Minnesota’s newly elected constitutional officers were sworn in Monday, including now Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D-MN), and Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN). All five officials inaugurated are members of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, a grim reminder to the Minnesota GOP that it failed to win a…
Read More
Minnesota State Rep.-elect Jay Xiong (D-St. Paul) hasn’t been sworn into office yet, but he’s already vowing to oppose the nation’s “vile president” and stand against “bigotry and racism, sexism and all other isms.” On Friday, Xiong released a statement discussing the actions of President Donald Trump as well as…
Read More
Secretary of State Steve Simon (D-MN) unveiled his “Investing in Democracy” 2019 agenda during a Thursday press conference where he announced plans to restore voting rights to felons after they are released from prison. Currently, Minnesota is one of 22 states that revokes voting rights for felons during incarceration and…
Read More
The only thing barring Democrats from total control of Minnesota’s government is a one-seat Republican majority in the Senate, but that might not be enough to block gun-control efforts during the upcoming session. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) recently indicated that he has “some openness” on the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL)…
Read More
Minnesota Democratic House Speaker-designate Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park) announced Wednesday that Democratic legislators are preparing to introduce a package of 10 bills as early as next month. The new legislative session will begin January 8 and the Speaker plans to introduce the package the next day. While the specific bills have yet…
Read More
Local celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern is fond of criticizing President Donald Trump for his “hate fueled” and “anti-immigrant” rhetoric, but the “Bizarre Foods” host has spent the week apologizing for culturally insensitive comments of his own. In an interview with Fast Company published early last week, Zimmern discussed the opening…
Read More
Lt. Gov-elect Peggy Flanagan (D-MN) told the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that the incoming administration plans to push for a MinnesotaCare buy-in option. The public health insurance option was widely criticized by Republicans on the campaign trail, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson, who criticized Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN)…
Read More
Minnesota’s newly-elected Democrats almost instantly promulgated the mainstream media’s wall-to-wall coverage of Monday’s border fiasco, but said nothing of the fact that tear-gas agents are frequently used at the border, and have been for years. Tweeting at 6:30 Monday morning, Rep.-elect Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) said he was waking up to…
Read More
After his four-point victory in a contentious race for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, Keith Ellison has been making the rounds on local media outlets to rebuild trust with voters. Just days after his win, The Star Tribune ran a “thank-you” letter written by Ellison to the voters in which…
Read More
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN-07), soon to be chair of the House Agriculture Committee, had some choice words for his fellow Democrats whom he believes are siding with “extreme environmentalists” over Minnesota’s farmers. “In a district like mine, the biggest problem we have is with the environmentalists,” said Peterson, who represents…
Read More
Keith Ellison accuser Karen Monahan claims to have evidence that the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party tried “to cover up facts” during its investigation into the former congressman. Monahan first accused Ellison of domestic abuse just days before his August primary, but after Ellison defeated Republican Doug Wardlow in a tight race…
Read More
Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) underwent back surgery at Mayo Clinic in October in what was the latest in a series of health scares, but his staff took a month to inform the public that he was still hospitalized. “Governor Dayton’s doctor is pleased with how Friday’s surgery went and believes…
Read More
Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park) was facing pressure to resign in 2017 after criticizing her “white male” colleagues for sitting in the “retiring room” during a debate, but now she has been selected to serve as the next Minnesota House speaker. “I hate to break up the 100 percent…
Read More
Democrat Dan Feehan conceded in the race for Minnesota’s First Congressional District on Friday, nearly 10 days after his loss to Republican Jim Hagedorn. For the second time in a row, Minnesota’s First District was the closest race in the state, and one of the closest in the country, but…
Read More
The Minnesota Republican Party continued its 10-year statewide losing streak Tuesday, but party leaders are hesitant to accept any blame for the disastrous performance. State Republicans lost up and down the ballot in both local and federal elections, losing races for the governorship, attorney general, secretary of state, state auditor,…
Read More
Keith Ellison has resigned as deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee after defeating Republican Doug Wardlow in the race for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Throughout the campaign, Wardlow used Ellison’s high-ranking position with the DNC as evidence that the Democrat would conduct himself in a partisan manner while…
Read More
Newly-elected Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) made no mention of her Republican opponent Karin Housley during her victory speech Tuesday night nor in her posts made on social media after the election. Smith, who took over for Al Franken less than a year ago after his resignation, defeated Housley 53 percent…
Read More
During one of his first public appearances as governor-elect, Democrat Tim Walz said Minnesotans can expect to see a gas-tax increase in his first budget proposal due at the beginning of the year. Speaking to reporters during a visit to his transition office in the Minnesota State Capitol Thursday, Walz…
Read More
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party won five of Minnesota’s eight congressional districts, adding to an already decisive night of Democratic victories across the state. There were, however, some key Republican upsets throughout Minnesota, particularly in Minnesota’s First Congressional District where Republican Jim Hagedorn was called the winner early Wednesday morning. Republican…
Read More
Millionaire businessman and heir to the Phillips Distilling Company Dean Phillips has unseated Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-MN-03) in Minnesota’s Third Congressional District. Phillips ran his campaign on fighting the corrupt influence of money in politics, while attacking Paulsen for not making himself available to his constituents, at one point garnering…
Read More
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party gathered for its “Midnight Madness” event Monday night in an election-eve tradition where the entire slate of Democratic candidates cheered on Keith Ellison is his bid for attorney general. DFL Chairman Ken Martin delivered an impassioned speech when introducing Ellison to the stage, saying the Democratic…
Read More
An emotional Keith Ellison took the stage at St. Paul’s Crowne Plaza hotel late Tuesday night to deliver his victory speech after defeating Republican Doug Wardlow in the race for Minnesota’s Attorney General Office. The race has been a constant source of controversy on both sides of the aisle, though…
Read More
Both Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) hung on to their Senate seats Tuesday in a what turned out to be a big night for Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party. While there was little doubt that Klobuchar would win her bid for a third term in the Senate,…
Read More
Democrat Tim Walz defeated Republican Jeff Johnson to become the next governor of Minnesota and extend the Democratic-Farmor-Labor (DFL) Party’s control of the governor’s mansion. Walz will succeed Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN), who has been governor of the state since 2011 but chose not to seek reelection after struggling with…
Read More
Minnesota voters are pushing back against a final ad released by Democrat Angie Craig, who claims in her commercial that Minnesotans are known for saying “there’s nothing that can’t be solved over a beer.” “We’ve got a saying in Minnesota: there’s nothing that can’t be solved over a beer,” Craig…
Read More
Minnesota’s candidates for office are literally campaigning through the night to make their final appeal to voters, many of whom are still undecided with just two days to go before the election. In Minnesota’s race for the Attorney General’s Office, 12 percent of voters have yet to make up their…
Read More
Minnesota’s gubernatorial candidates made their final appeal to voters Friday night, and Republican Jeff Johnson pulled no punches during the hour-long debate. Right off the bat, Johnson went after Democrat Tim Walz for “never” answering questions, criticizing Walz for refusing to clarify his support for making Minnesota a “sanctuary state.”…
Read More
Republican Karin Housley campaigned through the night Friday in her final push against Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) in their race for the U.S. Senate. The Housley campaign kicked off its 18-stop, 44-hour get-out-the-vote bus tour immediately following Thursday night’s debate at Hamline University, arriving in Duluth at 11:30 p.m. to…
Read More
After much anticipation, The Star Tribune ultimately withheld an endorsement in the race for Minnesota’s attorney general after finding both candidates “too partisan” to occupy the office. “It’s deeply frustrating to withhold an endorsement in a statewide race that’s this critical,” The Star Tribune Editorial Board wrote in an article…
Read More
Democrat Angie Craig recently refused to state whether she supports implementing a $15 federal minimum wage, calling the question “unfair.” During a debate hosted by the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce, the moderator asked the candidates to simply state “yes” or “no” in response to the question. “No,” incumbent…
Read More
Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) seemed to suggest during Thursday night’s debate that she would support President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall, but the Minnesota Republican Party called her comments insincere. Smith faced off against Republican challenger Karin Housley at Hamline University in St. Paul for the second-to-last debate of the…
Read More
Most Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party candidates have avoided campaigning with Keith Ellison ever since he was accused of domestic abuse, but Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) praised him as a “terrific” candidate on Thursday. “Everybody, Keith Ellison is going to make a terrific attorney general,” Smith said during one of the first…
Read More
Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party will be kicking of its 28-stop bus tour Thursday, but Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-05) is conspicuously absent from the list of scheduled speakers. In fact, Ellison is just one of two DFL candidates not scheduled for any stops on the tour. The only other candidate not…
Read More
The Star Tribune, Minnesota’s leading news source, has only endorsed one Republican for governor during the state’s last eight gubernatorial elections. Apart from its 1994 endorsement of Republican Arne Carlson, The Star Tribune has otherwise supported six Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party candidates, and one Independence Party candidate since 1990. In order,…
Read More
Ken Martin, chairman of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, touted his party’s record of supporting women in an interview that aired just days after he publicly declared that he does “not believe” Rep. Keith Ellison’s (D-MN-05) accuser. During a Wednesday press conference, Martin expressed his “support” for Ellison’s ex-girlfriend, Karen Monahan,…
Read More
Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Ken Martin admitted at a Wednesday press conference that he does “not believe” Rep. Keith Ellison’s (D-MN-05) accuser. Ellison was accused of domestic abused by ex-girlfriend Karen Monahan just days before his August primary, but has repeatedly denied the accusations, and a DFL investigation into the…
Read More
Another Minnesota Republican claims that she was attacked while on the campaign trail after she attempted to prevent the alleged assailant from destroying her campaign signs. Rep. Sarah Anderson (R-Plymouth), who is seeking reelection in District 44A, spotted a man damaging Republican campaign signs near her home, and proceeded to…
Read More
A Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party staffer recently called for the execution of Republicans after Election Day, saying they should be brought “to the guillotines.” William Davis, the DFL’s deputy communications director, made the comments on Facebook over the weekend in response to a friend’s post that encouraged Democrats to “take” their…
Read More
Republican Doug Wardlow is now attacking Democratic opponent Keith Ellison over a tax-evasion scandal dating back to the mid-90’s and early 2000’s. But in a twist of fate, Ellison’s tax troubles were most recently brought to light by President Barack Obama’s allies who sought to prevent Ellison from taking the…
Read More
Rep. Keith Ellison’s (D-MN-05) own party is beginning to distance itself from the candidate amid domestic-abuse allegations leveled against him in his campaign for Minnesota attorney general. Last week, Ellison was excluded from a list of President Barack Obama’s endorsements for Minnesota’s statewide races, which included 17 of Ellison’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor…
Read More
The candidates for Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District squared off in a heated debate Monday night in one of the nation’s most competitive and closely-watched congressional races. Since 1947, the district has only elected one Republican who served just one term, but went to President Donald Trump by more than ten…
Read More
Former Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and several of her Democratic allies have published a letter in support of Keith Ellison in his bid for Minnesota attorney general. The letter smears Ellison accuser Karen Monahan for her “repeated attacks on Keith Ellison’s current relationship” while calling into question the “timing” of…
Read More
Keith Ellison accuser Karen Monahan, who spent years as a volunteer for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, said she has been betrayed by her former colleagues after taking her allegations public. “The party that I worked to get elected since I was 21 has basically told my son, my family and…
Read More
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party’s final report in the investigation of Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-05) reveals that the congressman admitted to calling his accuser a “b—-” and threatened her for thinking of taking her allegations public. The 15-page report prepared by Minneapolis attorney Susan Ellingstad details the relationship between Ellison and…
Read More
The Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party is forwarding its investigation into Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-05) on to local authorities as a final step in the process, but so far nobody has agreed to undertake the review. Earlier this week, The Associated Press obtained a leaked copy of the DFL’s final report on…
Read More
Keith Ellison is considering stepping down from his role as co-chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) amid multiple domestic-abuse allegations and a contentious run for Minnesota attorney general. “You know, I’ve been evaluating that recently and we’ll see,” Ellison said on WCCO radio. “I need to put 100 percent…
Read More
Keith Ellison accuser Karen Monahan said the Democratic Party would sell its “soul for power” after news broke Monday that its investigation into the claims against Ellison concluded in his favor. The Associated Press obtained a draft report of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party’s investigation, which concludes that Monahan’s domestic-abuse allegations…
Read More
A Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party intern tracked down Republican lieutenant governor candidate Donna Bergstrom at her home and lied to her spouse in order to gain entry. “I’m disturbed to report that this weekend my amazing running-mate Donna Bergstrom returned to her home after a day on the campaign trail to…
Read More
Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Ken Martin broke his silence Monday on the allegations against Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN-05), saying he believes the investigation will wrap up in the coming days. Ellison, who is running for Minnesota attorney general, currently faces two domestic-abuse allegations, one of which became public just days…
Read More
A former Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party volunteer recently alleged that he was sexually harassed by two former coworkers, but was apparently lied to and misled when he brought the allegations to the party’s chairman. Christopher Horoshak claims that he was sexually harassed by two DFL employees during the run-up to the…
Read More