial race.

State Rep. Tom Rukavina has created a campaign committee to explore a potential gubernatorial bid. The veteran Iron Range legislator joins a crowded field. Seven other Democrats have filed paperwork with the state’s Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board in order to raise funds for the race, while at least a half dozen more are [...]

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.

The Minnesota House of Representative is in the midst of a spirited, often cranky debate over a DFL tax bill that includes $1 billion in tax increases, including one on alcohol.

Public safety officers and legislators held a noontime rally at the Capitol today to reinforce their opposition to Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s proposed 14 percent cut to Local Government Aid, which many cities and towns rely on to fund core services like police, fire and libraries.