Governorships
By Eric Ostermeier on December 14, 2009
Virgo and Cancer are the most common signs for Minnesota governors throughout history; Scorpios and Sagittariuses are the rarest
By Eric Ostermeier on December 10, 2009
Rybak seeks to become the first Minnesota governor in over 80 years with a newspaper background
By Eric Ostermeier on December 8, 2009
Lack of statewide political experience and (proportional) decline of Minneapolis' statewide population base present two challenges for the Mayor
By Eric Ostermeier on December 3, 2009
Governor is adamant that, despite rumored political aspirations or busy travel schedule, there is "no work in his office or administration that is left undone"
By Eric Ostermeier on November 17, 2009
Early poll, though omitting candidates, suggests Coleman's wait-and-see approach is working
By Eric Ostermeier on November 2, 2009
The two states have voted in tandum during the last five gubernatorial elections dating back to 1989 - and always electing the party which is not in control of the White House
By Eric Ostermeier on October 29, 2009
Current crop of 2010 gubernatorial candidates is more 'seasoned' than Gopher State governors throughout history
By Eric Ostermeier on October 23, 2009
Or, the end of Scandinavian dominance
By Eric Ostermeier on October 22, 2009
After holding more than 300 gubernatorial elections across the Upper Midwest during the past 160+ years, the region has yet to elect its first female governor
By Eric Ostermeier on October 14, 2009
Only 14 of Minnesota's 38 governors were born in the Gopher State
By Eric Ostermeier on October 13, 2009
Overall, 79 percent of Minnesota's governors (30 of 38) had some form of state government experience before becoming governor
By Eric Ostermeier on October 5, 2009
Pawlenty's periodic absences from a state decidedly not out of the woods of its economic and budget crises may be causing the Governor's popularity to be taking a hit
By Eric Ostermeier on September 20, 2009
Chet Culver has seen his job approval ratings drop 37 percent from December 2008 to August 2009
By Eric Ostermeier on September 7, 2009
While residents of Iowa and Wisconsin are speaking in loud, disapproving voices over the performance of their respective Democratic governors, Minnesotans are still basically split down the middle over how they rate the performance of Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty. The latest SurveyUSA poll of 600 Minnesota residents, conducted August 26-27,...
By Eric Ostermeier on August 18, 2009
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle's official announcement on Monday that he would not be seeking a third term created not only a newfound battle for the Democratic nomination, but also a scenario whereby the Badger and Gopher States will both have open gubernatorial races on the Election Day ballot for...
By Eric Ostermeier on August 14, 2009
With House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher's announcement that she is now officially in the 2010 gubernatorial race, the DFL adds yet another hopeful face to end a near quarter-century drought since the party last won the prized statewide office in 1986. However, as elusive as the governor's mansion has been...
By Eric Ostermeier on August 3, 2009
Now more than two months removed from a brutal budget battle with the DFL, Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has seen his approval numbers rise to its highest level this year, according to SurveyUSA's latest 'snapshot in time.' Pawlenty's approval rating for the month of July increased six points from June...
By Eric Ostermeier on July 26, 2009
When former U.S. Senator Norm Coleman ended his 2008 election battle last month, he surprised many journalists by answering the inevitable question about whether he would run for governor with a more detailed answer than expected. Coleman first stated on June 30th that he would leave decisions as to his...
By Eric Ostermeier on July 12, 2009
The recent news of Barack Obama's sliding approval ratings across key battleground states (e.g. Ohio, Virginia) as well as the nation (e.g. Gallup, Rasmussen) has raised the question as to what effect a potentially less popular (if not unpopular) President Obama will have on key statewide and Congressional contests during...
By Eric Ostermeier on June 26, 2009
Despite overwhelming success in federal and state elections during the past few decades, the DFL may have missed its best chances (in 1998, 2006) to win a gubernatorial election in the Gopher State. Excluding gubernatorial contests, the DFL has won 72 percent of statewide elections (21 of 29) since the...
