MN State House
Pawlenty Faces 4th Largest Democratic-Dominated Legislature Among GOP Governors Nationwide
With the release of the DFL’s budget earlier this month, the war of words (and policies) in the budget battle between the DFL leadership and Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty has seemingly intensified. During her media availability last Friday, House…
Read MoreBeyond the War of Words At the Capitol: What’s Next?
During the House DFL leadership’s press conference last Thursday in which they unveiled the broad strokes of their balanced budget plan, Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Majority Leader Tony Sertich used biting language to characterize the budget plan of their…
Read MoreMinnesota Legislature Ranks Near Bottom in Proportional Representation of African-Americans
Although Minnesota has the 4th highest percentage of women serving in state legislatures nationwide, the Gopher State only ranks 40th in the country in terms of proportional representation of African-Americans in St. Paul. Out of the 201 legislators in the…
Read MoreWhat Euphemism For ‘Tax Increase’ Do You Prefer?
“The word-mincing going on around here gets creative.” That was what Republican House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said at a media availability session last Friday in reference to ‘Democratic-speak’ and how he believes the DFL will seek to raise…
Read MoreMinnesota Ranks 4th in the Nation in Electing Women to State Legislatures
Unlike its Upper Midwestern neighbors, Minnesota continues to be among the nation’s leading states in electing women to state legislative office, according an analysis by Smart Politics of data compiled by the National Conference of State Legislatures. For the second…
Read MoreWhy (the DFL Thinks) Pawlenty Does Not Want A Structurally Balanced Budget
One of the frequent refrains heard throughout the DFL leadership this session has been a criticism of Governor Tim Pawlenty’s budget as failing to be structurally balanced beyond the 2010-2011 fiscal years, and a disapproval of the Governor’s use of…
Read MoreWill the DFL Get a Second Chance at a Veto-Proof Majority in 2010?
The DFL’s failure to secure a veto-proof majority in the State House in the 2008 elections means, among other things, that they are required to take more heed of Governor Tim Pawlenty’s proposals in this session’s battle over how to…
Read MoreLive Blog: House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher
8:05 a.m. Minnesota House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher is giving a talk at the Humphrey Institute this morning entitled, “Leading for Minnesota’s Future.” 8:08 a.m. Speaker Kelliher compares the time of her childhood in the 1970s and early 1980s to…
Read MoreHouse Speaker Warns New Budget Forecast Will Make Minnesotans’ Stomach Sick
Although the new budget forecast for the state of Minnesota will not be released until Tuesday, state lawmakers are already confirming the doom and gloom that many Gopher State residents fear they will soon be facing. At the end of…
Read MoreThe Unsinkable Michele Bachmann
The Rothenberg Political Report came out with its first U.S. House rankings for the 2010 election cycle on Wednesday, and both of Minnesota’s competitive Republican-held Congressional districts made the list. Erik Paulsen’s 3rd CD and Michele Bachmann’s 6th CD are…
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