U.S. Republican Party

DeLay indicted

Red v. Blue: Dead heats in MN

6/22: Morning Communique

Election day in local blogdom: Encyclopedia Brodkorb is sooo all over the case of the stolen lawn signs

Battered and broken elephant lumbers towards St. Paul

Since when did the Republicans get so good at graphic design?

A raucous Iowa caucus

The Wizard of Odds: Iowa begins the road to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul

Pawlenty makes Sweet 16, aiming to win it all in 2012

In conjunction with more exciting NCAA March Madness, National Public Radio has a 2012 GOP bracket poll running on their site for the next Republican candidate.

Night of the Short Knives

As the GOP suffered the death of a thousand cuts last Tuesday, CP staffers captured scenes from the victory party that (mostly) wasn't

Courting Trouble

Judicial candidates in Minnesota can now be endorsed by a political party. The money hasn't flowed yet, but some races have already been politicized.

Savage Love

Judicial candidates in Minnesota can now be endorsed by a political party. The money hasn't flowed yet, but some races have already been politicized.

Hot Air

Fred Phelps and federal lawmakers blast homosexuals

After the Gold Rush

Bill Clinton raised a fortune for his campaign bid and became the first Democratic president re-elected since FDR. But his most enduring legacy may lie in the Republican Congress.

Republicans called "pro-rape" for Franken amendment vote, but what about the White House?

Republicans were called "pro-rape" for voting against Franken's amendment, but what about the Department of Defense and the White House? They were against it too.

Michele Bachmann: Crazy like a fox

The Minnesota congresswoman gives Sarah Palin a run for her money

Palin trounces Pawlenty as GOP standard bearer in new poll

The governor has been racking up a lot of frequent flyer miles lately, but not a lot of love.

Bachmann leads in new poll; most say she prefers DC limelight

The District 6 congresswoman is crazy like a fox, but maybe a little too in love with Fox.

Bachmann and Twitter grow to be fast friends

Crazy congresswoman building empire of tweeps

Tom Emmer, Marty Seifert, Mark Dayton, R.T. Rybak, narrow favorites in governor's race poll

Large numbers of undecided voters in each hypothetical contest mean there's no clear leaders yet in the race.

Tim Pawlenty plans "major announcement" at Facebook forum

​Gov. Tim Pawlenty say he plans to use his first-ever Facebook "town hall" session on Wednesday to make a "major announcement" and seek input on how more Republicans can win office in 2010. The fun begins at 6:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday. Participants will be able to e-mail questions and P ... More >>

Tim Pawlenty comments on bondage strip club

​The party of family values got caught red-faced this week when conservative news site The Daily Caller broke the story that a GOP operative tried to pass off patronage at a Los Angeles bondage strip club as a meal line item in her expense report. Righteous indignation followed (naturally). T ... More >>

Republicans pass secession resolution in 5th district

​A peculiar strain of crazy apparently took over the Republicans' fifth congressional district nominating convention on Saturday. The local members of the party of Lincoln passed a secession resolution on a voice vote: "Be it resolved the Republican Party of Minnesota supports nullification o ... More >>

Tim Pawlenty dips in 2012 polls and snubs Tea Party

​A CNN poll released yesterday shows Pawlenty's support dropping among Republicans. In a survey of 498 Republicans, only 2 percent said they were most likely to support Pawlenty. That's down from 5 percent in the CNN poll from late March, and it puts him in a tie for seventh place with Indiana ... More >>

Pat Bertroche, Iowa GOP candidate, wants microchips in illegal immigrants

American Kennel Club​If there's one thing Republicans are good at, it's the good old-fashioned shock-and-awe approach. This one has our jaws dropping. Pat Bertroche, a GOP congressional candidate in Iowa's Third District, has a unique approach to the nation's illegal immigration policy. It's ki ... More >>

Michele Bachmann finds little love for health care repeal

Bachmann's repeal effort has a long way to go.​Michele Bachmann is going to kill health care reform if it's the last thing she does. And it may well be the last thing she does, because it may take forever. Her congressional colleagues are not exactly beating a path to sign on to her bill see ... More >>

GOP convention bars UpTake citizen journalists

The state GOP convention starts tonight​Citizen video journalism site TheUptake says it can't get press credentials for the state Republican convention getting under way tonight in Minneapolis, after the Republicans tagged them as a DFL front group. "GOP Communications Director Mark Drake has ... More >>

GOP complaint against Tom Horner nixed by board. (That was fast)

​Who says the government isn't efficient? It took the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board just a day to consign a Republican complaint against IP gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner to the "out" box. The complaint alleges that former Republican Horner received an illegal cam ... More >>

Keith Ellison says, yep, there's "extreme racists" in the tea party

Photo: cometstarmoonKeven LawWhat about racism at tea parties?​The Republicans, led by Michele Bachmann, are trying to figure out how to co-opt tea partiers, and the Democrats said yesterday they're happy to let the Republicans do it. You want to stand with folks determined to end Medicare, pr ... More >>

Minnesota GOP distracted by ugly Democrat babes

Photo: MildManneredPhotographerAnn Coulter, GOP "babe," with fan​Remember the GOP talking point about how the upcoming November election is supposed to be all about jobs and the economy, and Minnesotans should really mellow out on meaningless distractions like Target-financed, state-institutio ... More >>

GOP trackers: "I'm with stupid"

Not a doctored photoArtist's representation of proposed GOP tracker t-shirts​Minnesota Republicans unveiled a very odd response to DFL gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton's recent whining about "trackers" showing up at his rallies brandishing Flip videos.The Grand Old Party is using Ye Olde Gag T- ... More >>

Republicans take control of state Senate, possibly House

Republicans sweep the legislature?​In all the talk of a GOP surge in congress and a close governor's race, there wasn't a whole lot of consideration that Republicans might actually take control of both chambers of the legislature. Surprise! That's now looking like a serious possibility.

Constitutional ban on gay marriage hits the fast track

Unemployment? Foreclosures? Massive budget deficit? Take a number.​Remember how Republicans kept telling us this election was supposed to be all about jobs, jobs, tax breaks and more jobs? The crappy economy gave conservative Christians cover from having to talk too much about over-sharing the ... More >>

Dayton recount team warns of Republican power grab [UPDATED]

Update: No change. Dayton leads.​Ramsey County, the second most populous county in the state, has audited its Election Day ballots. As with Hennepin County last week, each candidate has picked up a thimble-full of support. That means the overall results are the same. Dayton is ahead of Republ ... More >>

Return to Sender

What Would Comprehensive Immigration Reform Look Like If the Feds Got Off Their Duffs?

New nukes for Minnesota?

TVAMonty Burns is looking to expand his operation.​For a while there, Minnesota was vying to take the lead in pioneering the use of renewable energy. This week, the new Republican legislature will try to push is in a different direction: building more nuclear plants.Minnesota already has two nucle ... More >>

Michael Brodkorb says DFL refused to yield too [VIDEO]

Brodkorb: DFL-ers did it too.​Sen. Dick Cohen (DFL-St. Paul) is pretty unhappy that three Republicans refused to answer his questions about their budget bill last week. Now, a GOP operative says he shouldn't be. Earlier this week we posted a video from the Senate showing Sens. Mike Parry (R-Wasec ... More >>

Minnesota guardsmen back from Iraq may not get paid

army.milMembers of the 103rd ESC receiving their combat patches last year.​Sgt. Jamie Engelbretson had been back from Iraq for less than 24 hours when she got the bad news today: because of the looming government shut-down, her next paycheck will likely be cut in half. The next paycheck may ... More >>

Republican House redistricting map means more safe seats, "isn't about politics"

Rep. Sarah Anderson: It's not about politics. Seriously. It isn't.​Few people seriously believe Republican Rep. Sarah Anderson when she insists that the GOP's congressional redistricting plan "isn't about politics." The Republicans' proposed map unveiled in St. Paul yesterday is clearly redra ... More >>

Betting Against a Budget: MN GOP takes March Madness-style bets on government shutdown

The betting form was supposed to be routed through the office of a legislative aide for Sen. David Senjem.​Evidently the prospect of shutting down state government and laying off 36,000 state workers is so entertaining to some Republican staffers at the Legislature that they ginned up a March ... More >>

Countdown to government shutdown: Who's to blame?

Minnesota lawmakers have until July 1 to get it together.​As of today, the Minnesota Legislature is two-and-a-half weeks tardy in solving the state's $5 billion budget deficit. Unfortunately for everyone, there doesn't appear to be a budget deal in sight. If no agreement is made by July 1st, ... More >>

Minnesota government shuts down

​The barely-concealed contempt with which Republicans and DFL lawmakers now treat each other in St. Paul came to a logical conclusion last night. Both sides failed to reach a budget agreement to address the state's $5 billion in red ink by midnight, and state government shut down. Tens of t ... More >>

State workers won't get back-pay after shutdown

State workers can't get back-pay like they did in 2005.​Friday is the last scheduled payday for the 22,000 state workers who are laid off until the state government agrees on a budget.But even when -- if? -- Mark Dayton and the Republicans iron things out, there's not a dime of back-pay coming to ... More >>

Dayton offers plan to end shutdown

Dayton wants to end the shutdown, but he's making demands.​After months holding out for a tax increase of some kind, Mark Dayton is telling Republican legislators that he'll accept their budget plan with no new taxes. In a letter to Republican leadership, Dayton says he still doesn't like the plan ... More >>

Dayton, GOP agree to end shutdown

The shutdown ended not with a bang, but with a shrug.​After two weeks of gridlock and three hours locked in his office, Mark Dayton and Republican leaders emerged yesterday with a deal to end the state shutdown. The governor forced a tight grin as he stepped to the microphone, announcing the deal ... More >>

Shutdown could end today

Dayton's very special session will begin at 3 p.m.​Mark Dayton has called for a special session of the legislature to meet at 3 p.m. this afternoon. With a fast-track vote, Minnesota's shutdown might be over before happy hour. The legislature will try to pass all nine budget bills and Dayton's req ... More >>

Shutdown will end with Dayton's signature

America's longest state shutdown could finally end.​By signing his name 12 times, Mark Dayton could end the shutdown this morning. It took six months of arguing and 19 days of shutdown, but the legislature's special session finally passed 12 budget bills, with the last of them passing at around 3: ... More >>

Dayton signs budget to end shutdown, state employees back to work tomorrow

Dayton said he was forced to sign a budget he didn't like.​Minnesota's shutdown is over.Mark Dayton signed the nine budget bills and three spending bills at 9:00 a.m., ending the state's embarrassing, costly lockout on its 20th day. The shutdown's end is good news for the 22,000 state employee ... More >>

Minnesota GOP fined $170,000 for FEC violations

The state GOP failed to report nearly $1 million in debt.​The worst time to owe someone money is when you're in debt. That's the case with the  Republican Party of Minnesota, which is already in debt, but now owes the Federal Election Commission $170,000 for campaign finance violations. Funny ... More >>

MN GOP is $2 million in debt

Former GOP Party Chair Tony Sutton is batting 2 million.​According to new figures released today by the Republican Party's own Internal Finance Review Committee, the GOP is up to its neck in debt -- about $2 million worth. "The debt number is honestly higher than any of us wants it to be," said c ... More >>

MN GOP Secretary-Treasurer David Sturrock resigns

Sturrock wriggles out of the stirrups.​The almost-unwatchable train-wreck that is the Minnesotan Republican Party wrecks onward. Last night, Secretary Treasurer David Sturrock tendered his resignation, effective January 19. In his barbed letter to other Republicans, Sturrock seems to indicate tha ... More >>