Clearing the Field

For the first time in party history, only one Alaska Democrat appeared on the gubernatorial primary ballot. Despite a late entrance into the 2018 race, former U.S. Senator Mark Begich ran unopposed for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination while seven Republicans – second most in party history (1986, nine) – duked it out for the GOP…

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Feast or Famine

With Attorney General Lori Swanson and state Representative Erin Murphy losing to Tim Walz in Minnesota’s 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary, Minnesota will continue its streak of never nominating a woman to the office of governor from a major party in state history. Meanwhile, with state Representative Peggy Flanagan and former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer…

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A Little Healthy Competition Never Hurt Anybody

For the first time since 1914, both Democratic and Republican gubernatorial primaries in Minnesota were decided by less than 10 points. On Tuesday, DFL Congressman Tim Walz defeated state Representative Erin Murphy by 9.6 points while Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson beat former Governor Tim Pawlenty by 8.7 points on the Republican side. Prior to…

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