Minnesota
By Eric Ostermeier on August 1, 2007
There are good reasons the Democratic Party is targeting Minnesota for one of their best chances at a pick-up in the 2008 elections for the U.S. Senate. First, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman's job approval ratings have generally been mediocre to just south of mediocre throughout most of his four...
By Eric Ostermeier on July 26, 2007
When Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate from the state of New York in the Autumn of 1999 she quickly was denounced by her political opponents as a carpetbagger—having never previously resided in New York. Ultimately, Clinton achieved a 55—44 percent victory over Republican Rick Lazio, with...
By Eric Ostermeier on July 16, 2007
With the prospects of a potential high profile Independent presidential candidacy by New York Mayor (and billionaire) Michael Bloomberg on the horizon, gaining the votes of political independents becomes even a higher prize for the establishment parties in 2008. Independents comprise approximately 25 percent of the electorate in Minnesota and...
By Eric Ostermeier on July 12, 2007
Minnesota Republican Senator Norm Coleman's position on Iraq policy could be crucial not only to the fate of Democratic-sponsored proposals in the Senate to set a firm timeline for troop withdrawal, but also in determining how much of a favorite he is to win reelection in 2008. Coleman has...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 25, 2007
12:00 p.m. The title of Congressman Jim Oberstar's (MN-08) talk today at the Humphrey Institute is "Transportation Policy and America's Future." Oberstar is the Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, after serving more than a decade as its ranking Democratic member. In part due to the 17-term Congressman's...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 22, 2007
Smart Politics will be blogging live covering Congressman Jim Oberstar's (MN-08) talk at the Humphrey Institute on Monday, June 25th, from Noon to 1:00 pm. The talk, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, is entitled "Transportation Policy and America's Future," and is the sixth...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 13, 2007
President George W. Bush's approval rating has tumbled to an all time low in Minnesota—falling to 29 percent in the latest SurveyUSA poll (conducted June 8-10). Bush's descent in the Gopher state has been gradual but steady in the more than 2 years since SurveyUSA began polling Minnesota residents...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 12, 2007
Republican Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman continues to part from his party leadership on the Attorney General Alberto Gonzales issue. On Monday Coleman joined 6 other Republican Senators in a failed attempt (53-38) to invoke cloture for a Senate resolution condemning the beleaguered Attorney General, who is embroiled in an...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 11, 2007
9:30 a.m. Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05) came into the 110th Congress as one of the Democratic Party's new stars (and the only Muslim in the House), despite his predecessor (longtime Congressman Martin Sabo) failing to offer a ringing endorsement during the 2006 campaign. Ellison nabbed a prized seat on the...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 7, 2007
Smart Politics will be blogging live covering Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05) from the Humphrey Institute on Monday, June 11th, from 9:30 - 11:00 am. The talk, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, is entitled "Leveling the Playing Field for Working Families: Promoting a Consumer Justice...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 23, 2007
As Congress attempts to push a controversial immigration bill through Capitol Hill, the issue of illegal immigration came to the forefront in Minnesota this week. More than two-dozen individuals in a prostitution ring were indicted on Monday by federal authorities after arrests made over the weekend. The indictment claims...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 16, 2007
Smart Politics recently conducted an exclusive interview with Minnesota House Minority Leader Marty Seifert (District 21A). Seifert was first elected to the legislature in 1996, and has been a formidable, vocal opponent of the House DFL agenda, becoming a media favorite for his quick wit, consistent political message, and...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 16, 2007
In the seven weeks since its initial House approval in late March, the DFL found 7 more votes in a bill passage earlier this week that would raise the state's gas tax by a nickel per gallon to a potential (though unlikely) veto-proof majority. In March, there were 4 DFL...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 15, 2007
A new Minnesota Public Radio poll of 625 registered voters finds Norm Coleman maintaining 20+ point leads over both Al Franken and Mike Ciresi—the leading contenders for the DFL U.S. Senate nomination. The new poll numbers are virtually identical to a poll taken of 632 registered voters by Survey...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 14, 2007
9:45 a.m. Republican Senator Norm Coleman will be speaking on energy and politics at 10 am today at the Humphrey's Cowles Auditorium. Coleman's speech is entitled: "Building from the Center: Getting the Job Done on Renewable Energy." This is the 4th in a series of the Center for the Study...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 11, 2007
Republican Congressman Jim Ramstad (MN-03) joined 10 of his fellow GOP Congressmen in a meeting at the White House earlier this week to discuss the war in Iraq with President Bush along with members of his cabinet (Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice) and...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 10, 2007
Smart Politics will be blogging live from the Humphrey Institute on Monday, May 14th, from 10:00 am to 11:15 am at Senator Norm Coleman's speech on renewable energy. The talk, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, is entitled "Building from the Center: Getting the Job...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 8, 2007
The DFL dropped provisions from a higher education bill—passed by the House and Senate—that would have allowed children of illegal immigrants in Minnesota to qualify for in-state tuition. The inclusion of the so-called "DREAM Act" would assuredly have been met with a veto from Governor Tim Pawlenty. Pawlenty had...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 7, 2007
As discussed in the May 4th Smart Politics entry, John Edwards is faring much better than Hillary Clinton in head-to-head matchups against GOP frontrunner Rudy Giuliani across the nation, and in the Upper Midwest in particular (as measured by recent American Research Group polling). Edwards holds leads against Giuliani...
By Eric Ostermeier on May 1, 2007
Minnesota DFL Senator Amy Klobuchar continues to garner a strong approval rating—now four months into her tenure as junior senator from the Gopher State. The most recent SurveyUSA April poll found 58 percent of Minnesotans approve of her performance. Only 34 percent disapprove, which means most state residents have...
