A new Smart Politics analysis of various education indicators finds that Minnesota ranks at or near the top of key education outputs, despite having only a moderate number of public libraries in the state.
With slightly more than 350 public libraries, the Gopher State ranks just 21st in [...]
Virgo and Cancer are the most common signs for Minnesota governors throughout history; Scorpios and Sagittariuses are the rarest
While Governor Tim Pawlenty may be more well-known as one of only two Minnesota governors to have been elected two times without a majority of the vote (along with [...]
Peterson outduels Oberstar in per capita county-wide federal spending
Although long-time Minnesota U.S. Representative Jim Oberstar is regarded as one of the best at "delivering" to his district, in part due to his powerful Transportation Committee Chairmanship, in 2008 Oberstar was actually upstaged by another Capitol Hill veteran [...]
Rybak seeks to become the first Minnesota governor in over 80 years with a newspaper background
While R.T. Rybak is trying to become only the second governor in Minnesota history whose only prior governmental experience is mayoral, he does share one thing in common with several [...]
Soaring population in central Minnesota and southern metropolitan regions to require eventual carving up of 6th and 2nd Congressional Districts after 2010
Although the Gopher State's population is continuing to grow, there were concerns as late as last year that Minnesota might lose one of its eight seats' [...]
Lack of statewide political experience and (proportional) decline of Minneapolis' statewide population base present two challenges for the Mayor
While last month's Rasmussen poll showing a plurality of likely DFL primary voters equally split between Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton (with most [...]
Rep. McCollum is only member of the U.S. House's top 10 percent most liberal members to issue press release backing the President's plan
When DFL U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (MN-04) issued a press release last Tuesday in support of President Barack Obama's Afghan War strategy as outlined in [...]
Minneapolis October '09 Crime Rate Falls 10 Percent from a Year Ago Despite 27 Percent Rise in Unemployment
The Minneapolis Police Department's newly-released Uniform Crime Report (UCR) data for October 2009 finds crime in Minnesota's largest city down 10.1 percent from one year ago, despite a 27 percent' [...]
Governor is adamant that, despite rumored political aspirations or busy travel schedule, there is "no work in his office or administration that is left undone"
At a press conference Wednesday afternoon discussing the State of Minnesota's projected $1.2 billion deficit, Governor Tim Pawlenty was constantly barraged with questions, [...]
Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin Rank Among the Bottom 10 States in Per Capita Fatalities; Non-Hostile Deaths Account for More than 25 Percent of U.S. Death Toll
President Barack Obama's announcement at West Point Tuesday evening that another 30,000 troops will be deployed in the war against the Taliban' [...]
50+ Year Analysis Finds Only Modest Increase in Winning Percentage for Teams Receiving New Stadiums
With the Minnesota Vikings on track to perhaps tie their best ever regular season record, Brett Favre on pace to notch one of the best years for a quarterback in NFL history, [...]
Democratic-Controlled Legislatures in the Spotlight, Facing Largest Budget Shortfalls Across the Nation
With new data expected to reveal an additional budget gap in the next economic forecast to be released by Gopher State finance officials this Wednesday, numbers recently released by the Center on Budget and [...]
Seven-state West North Central Geographical Division of the Midwest continues to have the lowest unemployment rate in the nation
Although Minnesota's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 7.6 percent for the month of October, the Gopher State's trend in jobless claims has generally been headed in the right [...]
Through six seasons Minnesota's MVP Catcher Rates Favorably With the Greatest Catchers in Major League Baseball History
The announcement of Joe Mauer's runaway victory as the American League's Most Valuable Player for 2009 on Monday gives Minnesota baseball fans something to celebrate in the off season, and raises [...]
While Republicans Erik Paulsen and Michele Bachmann are leading by a wide margin in the amount of funds raised overall by the Gopher State's U.S. House representatives and announced congressional candidates in the current election cycle, it is Bachmann's two DFL challengers, Maureen Reed and Tarryl Clark, [...]
The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs has launched a new site on political news reporting by University of Minnesota students.
The first installment, a "watchdog" series on Minnesota politics, sees the debut of three new articles: one on Department [...]
After three consecutive months of a declining percentage of Minnesotans filing unemployment claims, the Gopher State's seasonally adjusted jobless rate increased to 7.6 percent in October - up from 7.4 percent in September.
Unemployment in Minnesota has increased 35.7 percent from one year ago (5.6 percent) but is [...]
Roll Call columnist and American Enterprise Institute resident scholar Norm Ornstein will speak at the Humphrey Institute on Friday to review the Obama administration's wide-ranging policy initiatives and their progress in Congress as the political winds appears rady to shift.
A Report From Washington
Norm Ornstein, Resident [...]
Tim Walz and 6th CD DFL Challengers Reed and Clark Receiving Early Support in 2009 from State's Politicians
Depending on the fundraising strategies pursued by and opportunities presented to U.S. House officeholders and candidates, some politicians seek to build their campaign warchests through individual contributions (e.g. Michele Bachmann,' [...]
More than Twice As Many Republican U.S. House Members from Minnesota Have Had Military Service than DFLers Since Merger in 1944
Dr. Maureen Hackett, a forensic psychiatrist who served three years overseas as a psychiatrist in the United States Air Force, announced her candidacy on Tuesday for the [...]
Early Poll, Though Omitting Candidates, Suggests Coleman's Wait-And-See Approach Is Working
A new Rasmussen poll of 330 likely Republican primary voters in the Gopher State finds 50 percent want former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman to be their nominee.
Or do they?
To the chagrin of several candidates running [...]
Scenario could also be best chance for 3rd party revival in Gopher State
With all apologies to those who believe any analysis of the 2012 presidential election is still too premature, a newly released Rasmussen poll measuring the job performance of some members of the Minnesota [...]
Bachmann, Paulsen, and Kline Outraising DFLers by Nearly $30,000 in DFL Districts and by More Than $600,000 in GOP Districts
A Smart Politics analysis of 2009 Federal Elections Commission (FEC) data through the first three quarters of 2009 finds that Republican U.S. Representatives Michele Bachmann and Erik Paulsen [...]
One Tiny Minnesota Suburb Is Responsible for More than 10 Percent of All In State Large Donor Funds Contributed to the State's Eight U.S. House Members
Where do Minnesota's U.S. House members get the biggest bang for their buck when looking to build their campaign warchests? Minneapolis? St. [...]
Majority of Blue Dogs, Democratic Representatives in '08 Pick-up Districts, and Democrats in Competitive Districts All Vote in Favor of Bill
One of the reasons political analysts suspected Democrats might face difficulty in passing health care reform in the House this year, was due to potential holdouts among' [...]
Only 6 Percent of Large Donor Funds from 5th CD Residents Have Gone to Ellison This Year
A Smart Politics analysis of 2009 Federal Elections Commission (FEC) data finds that DFL Congressman Keith Ellison has only received 6.4 percent of individual itemized funds contributed by members of his [...]
Region Supported Amendment Banning Abortion Services from Bill by 12-11 Vote
The Upper Midwestern U.S. House delegation contributed 13 of the 220 votes Democrats received to pass a health care bill Saturday night that will require every American to obtain health insurance.
Two regional Blue Dog Democrats defected from their [...]
Less than half utilized 2nd choice option in mayoral race; voter turnout down by 25,000+ from 2005
Although nearly two-thirds of Minneapolis voters approved the change to ranked choice voting in 2006, less than half actually utilized the option of ranking multiple candidates in the mayoral election Tuesday [...]
Despite GOP-endorsed mayoral candidate Eva Ng improving notably in the City of St. Paul Tuesday night vis-Ã -vis the performances of John McCain and Norm Coleman from a year ago, one-term incumbent Chris Coleman posted the strongest performance in a St. Paul mayoral race in nearly 25 years.
Coleman [...]
With a new (partially) taxpayer-funded stadium set to open for the 50th year of Minnesota Twins baseball next year, all eyes will be on the franchise to see what players they lock up to long-term contracts (e.g. Joe Mauer), what players they acquire via trades or the [...]
With the latest polls indicating Democrats may be headed for a double digit loss in the open Virginia gubernatorial contest as well as a fight for their life to hold onto New Jersey's gubernatorial seat, Republican strategists are touting Tuesday's two highest profile races as both a [...]
Current Crop of 2010 Gubernatorial Candidates Is More 'Seasoned' Than Gopher State Governors Throughout History
(Previous installments of Smart Politics' 'Pathway to the Governor's Mansion' series include reports on the political experience, geographic background, and ethnic background of successful gubernatorial candidates in Minnesota history).
[...]
Pawlenty criticizes Republican nominee as someone "Undeserving of wearing the Republican jersey."
This week Governor Tim Pawlenty joined the ranks of Sarah Palin, Senator Jim DeMint, former Senator and Presidential candidate Fred Thompson, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, businessman and former presidential candidate Steve Forbes, and Minnesota Congresswoman [...]
Obama States Hold 10 of the Top 12 Slots in Out-of-State Per Capita Fundraising Among Itemized Individual Donors
Smart Politics reported yesterday that although PAC contributions to Congresswoman Michele Bachmann have been declining steadily over the past five quarters, contributions to her campaign by individuals have more [...]
Special Interest PAC Money to Bachmann's Campaign at Lowest Level Since Q2 2006 GOP Endorsement
U.S. Representative Michele Bachmann's latest fundraising haul - the 14th consecutive quarter of at least a quarter of a million dollars - stands out for the Congresswoman both for the impressive amount of [...]
Or, The End of Scandinavian Dominance
(Previous installments of Smart Politics' 'Pathway to the Governor's Mansion' series include reports on the political experience and geographic background of successful gubernatorial candidates in Minnesota history).
The elections of the last two governors in the Gopher State [...]
After holding more than 300 gubernatorial elections across the Upper Midwest during the past 160+ years, the region has yet to elect their first female governor.
With gubernatorial elections taking place in Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and Wisconsin next year, will 2010 be the year in which a [...]
As has been widely reported since the new quarterly fundraising data was released by the FEC late last week, South Carolina Republican Congressman Joe Wilson notched a jaw-dropping $2.69 million in contributions to his 2010 reelection campaign.
Wilson gained recent notoriety in some circles for his "You" [...]
Ellison Also Raises More Money from Californians Than Minnesotans for the Second Consecutive Quarter
For the third consecutive quarter, DFL Congressman Tim Walz relied more on "home grown" individual itemized (i.e. "large donor") contributions than any of the Gopher State's eight U.S. Representatives.
At 83.0 percent, Walz raised [...]
For yet another fundraising cycle, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann continues to lead the Minnesota U.S. House delegation in several key facets, beyond the obvious fact that she has raised the most funds in 2009 among the state's eight U.S. House members.
The Republican Representative, who led the Gopher State [...]
On the heels of an announcment Thursday that Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann raised $345,000 during the third quarter of 2009, the staunch conservative from Minnesota's 6th District has now raised $118,093 in just two days through her new "Send a Message to the Left" campaign.
Bachmann raised $89,000 [...]
Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Dan McElroy and State Economist Tom Stinson were very cautious in their outlook of the Gopher State's jobs situation after DEED released new numbers on Thursday that showed Minnesota's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate had dropped from 8.0 percent in [...]
If anyone wondered just how Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann would respond to the impressive fundraising numbers released earlier this week by DFL hopefuls Maureen Reed and, especially, State Senator Tarryl Clark, that question was answered on Wednesday.
Beginning with a new fundraising campaign on her website Wednesday morning [...]
In the first report on the pathway to the governor's mansion, Smart Politics documented the political experience Minnesota's 38 governors have had en route to becoming the chief executive of the Gopher State. Nearly 80 percent had served in state government before getting elected, with [...]
With nearly 20 announced or likely candidates under the DFL and Republican Party banners for the 2010 race for Governor of Minnesota, most gubernatorial hopefuls will doubtlessly be touting the political experience on their resume as they seek to win their respective party's nomination next year (or' [...]
Barack Obama's speech Saturday night at the Human Rights Campaign's annual dinner in Washington has, at least for the moment, brought the issue of gay rights back into the national conversation - a conversation that has largely been focused on unemployment, health care, bailouts, and the wars [...]
On the heels of the controversial, but increasingly popular signing of a future hall of fame quarterback, two consecutive dramatic home victories, and an undefeated 4-0 start to the 2009 season, St. Paul is buzzing again with talk of a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.
But will [...]
Minnesota Has 5th Highest Number of Fatalities in the Nation in 2009
The death of a Coon Rapids, Minnesota Army Major in Basra, Iraq on Tuesday, Tad T. Hervas, now brings the number of Gopher State fatalities in Operation Iraqi Freedom to 66 since the war began in [...]
President Barack Obama's clean sweep through Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin en route to his 2008 presidential election victory continues what has been a historical pattern for most of the past 150 years.
These three Upper Midwestern states have historically been a key electoral bloc for successful presidential [...]
As Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty continues to make national headlines with his budding 2012 presidential ambitions (e.g. launching his Freedom First PAC last week in order to support 2010 GOP candidates), he also continues to draw criticism statewide for his political travel that has taken him out [...]
