MN State House
How Do Politicians Use Twitter? A Case Study of Rep. Laura Brod
Minnesota politicians (and the news media) increasingly used Twitter to communicate to their respective audiences during the 2009 legislative session in St. Paul. Some news outlets, such as Politics in Minnesota, tweeted thousands of policy updates and commentaries on the…
Read MoreIs New GOP House Minority Leader Kurt Zellers Politically Vulnerable?
The Minnesota House Republican’s selection of Kurt Zellers (32B-Maple Grove) as their new Minority Leader may not be unusual in terms of the 4-term legislator’s political ideology (conservative) or policy positions (pro tax cuts and fiscal responsibility), but it is…
Read MoreDoes Marty Seifert Represent a ‘Swing District?’
GOPer Marty Seifert (21A-Marshall) announced yesterday that he would be stepping down as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives on June 24th, explaining he did not think it was appropriate to represent his caucus while contemplating a new position…
Read MoreThe ‘W’ Word: Seifert Says DFL Ran the Legislature Like Democrats in Washington
In his final media availability at the Capitol for 2009, House GOP Minority Leader Marty Seifert cast a very critical look in his (Tuesday) morning quarterbacking of the 86th Legislative session for 2009. Calling it “a session of lost opportunity,”…
Read MoreMinnesota Legislature on Pace for Most Days in Session by Decade
One of the reasons cited by Governor Tim Pawlenty in his recent declaration that there will be no special session this year to resolve the state’s budget crisis, is that he does not believe residents of the Gopher State should…
Read MoreA Historical Snapshot of Minnesota’s Legislative Special Sessions
Governor Tim Pawlenty delivered a shot across the DFL’s bow Thursday afternoon, or perhaps it was the dropping of an A-bomb, when he declared there would be no special sessions to resolve the state’s budget matters and that, if need…
Read MoreMinnesota’s ‘McCain 14’ Split on House Tax Increase
Although House DFLers were able to push through a tax bill on Saturday to raise approximately $1.5 billion in revenue for the State of Minnesota, 20 percent of its caucus peeled off to join the Republicans in voting against the…
Read MoreIs Minnesota the Most Democratic-Friendly State in the Midwest?
Smart Politics recently examined Governor Tim Pawlenty’s approval rating and highlighted its remarkable strength and stability in the face of the current economic crisis. But Pawlenty’s popularity is also noteworthy when viewed in the greater partisan environment of the Gopher…
Read MoreMarty Seifert: His Own Kind of Republican
In a colorful speech delivered at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs on Wednesday afternoon, Minnesota House Minority Leader Marty Seifert (HD 21A-Marshall) discussed some of the differences between a ‘Marty Seifert Republican’ and a ‘Washington, D.C. Republican’ as well…
Read MorePawlenty 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…
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