Ron Paul capped a busy weekend of presidential politics leading into today's Minnesota caucus when he pulled in 4,000 supporters to a rally on the University of Minnesota campus Monday night.
Paul, seeking the GOP nod for president, has consistently run a distant fourth in Republican races to this point but that didn't dissuade thousands from cheering the Texas Congressman as he spoke for 45 minutes at Northrop Auditorium.
Paul has run somewhat of an insurgent campaign, raising millions of dollars online in short periods of time from fiercely loyal supporters who rally around his libertarian views and blunt honesty.
Several supporters who talked with Minnesota Public Radio said they were previously disenfranchised voters brought into the process by Paul. Check out their story.
Beth Pearlman | Posted 11:02 a.m. Feb. 4 Hillary Clinton made a campaign stop in the Twin Cities Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s Minnesota caucus, pulling in 4,000 supporters who trickled into the Augsburg College gym for several hours ahead of her appearance.
The crowd spilled into an outside area where closed-circuit monitors followed the events for those who couldn’t get inside.
It was late afternoon – about an hour before Super Bowl kickoff – when the candidate arrived following a campaign stop in Missouri.
Folks on their feet anxious for Clinton’s appearance got the first hint of her arrival when the traveling press and secret service rushed in just ahead of the candidate.
She swept onto stage along with former Vice President, Walter Mondale and the student chairs of the Augsburg and University of Minnesota Clinton campaigns.
The results of Minnesota's first Feb. 5 Super Tuesday caucus for Democrats could hinge on two key questions.
Who will John Edwards' supporters get behind? And which party's caucuses will independent voters show up at?
Hillary Clinton held just a slight edge over Barack Obama in Minnesota last week measured by polling and fundraising data.
The fundraising gap was negligible, with Minnesotans writing checks totalling $418,567 to Clinton and $397,123 to Obama, according to the latest Federal Elections Commission reports.
Super Tuesday, Giga Tuesday, Tsunami Tuesday, The Tuesday of Destiny... this year's presidential primary on February 5 goes by many names. Yet it's not the name that matters-- it's the voter turnout.
In Minnesota, the political headquarters of presidential candidates Ron Paul, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton are buzzing. Massive voter outreach efforts are taking place thanks to dozens of the candidates' volunteers.
Meanwhile, bumper stickers and signs are appearing on the cars and in the yards of dedicated voters. Television and radio ads are in full force.
Minnesota, like 6 other states (Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, New Mexico, and North Dakota), operates on a caucus system. As opposed to a state-sponsored primary system, a caucus is party-sponsored. Therefore, voters will need to register with a political party whose issues and candidates they support.
From there, it's the voters' responsibility to elect delegates from within their precincts to push their chosen candidate forward; political parties will weigh the amount of delegates each candidate receives in order to determine which one will receive the party's official nomination. The nominee will be announced prior to the party's national convention.
John McCain is heading into the Minnesota caucus next week with national front-runner status and an apparent edge in Minnesota's GOP contest, too.
The Arizona senator notched his third primary win in Florida, taking the lead with 97 convention delegates. Former governors Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas have secured 74 and 29 delegates, respectively. Libertarian Ron Paul has six delegates and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani dropped out after winning just two delegates.
McCain has out-fundraised his rivals in Minnesota and is expected to benefit from his ties to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who stumped for McCain in Iowa, Florida and New Hampshire.
"The Pawlenty factor should make McCain a pretty strong candidate,"said Hamline University political science professor David Schultz. "It's almost like the icing on the cake. The fact that he's got that momentum going into Super Tuesday in Minnesota, where you now have the governor and a lot of the state Republican party behind him."
Dan Haugen | Posted 9:34 a.m. Feb. 3 Sen. Barack Obama rallied supporters in Minneapolis on Saturday, three days before Minnesota's first ever Feb. 5 Super Tuesday caucuses.
The scene was one the Minnesota Timberwolves can only dream of these days: a packed Target Center crowd of nearly 20,000 on its feet and cheering with playoff-game intensity.
"Wow, this is a pretty good crowd," the candidate remarked as he took the stage around 4 p.m. "What a sight all of you are."
A scan of the diverse crowd showed supporters black and white, young and old, and plenty in between. Scattered in the sea were union caps, head scarves, even a stetson above one man's brow. The music was equally eclectic, ranging from funk and soul to punk and country, and then live music from local band Golden Smog to warm up the audience.
"That's a first," singer Jeff Tweedy quipped after "the wave" broke-out around the arena during one of their songs.
Parker Hodges | Posted 7:52 a.m. Feb. 1 In the wake of voting results earlier this week, and two candidates dropping out, the remaining high-profile candidates took a breath and reshaped their strategy heading into next Tuesday's de facto national primary.
For Mitt Romney that reportedly includes a stop in Minnesota sometime this weekend or into Monday, the Star Tribune reported. The visit comes amid a recent poll which showed Romney trailing a surging John McCain in Minnesota -- who received support of 41 percent of GOP backers polled -- and Mike Huckabee, who had the vote of 22 percent. Romney came in at 17 percent.
The paper also points to an Associated Press report that John McCain doesn't have plans to visit the state.
Ron Paul plans a stop at a University of Minnesota rally Monday night.
Check out the story on startribune.com which, unfortunately, requires registration.
Parker Hodges | Posted 1:58 p.m. Jan. 31 The latest statewide poll shows Sen. John McCain surging out ahead of his nearest rivals Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney, while Hillary Clinton holds a less imposing lead over Barack Obama with Tuesday's Minnesota caucus looming.
The Minnesota Public Radio/Humphrey Institute poll on the Democratic side showed John Edwards pulling in support from 12% of those polled to Obama's 33% and Clinton's 40%. Thirteen percent declared that they don't yet know who they are supporting. Since the survey Edwards has dropped out and no clear picture has emerged about where Edwards supporters are heading. The candidate hasn't yet endorsed one of his former rivals.
McCain's lead in the state has stretched to 19 points over Huckabee and 24 points ahead of Romney, considered his more serious opponent at the moment.
You can get more poll details from mpr.org right here.
While Mike Ciresi is perhaps best known for his involvement in a number of monumental lawsuits, including one held against the American tobacco industry by Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the state of Minnesota, his latest claim-to-fame is his 2008 campaign for Minnesota Senate.
Ciresi announced his plans to run for Senator in early 2007, affiliating himself with the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). Ciresi last ran for senate in 2000, but lost in the Minnesota DFL primary.
Ciresi believes the DFL to be the party that best represents the hard-working, middle class families of Minnesota. "In our society ... there are two competing principles: the common good and self-interest. And this nation has done best – best – when it's tilted toward the common good," said Ciresi.
Ciresi often reflects upon his own humble upbringings. As the son of a first-generation immigrant (his father sold produce from a horse-drawn carriage), the Minnesota-born Ciresi experienced financial hardships throughout his childhood.
Parker Hodges | Posted 6:39 a.m. Feb. 1 A day after the release of poll results showing Sen. John McCain surging ahead among state Republicans and Sen. Hillary Clinton holding onto a lead over Sen. Barack Obama comes word of a very tight Minnesota Senate race nine months ahead of the vote.
The Minnesota PubliC Radio/Humphrey Institute Poll shows that, as of late January, Al Franken held a commanding lead over his closest DFL challenger Mike Ciresi in the mind of the state's Democrats.
The public radio station is careful to note atop its online story that the poll is no indicator of the outcome of next week's Minnesota caucus, but does indicate what would happen if the general election were held today.
In that contest, incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and Franken would be in a stastical dead heat heading to the polls. Coleman holds a five-point edge over Mike Ciresi and double-digit leads over the two other candidates seeking the DFL endorsement.
The poll director -- University of Minnesota professor Lawrence Jacobs -- said he was surprised about how far ahead Franken has pulled from his DFL competitors. Check out MPR's story.
Parker Hodges | Posted 1:58 p.m. Jan. 30 Over at WCCO-TV they have that news segment called "Good Question" which reached a high promotional profile when it was fronted by Ben Tracy, whose work on it led to a jump up to the network newsroom.
If you're unfamiliar, the premise is to ask a basic, near universal question -- "How Do Water Towers Work?" or "Why Do Your Noses Run When It's Cold?" -- and then get answers on camera, cut it into a story and promote the heck out of it to try and get folks to tune in at 10. (It also provides a great opportunity for cute "man on the street" interviews asking passers by what they the answer.)
Anyway, if you're curious about why Minnesota has a caucus and not a primary the new "Good Question" guy found out the answer last night, and you likely won't be shocked to discover that the answer is, well, political. Give the story a read or watch it in the Flash player on the same page.
Parker Hodges | Posted 1:17 p.m. Jan. 31 Word arrived a week or so ago that Barack Obama was coming to Minnesota Saturday for a rally heading into Tuesday's caucus. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak -- chairing Obama's statewide organization -- hinted earlier this week that they were seeking a spot that could hold several thousand people. They found that and more.
Obama will appear at the Target Center, with doors opening at 1:30 p.m. No word on when Obama's expected to arrive. While the event is free and open to the public, a ticket is required. They are being distributed through Obama campaign offices in both of the Twin Cities, the university and five outstate office ... and can be found online, according to the Pioneer Press.Update: Obama's campaign says all tickets for Saturday's event were called for within a day, the newspaper said.
Parker Hodges | Posted 12:58 p.m. Jan. 30 Which Al Franken do you know best? The Al Franken from Air America and "The Al Franken Show?" The comedian and writer from Saturday Night Live? Maybe it's from the Al Franken Bill O'Reilly feud?
Well, as you know he's made Minnesota news in the last year as he's now Al Franken the DFLer running in the Minnesota Senate election against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. He's getting his first major political test Tuesday at the Minnesota caucus when he gets a true gauge of his standing with the state's voters.
Franken is battling Mike Ciresi, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Jim Cohen for the DFL endorsement in his first Minnesota election.
In his first round of TV spots, Franken has been introducing himself to state voters as someone who grew up modestly in St. Louis Park and, despite his career taking him away from the state, explains that he hasn't lost the values he grew up with. Learn more about Franken right here.
Al Franken may be best known for his political comedy, but the best-selling author and former Air America Radio host is dead serious about his U.S. Senate campaign in Minnesota.
Franken made Minnesota news in February 2007 when he announced he was running for election to the U.S. Senate from the state during the final episode of his Air America Radio program, "The Al Franken Show." The show ran for nearly three years.
"I'm not a typical politician," Franken said in a video message on his Web site, Alfranken.com. "I've spent my career as a comedian. Minnesotans have a right to be skeptical about whether I'm ready for this challenge, and to wonder how seriously I would take the responsibility that I'm asking you to give me."
Franken said that he has many reasons to be taken seriously, partly due to his background. He grew up in a working-class family that was forced to move to Minneapolis after the family quilting business failed in the ‘50s. He said another reason is his wife, Franni Franken, who grew up with four siblings and a widowed mother reliant upon Social Security benefits. Read More
Parker Hodges | Posted 10:43 a.m. While Tuesday's caucus won't provide a "winner" in the DFL Senate race, it will give the campaigns and voters the first formal whiff of where the candidates stand in the eyes of voters ... at least in the handful who head to a caucus.
Until then, one of the few tools (other than polls, of course) that can be used to gauge the contest is endorsements. Not individual endorsements from other politicians, but rather official nods from organizations that bring in candidates for interviews before announcing which one they stand behind.
In some cases an endorsement can bring volunteers, cash, clout or publicity. In some cases it may even be able to help swing a caucus. A DFL candidate appears to have received one of those yesterday when the chair of the state's DFL Veterans Caucus announced who that group if backing. Check out the choice and reasoning via the Fergus Falls Daily Journal.
John Edwards popped into St. Paul Tuesday night for a union hall campaign rally ahead of Tuesday's caucus. Here's this morning's coverage:
+> Edwards arrived with a "struggling" campaign and a populist message, evoking Paul Wellstone, "celebrity candidates" and saying in a newspaper interview that the media's harping on his campaign woes is "nonsense," the Star Tribune reports.
+> Edwards stop in St. Paul wasn't on the front page of the Pioneer Press Web site twincities.com -- or even on the site's politics page -- at 7 a.m. the next day.
+> A "full-throated, standing room only" crowd greeted Edwards and, after arriving "glassy-eyed and shivering" left "perspired and energized." The crowd was a mix of young and old and included a heavy dose of union members, Minnesota Public Radio reported in its web site story.
+> During the stop, Edwards "tried to energize" his campaign with a message to union members and other supporters that he would "put their interests ... above the rich," The Associated Press passes along. As with the other two stories, the Wellstone mention was brought up in the first handful of paragraphs.
While Minnesota has the seventh-largest number of Democratic convention delegates at stake in the 22 states holding a primary or caucus next Tuesday it seems not enough to draw Hillary Clinton for a campaign stop. At least so far.
While John Edwards campaigns at a St. Paul rally tonight before heading for a stop in North Dakota Wednesday, the buzz is already building for Barack Obama's planned visit Saturday.
The Illinois Senator's point person in Minnesota -- state campaign chair and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak -- began priming the pump Monday. He unveiled two new Obama ads running in the state along with saying the plans are to hold a rally designed to attract several thousand people at an undetermined time Saturday.
That news and more (including the theme of Obama's ads) was outlined by Pioneer Press political writer Bill Salisbury Monday night.
While the buzz began among DFLers yesterday about Barack Obama making a Twin Cities campaign stop Saturday, John Edwards will be in town tonight.
He'll be at the Carpenter's Union Hall at 710 Olive Street in St. Paul. You can RSVP for the event right here.
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Ron Paul capped a busy weekend of presidential politics leading into today's Minnesota caucus when he pulled in 4,000 supporters to a rally on the University of Minnesota campus Monday night.
Paul, seeking the GOP nod for president, has consistently run a distant fourth in Republican races to this point but that didn't dissuade thousands from cheering the Texas Congressman as he spoke for 45 minutes at Northrop Auditorium.
Paul has run somewhat of an insurgent campaign, raising millions of dollars online in short periods of time from fiercely loyal supporters who rally around his libertarian views and blunt honesty.
Several supporters who talked with Minnesota Public Radio said they were previously disenfranchised voters brought into the process by Paul. Check out 
Hillary Clinton made a campaign stop in the Twin Cities Sunday ahead of Tuesday’s Minnesota caucus, pulling in 4,000 supporters who trickled into the Augsburg College gym for several hours ahead of her appearance.
The crowd spilled into an outside area where closed-circuit monitors followed the events for those who couldn’t get inside.
It was late afternoon – about an hour before Super Bowl kickoff – when the candidate arrived following a campaign stop in Missouri.
Folks on their feet anxious for Clinton’s appearance got the first hint of her arrival when the traveling press and secret service rushed in just ahead of the candidate.
She swept onto stage along with former Vice President, Walter Mondale and the student chairs of the Augsburg and University of Minnesota Clinton campaigns.
The results of Minnesota's first Feb. 5 Super Tuesday caucus for Democrats could hinge on two key questions.
Who will John Edwards' supporters get behind? And which party's caucuses will independent voters show up at?
Hillary Clinton held just a slight edge over Barack Obama in Minnesota last week measured by polling and fundraising data.
The fundraising gap was negligible, with Minnesotans writing checks totalling $418,567 to Clinton and $397,123 to Obama, according to the latest Federal Elections Commission reports.
John McCain is heading into the Minnesota caucus next week with national front-runner status and an apparent edge in Minnesota's GOP contest, too.
The Arizona senator notched his third primary win in Florida, taking the lead with 97 convention delegates. Former governors Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and Mike Huckabee of Arkansas have secured 74 and 29 delegates, respectively. Libertarian Ron Paul has six delegates and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani dropped out after winning just two delegates.
McCain has out-fundraised his rivals in Minnesota and is expected to benefit from his ties to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who stumped for McCain in Iowa, Florida and New Hampshire.
"The Pawlenty factor should make McCain a pretty strong candidate,"said Hamline University political science professor David Schultz. "It's almost like the icing on the cake. The fact that he's got that momentum going into Super Tuesday in Minnesota, where you now have the governor and a lot of the state Republican party behind him."
Sen. Barack Obama rallied supporters in Minneapolis on Saturday, three days before Minnesota's first ever Feb. 5 Super Tuesday caucuses.
The scene was one the Minnesota Timberwolves can only dream of these days: a packed Target Center crowd of nearly 20,000 on its feet and cheering with playoff-game intensity.
"Wow, this is a pretty good crowd," the candidate remarked as he took the stage around 4 p.m. "What a sight all of you are."
A scan of the diverse crowd showed supporters black and white, young and old, and plenty in between. Scattered in the sea were union caps, head scarves, even a stetson above one man's brow. The music was equally eclectic, ranging from funk and soul to punk and country, and then live music from local band Golden Smog to warm up the audience.
"That's a first," singer Jeff Tweedy quipped after "the wave" broke-out around the arena during one of their songs.
In the wake of voting results earlier this week, and two candidates dropping out, the remaining high-profile candidates took a breath and reshaped their strategy heading into next Tuesday's de facto national primary.
For Mitt Romney that reportedly includes a stop in Minnesota sometime this weekend or into Monday, the Star Tribune reported. The visit comes amid a recent poll which showed Romney trailing a surging John McCain in Minnesota -- who received support of 41 percent of GOP backers polled -- and Mike Huckabee, who had the vote of 22 percent. Romney came in at 17 percent.
The paper also points to an Associated Press report that John McCain doesn't have plans to visit the state.
Ron Paul plans a stop at a University of Minnesota rally Monday night.
Check out 
While Mike Ciresi is perhaps best known for his involvement in a number of monumental lawsuits, including one held against the American tobacco industry by Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the state of Minnesota, his latest claim-to-fame is his 2008 campaign for Minnesota Senate.
Ciresi announced his plans to run for Senator in early 2007, affiliating himself with the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). Ciresi last ran for senate in 2000, but lost in the Minnesota DFL primary.
Ciresi believes the DFL to be the party that best represents the hard-working, middle class families of Minnesota. "In our society ... there are two competing principles: the common good and self-interest. And this nation has done best – best – when it's tilted toward the common good," said Ciresi.
Ciresi often reflects upon his own humble upbringings. As the son of a first-generation immigrant (his father sold produce from a horse-drawn carriage), the Minnesota-born Ciresi experienced financial hardships throughout his childhood.
Which Al Franken do you know best? The Al Franken from Air America and "The Al Franken Show?" The comedian and writer from Saturday Night Live? Maybe it's from the Al Franken Bill O'Reilly feud?
Well, as you know he's made Minnesota news in the last year as he's now Al Franken the DFLer running in the Minnesota Senate election against Republican incumbent Norm Coleman. He's getting his first major political test Tuesday at the Minnesota caucus when he gets a true gauge of his standing with the state's voters.
Franken is battling Mike Ciresi, Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer and Jim Cohen for the DFL endorsement in his first Minnesota election.
In his first round of TV spots, Franken has been introducing himself to state voters as someone who grew up modestly in St. Louis Park and, despite his career taking him away from the state, explains that he hasn't lost the values he grew up with. Learn more about Franken 
John Edwards popped into St. Paul Tuesday night for a union hall campaign rally ahead of Tuesday's caucus. Here's this morning's coverage:
+> Edwards arrived with a "struggling" campaign and a populist message, evoking Paul Wellstone, "celebrity candidates" and saying in a newspaper interview that the media's harping on his campaign woes is "nonsense," the 