Monday, May 14, 2012
Local Republicans readying for Paul's appearance Friday.
See updates below. Ron Paul is set to speak at the Minnesota Republican convention Friday, and party activists in the Fifth District are preparing for a possible Paul win—with one local activist saying "I get the feeling I'm witnessing history." Paul is poised to make a strong showing in Minnesota after congressional-district conventions gave him 20 of 24 available national delegates. The Texas congressman was denied a speaking slot at the 2008 state convention, but has proven a popular candidate and speaker here since—turning fans away, for example, from an over-capacity speech in Arden Hills shortly before Minnesota's 2012 caucus night. On Monday, Paul announced his campaign would stop spending money in states that haven't yet held …
Challenger Chris Fields talks to area nonprofits and says Ellison 'isn't as well liked as people may think.'
Rep. Keith Ellison and a U.S. senator last week introduced a bill to eliminate fossil fuel subsidies. On Thursday, he and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) said the legislation would "do away with tax breaks, financial assistance, royalty relief, direct federal research and development and many loopholes that benefit the fossil fuel industry," according to Ellison's U.S. House website. “Big oil companies alone make more than $300 million every day but the oil, gas, and coal industries still have their hands in the taxpayer’s pocket,” Ellison said. “We need to get off the fossil fuel bandwagon that keeps us dependent on oil and contributes to climate change. The $113 billion in taxpayer handouts that oil, gas, and coal companies receive …
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Her new Christians United group 'may make some peoples' heads explode'
A day after slamming Republican delegates in Minnesota's Fifth District as "Ron Paul Libertarians," GOP candidate Lynne Torgerson said she is leaving the race for the seat in Congress occupied by three-term DFL incumbent Keith Ellison. "No, I am not going to continue running in this election cycle," Torgerson wrote in an email to Fridley Patch Tuesday. "The Party is free to fully support Chris Fields." Fields is the rival Republican candidate who won the backing of Fifth District party delegates on the first ballot at their convention Saturday. Not Done Yet "By the way, I am not done yet . . . just going to have some fun for awhile," Torgerson said Tuesday. She is forming a new organization: I recently founded Christian[s] United in …
Monday, April 16, 2012
Ellison rival posts statement after Republicans endorse Fields.
Lynne Torgerson, Republican candidate for U.S. Congress, posted the statement below at her campaign website Monday. (On Saturday, party delegates endorsed Chris Fields to challenge incumbent DFLer Keith Ellison.) On Saturday, April 14, 2012, I attended the Republican 5th Congressional District Endorsing Convention. There was a stage at the front of the room. Approximately 6 people were seated on the stage. Every person seated was a Ron Paul Libertarian. The Convention was overrun by Ron Paul Libertarians. More than 2/3 of the delegates were Ron Paul Libertarians. When I mentioned that we were at a Republican Convention, they laughed out loud. They began the Convention. There was no opening prayer. Not even a mention of it. There was also …
Thursday, March 1, 2012
The legislator, representing both Richfield and Minneapolis, plans to run in Senate District 50.
That’s one redistricting battle avoided. State Sen. Ken Kelash (DFL-Minneapolis/Richfield) says he will seek his party’s endorsement in the 2012 elections for the newly redrawn Senate District 50, covering Bloomington and part of Richfield. This decision sidesteps a battle against Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) for the newly redrawn Senate District 61. Kelash lives very close to the border of the two districts, and if he ran against Dibble, fully half of Southwest Minneapolis' legislative seats would be contested by dueling DFLers in the fall. Kelash said he warmed to the idea of moving while hearing the issues brought up at a legislative update session in Bloomington. "I said to myself ‘I’ve been working on these issues for a long …
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Republicans here helped boost his chances of capturing delegates at the state caucus.
As Republican candidates vie for the affections of Michiganders tonight, many pundits will be focusing on whether Rick Santorum can rob Mitt Romney of a victory in the state of his birth, but Ron Paul could pull off another trademark delegate victory in parts of Ann Arbor and Dearborn. Because Michigan's delegates are awarded by congressional district, two at a time, and because the 12th Congressional district has few registered Republican voters, Paul could mount a charge to flood the polling places with his supporters. It would be a similar victory to what appears to have been an upset win in the Minneapolis and Minnesota caucuses at the start of this month. As Paul said at a campaign rally after a second-place finish in the Minnesota …
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Dibble-Kelash matchup for new state Senate seat uncertain.
State Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL), and state Rep. Marion Greene (DFL) are both jumping into the race to represent much of Southwest Minneapolis despite being drawn in the same district by Tuesday's court-ordered redistricting. Greene is in her first term in the legislature, while Hornstein has held his seat since 2002 “Minnesota is at a critical juncture," Green said in a statement. "We have a lot of work to do and I look forward to continuing to represent my constituents’ progressive values in the fight for equity.” “Minnesota in 2012 is at a crossroads,” Hornstein said in his own statement. “In a time of mean-spirited politics and divisive, misguided constitutional amendments, I want to continue to be a passionate voice for social justice…
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Major changes to Southwest Minneapolis legislative boundaries ordered by redistricting panel.
Updated 10:12 a.m. 2/22/12: State Rep. Frank Hornstein has announced he will run in 2012. Four prominent Minneapolis DFL legislators have been thrust into electoral combat with each other after new legislative districts were unveiled on Tuesday by a special court-appointed panel. In the 2012 election, State Sens. Scott Dibble and Ken Kelash could face off in a redrawn Senate District 61. A map of the new district can be seen at right. Dibble, an Uptown resident, currently represents much of the area in the new district, while Kelash, a Kenny resident, will see much of his current district cut off. Tuesday afternoon, Dibble's office confirmed that he will be running in the 2012 election, and Kelash has informed Richfield Patch he also …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Tell us in the comment stream what you think last night's results say about the overall political views and priorities of Minnesota Republicans?
Rick Santorum's top finish Tuesday night in Minnesota's caucuses, as well as those in Missouri and Colorado, added a new wrinkle to the race for the Republican presidential nomination. Take our poll—how surprised were you by Santorum's finish—and then tell us in the comment stream what you think last night's results say about the overall political views and priorities of Minnesota Republicans?
Minnesota chose Rick Santorum over the four GOP contenders.
Contrary to popular belief, Southwest Minneapolis has some Republicans—over 300 voted in precinct caucuses Tuesday night—and by a strong margin, they support Rep. Ron Paul. That was the verdict in Tuesday night's straw poll of caucus-goers at the GOP caucuses across Southwest Minneapolis, bucking the state's choice of Rick Santourm. According to preliminary results released by the Minnesota Secretary of State's office at midnight, with all precincts reporting Paul led the pack with 113 votes, trailed by Mitt Romney (94 votes), Santorum (69 votes), and Newt Gingrich (28 votes). Some caucus-goers were former—or sometimes—DFLers who'd switched sides for the evening. Marty Teign of Fulton told Patch that while he is still undecided, he's …
Bob in Boston
12:27 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012
Doesn't make any sense to call Ron Paul the underdog when he's already won more delegates than Romney in 10 states including Romney's home state! It's Romney who's the underdog at the conventions - it's only the media and the GOP establishment who keep saying Romney's the winner! more ›