Wisconsin
Minnesotans Still Divided Over Pawlenty; Culver and Doyle Ratings in 30s
While residents of Iowa and Wisconsin are speaking in loud, disapproving voices over the performance of their respective Democratic governors, Minnesotans are still basically split down the middle over how they rate the performance of Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty. The…
Read MoreKlobuchar’s Approval Rebounds While Senators Grassley, Harkin, Kohl, and Feingold’s Sink to Historic Lows
The latest round of SurveyUSA polling finds Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar rebounding back into familiar territory, while many of her Upper Midwestern colleagues see their job performance marks sink to record lows and struggle to reach even a positive…
Read MoreObama Approval Rating Holds in Minnesota, Plummets in Iowa and Wisconsin
Although Barack Obama’s approval rating has taken an (expected) hit in Minnesota since the beginning of his term, a hit all presidents endure, a new SurveyUSA poll finds Gopher State residents much more patient with the new Democratic president than…
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 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 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 MoreUnemployment Continues to Rise at Historic Pace Across Upper Midwest
June was not a good month for jobs in the Upper Midwest, with unemployment increasing in Minnesota and three of its four neighboring states – Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. While unemployment remains below the national average across the region,…
Read MoreThe Honeymoon Is Over: Obama Approval Rating Drops to 51 Percent in Minnesota
After six consecutive months of notching approval ratings between 59 and 65 percent in the Gopher State, President Barack Obama’s job performance numbers haven taken a nose-dive in July, in not only Minnesota, but other key battleground states as measured…
Read MoreWisconsin Overtakes Minnesota as #1 State in Health Care Quality Rankings
The newly released 2008 state rankings by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) finds the State of Wisconsin has passed Minnesota for overall health care quality in the United States….
Read MorePawlenty Unallotment Strategy, Decision Not to Run in 2010 Have Little Impact on Approval Ratings
Just as Tim Pawlenty’s announcement that he would use an unallotment strategy to resolve the state’s budget crisis had little impact on his approval ratings in late May, his decision to not seek a third term as Minnesota’s Governor also…
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