Archive for August 2009
What Are the Odds of a GOP Takeover of the Minnesota House in 2010?
While few Minnesota political pundits – or officeholders – are projecting a GOP takeover of the House of Representatives in November 2010, the Republican party leadership is very optimistic they are going to make gains into the DFL’s current 40-seat…
Read MoreWhich Lawmaker (and Political Party) Leaves the Biggest Twitter Footprint in Minnesota Politics?
Last month Smart Politics conducted a case study as to how one Minnesota lawmaker, Republican Representative Laura Brod, utilized the social networking site Twitter during the last legislative session. That study found the plurality of Rep. Brod’s tweets were about…
Read MoreMinnesota Has 3rd Lowest Increase in Unemployment Nationwide Since Enactment of Federal Stimulus Bill
As it turns out, the three-tenths of a percent decrease in jobless claims announced last week by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development is the backdrop to an even larger story of (relatively) good economic news for Minnesotans….
Read MoreCan the DFL Win a 6th U.S. House Seat in 2010?
As Minnesota faces the real prospect of losing its 8th U.S. House seat in the 2012 reapportionment, the DFL looks to close the current census period with a bang, by returning to its glory days of the 1990s when it…
Read MoreUnemployment Down in Minnesota and South Dakota, Flat in Wisconsin
New unemployment data released this week for the month of July in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin provides largely good news on the labor force front in the Upper Midwest. In Minnesota, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell from 8.4…
Read MoreMichele Bachmann Appears on National Cable TV Every 9 Days
With her A-block interview on health care reform on Fox News’ Hannity program Tuesday evening, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann has now equaled in 7+ months in 2009 the number of national cable television news appearances she made in all of…
Read MoreHow Long Before Brett Favre Gets a Job Approval Rating?
With future Hall of Famer Brett Favre signing a two-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings this week, the Gopher State’s most popular sports franchise is now officially led by the former face of its most hated rival, the Green Bay…
Read MoreWill Minnesota and Wisconsin Elect Governors from the Same Political Party in 2010?
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle’s official announcement on Monday that he would not be seeking a third term created not only a newfound battle for the Democratic nomination, but also a scenario whereby the Badger and Gopher States will both…
Read MoreAl Franken Receives First Grade As U.S. Senator: Minnesotans Split Down the Middle
As DFL Senator Al Franken inched into office by the narrowest of margins, both he and 2008 Republican opponent Norm Coleman endured negative net favorability ratings as their expensive, and frequently brutal campaigns gained neither candidate favor with a majority…
Read MoreCan the DFL End Its Gubernatorial Drought?
With House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher’s announcement that she is now officially in the 2010 gubernatorial race, the DFL adds yet another hopeful face to end a near quarter-century drought since the party last won the prized statewide office in…
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