In a bit of non-surprising news, Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota South Dakota Action Fund today swung its support to DFL gubernatorial candidate Mark Dayton. Initally, the organization had supported Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

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Tom Horner, the Independence Party candidate for governor, picked up an unusual endorsement this morning: Michael Osterholm, who has spent his public life warning people about various pandemics, epidemics, rotten eggs and other perils.

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MinnPost/Beth HawkinsSurvivor Gwillim

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The federal stimulus spending is responsible for thousands of road construction jobs in Minnesota and around the country, says U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

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About three hours after Tom Emmer’s campaign released its first TV commercial Sunday night, the Alliance for a Better Minnesota, the liberal independent-expenditure group, took a whack at the Republican gubernatorial candidate.

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer will launch his first TV commercial Monday. It's soft, positive, general and family-centric. The words "cutting taxes" and "reforming government" are in there.

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An inspired Mark Dayton delivered a rousing speech to about 400 DFL faithful today at the party's Central Committee meeting in St. Paul.

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With two veteran Hmong lawmakers stepping down this year and no Hmong candidates advancing in last week's primary election, next year's Legislature will be the first in many years to have no Hmong members.

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This just in from MoveOn.org: a new ad encouraging a boycott of Target. It said the ad will run on national cable and in Minnesota for a week.

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The three candidates for governor are in Nisswa today for a debate sponsored by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce.

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Iowa voters apparently aren't looking north for inspiration in the early days of the 2012 political season: A poll released today by the Iowa Republican — "News for Republicans, by Republicans" — puts Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a tie for sixth.

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As for that $62-per-vote statistic, “Yes,” he said, it was worth it. “I’d honestly prefer a different result, but, yes, I would do it again.”

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Man in the middle: Tom Horner says if independents rule, he wins

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More than 580,000 eligible Minnesota voters cast ballots in Tuesday's primary, or more than 15 percent of Minnesota's eligible voter population of 3.8 million. This figure includes a record number of absentee ballots, more than 31,000.

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Barely an hour after the polls closed, in his steamy, crowded and noticeably multicultural campaign headquarters in St. Paul’s Midway area, Matt Entenza offered a brief and surprisingly upbeat concession Tuesday night.

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Less than an hour after the polls closed tonight, the party favors started blowing in the Tom Horner campaign headquarters in Plymouth, and the candidate confidently acknowledged victory in the Independence Party primary.

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St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman will present his 2011 budget Wednesday at the new fire station on West Seventh Street. With a tough economy and further state cuts expected next year, it probably won't be pretty.

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Profits from today's PTA fundraiser will be considerably smaller than in 2008, judging from the lack of activity at the polling place when Kelliher, her husband and their two kids arrived to vote just after 10 a.m.

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar's staff will hold seven forums on the federal farm bill this month around Minnesota.

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Accompanied by four presumed supporters — his wife, Lois Quam, and sons Ben, Steve and Will — gubernatorial candidate Matt Entenza strode confidently down St. Paul's Pierce Street to cast his vote this morning.

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As of 9:45 this morning, 26,211 absentee ballots had been received by elections officials, the highest total in two decadesfor a primary election, according the the Secretary of State’s Office. That “highest in two decades" number includes presidential-year primaries.

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Maybe there really is a buzz around the primary campaign. The Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office reported today that by this morning, it had received 21,703 absentee ballots, a number far higher than recent non-presidential primaries. (In 2002, there were 18,850 absentee ballots and 19,859 in 2006.)

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Changes being made in the Tom Emmer gubernatorial campaign operation have everything to do with the changing nature of the race and not dissatisfaction with the current Emmer team, according to Bill Walsh, Emmer’s spokesman.

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During his weekly radio show this morning, Gov. Tim Pawlenty joined the chorus of prognosticators weighing in on Brett Favre's annual retirement dance.

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Independence Party candidate for governor Tom Horner thinks he should get some of that funding from MN Forward that everyone's talking about.

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MN Forward, the independent-expenditures committee backed by the Minnesota Business Partnership and Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, announced it is backing a bipartisan group of six state legislators in the upcoming general election.

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Do not call it an “attack ad.” It is not. But it is surely a purposeful response commercial that DFL gubernatorial candidate Matt Entenza launched today to counter what his campaign says is bad information coming from DFL-endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher.

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Following a groundswell of criticism and a wave of Internet-fueled protest, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel apologized today to Target employees.

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The Arizona company that installed and operated Minneapolis’ controversial “photo cop” cameras has petitioned the U.S. District Court in Minnesota to take over a lawsuit filed against it by the City of Minneapolis last month in state court in Hennepin County.

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A memorial to Minnesota workers, particularly those killed or injured on the job, was dedicated this morning on the state Capitol grounds.

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Officials in tiny Winton, Minn., will fill two openings at city hall after mayor and and a city council member resigned in the past two weeks. About 185 people live in the town, just northeast of Ely.

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Independence Party candidate Rob Hahn released his first TV ad today. Called "The $6 Billion Man,'' it is narrated by his son.

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The cash keeps flowing from Matt Entenza’s personal checkbook into his gubernatorial campaign.

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Matt Entenza is not accepting a key piece of data in Sunday’s Star Tribune Minnesota Poll, which shows him trailing in third place in the governor's race. He’s fighting back.

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MinnPost photo by Bill KelleyThe RNC Host Committee, pleased with the event's success last year, is wrapping up its work with gifts to three Minnesota foundations.

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Second of two articles

Looking back at GOP convention: Police kicked into 'disruption mode'

MinnPost photo by Terry GydesenOne year later, law enforcement officials continue to defend their handling of the Republican convention, arguing it was the only way to keep extremists from disrupting the gathering and preventing violent incidents.

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MinnPost photo by Terry GydesenPolice on the streets during the GOP convention last year: Critics say many of the police actions were unconstitutional.

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rnc8.orgThe RNC Eight

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MinnPost photo by Sharon SchmickleLeft to right: Eryn Trimmer, Monica Bicking, Garrett Fitzgerald, Max Specktor, Nathanael Secor and Luce Guillen-Givins

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Some local journalists got immunity from arrest covering Republican National Convention protests. Did it taint their reporting? Did police protect their favorites while rounding up dozens of others?

By David Brauer

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The X is back. Back in shape, that is, for hockey and other events after a temporary assignment as home to the Republican National Convention. Built as the home of the Minnesota Wild NHL team eight years ago, the Xcel Energy Center and accompanying RiverCentre complex, the X also has proved an excellent venue for concerts and other big events.

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One St. Paul skyway shop made one sale to a Republican during the GOP's national convention. And that customer used a bad credit card.

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The metro's mayors offer mixed reviews on last week's hosting of the Republican National Convention. They expressed regret this week that media coverage left too many images of demonstrators and riot police. Some small businesses were disappointed for lack of sales. And one mayor, at least, acknowledged that the attempt to brand the convention as happening in "Minneapolis Saint Paul" was a flop. But the overall view was that the convention was a resounding success for its hosts.

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Either the Republicans weren't big drinkers, or they weren't big spenders.

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KARE taped a WCCO photojournalist angrily confronting Republican National Convention protesters — then posted the footage on its website. Legitimate news or TV-rival "gotcha"?

By David Brauer

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REUTERS/Bill Kelley/Terry Gydesen

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Channel 5 — the only major TV station in town without a staffer arrested during the Republican National Convention — issues a "rare" editorial praises police restraint, while failing to note its owner's role organizing the event.

By David Brauer

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The center-spread poster in today's print edition of the Pioneer Press/Politico coverage of the Republican National Convention shows an animated John McCain at the podium in the Xcel center and quotes from his speech — "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do-nothing, me-first, country-second Washington crowd: Change is Coming."

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Early assessments of the economic impact of the Republican National Convention are mixed as I talked to business owners and walked miles and miles through downtown St. Paul over the past five days.

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There's anxious buzz sweeping across corn country about an abrupt change in the Republican platform on corn ethanol that was adopted at the party's convention in St. Paul.

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She's now a household phrase, but what is a hockey mom?

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McCain says he'll be a uniter, not a divider

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In general, I found John McCain's speech last night likeable but kinda lame. But one thing made made me sit up straight with alarm. McCain listed three "threats to peace and liberty in our time" that we must "see clearly and face": al-Qaida, Iran and Russia.

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"NOW OPEN," reads the white sheet taped to the door. It is a humble invitation to a big deal: the reopening of the Original Coney Island Tavern, a building as old as the city itself.

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Riverboat cruise puts 'The Big Muddy' before politics

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Community first: Organizers explain what they do

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RNC participants by the numbers

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MHSGeraldine Ferraro

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The good news for John McCain and the Republicans is that Sarah Palin definitely isn't going to be another Dan Quayle.

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Is Sarah Palin the victim of sexist media, Democrats and bloggers?

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A panel of prominent Republicans briefly backed off the party’s hottest topic – Sarah Palin – Thursday morning to talk about how they can win over more minorities to help them win the presidential race.

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A flurry of emails is circulating among Ron Paul supporters wondering what happened to the Ron Paul votes during the GOP presidential role call last night. Five Paul votes announced from Alaska (Gov. Sarah Palin's home state) were greeted with boos from the convention floor. But some 18-25 Paul votes went unacknowledged, including six Paul votes from Minnesota.

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'She's me!' Delegates react to Palin speech

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It’s Wednesday night, an hour and 20 minutes before prime time starts. During a break between speeches, “Footloose” blares over the PA system. I’m watching delegates dance, wave signs and swirl yellow and orange flags above their heads — heads covered with an array of attention-grabbing hats.

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A few pithy remarks and one-liners I heard this morning at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute...

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Our correspondent couldn't get into to cover "The Daily Show" as a reporter, but he had the next best thing: a ticket. Here's what he saw that you, the viewer, didn't.

By David Brauer

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I spent all day and into the evening Tuesday at Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic listening to speakers extolling the virtues of individual freedom and limited government. Wednesday morning I attended the progressive think tank Growth & Justice symposium heralding the contributions to the common good of Minnesota's Progressive Republican Tradition. That's like running out of a sauna and leaping into a lake through a hole in the ice – it can be exhilarating if it doesn't kill you.

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The numbers look bad — 102 arrests outside the Target Center after last night’s Rage Against the Machine concert — but the reality is that the post-concert crowd was mostly peaceful, if boisterous and sweaty after a typically raucous show by the polemic rap-metal icons.

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A giant, specially equipped bus is making a stop at today's peace picnic on Harriet Island — timed to coincide with the final day of the Republican National Convention across the river in downtown St. Paul.

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REUTERSCindy McCain

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Palin reignites the culture war

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Despite opponent's fervent young supporters, McCain can claim his own youth vote

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Workers were busy overnight adding a 30-foot extension to the stage, so it juts out much further into the arena floor. The goal is to have Sen. John McCain be surrounded by delegates. Organizers hope for a "town hall"-type atmosphere, inside the 19,000-seat home of the Minnesota Wild.

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How's this for depressing? At a panel at the Humphrey Institute this morning on "The Greater Middle East," cosponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, CFR chief Richard Haass asked Humphrey scholar Michael Powell, an expert on the Arab-Israeli conflict, whether he believed a breakthrough in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have a large beneficial impact on the rest of the Mideast problems that will be facing the next president. Barnett said no, he didn't believe it would. Then Haass and Barnett compared their levels of pessimism about the future of the Arab-Israeli conflict, thus:

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For the second night in a row, Sen. Norm Coleman had his few minutes of fame in front of the delegates to the Republican National Convention.  He followed the night's script, which essentially is that "country is more important than party.''  The subscript, of course, is that Republicans understand that and Democrats don't.

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The head of a nonpartisan group dedicated to helping American veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan today criticized Republican nominee John McCain's opposition to the recently signed GI Bill, predicting that his opposition would haunt him at the polls this November. The comments came as Republican delegates to the GOP national convention put together care packages for soldiers serving in Iraq.

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Police have worried all day that the young anarchists intent on disrupting the Republican National Convention  might head west for tonight's Rage Against the Machine concert at Target Center.

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Terry Gydesen

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The founders of our nation believed so strongly in the importance of free speech that they wrote it into the First Amendment to the Constitution. Wonder what they'd think if they paid a visit to the free-speech stage at the Republican National Convention?

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My childhood friend Rev. Dale Kuehne, director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics http://www.anselm.edu/nhiop/ at St. Anselm College, is in town for the Republican National Convention and I tagged along to hear him speak at a New Hampshire delegation breakfast meeting.

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Did Sen. Norm Coleman build the Xcel Energy Center with his bare hands?  In his speech to the Republican National Convention Tuesday night, Coleman did make it sound as if he was pretty much responsible for the arena.

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Joe KimballChief John Harrington

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Appreciative Minnesota delegation shows its affection for Pawlenty

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Sarah Palin's big night

REUTERS/Matt SullivanGov. Sarah Palin

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been a good soldier this week despite his obvious disappointment about being passed over as John McCain's running mate. But the mask occasionally slips a little.

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Joe Lieberman's Judas moment at the Xcel Tuesday night might have ticked off Democrats and the Obama camp — especially for the Colbert-like "truthiness" of some of his clams — but local elephants were all smiles about the political one-night stand on the morning after.

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MinnPost by John CampPoor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign march

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The GOP convention bug has clearly infected the politicos and media of Minnesota. But the question is: Has it been infectious for the rest of the state or the country?

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After a polite but muted welcome, delegates cheered enthusiastically when Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman forcefully presented his arguments as to why John McCain rather than Barack Obama should be the next president.

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Delegates (and nation) await Palin's coming-out speech

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You've heard lots about journalist Amy Goodman's RNC arrest, but Matt Rourke's case may be more compelling, outrageous — and typical of the dangers journalists face.

By David Brauer

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AP photographer's last pre-arrest shot is a stunner

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Ron Paul and his supporters: Lots of energy, but where is it taking them?

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Ron Paul didn't have to give the "speech of his life" Tuesday night at the Target Center in Minneapolis. He didn't have to strive for soaring rhetoric to inspire nor carefully parse his words to maintain political balance.

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It made a stark contrast to the digital pictures of a pregnant teen: Meghan McCain's life by watercolor, soft and shaded.

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Just before Ron Paul took the Target Center stage Tuesday night for his alternate convention, a lone protester stood outside holding a giant Ron Paul campaign placard with the word "sucks" written across it in tape.

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The University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute (Center for the Study of Politics and Governance) continues to put on four excellent seminars a day, geared to attract Republican delegates and national media here for the convention, but open to the public.

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Ventura says he might come back if 'it's worth it to me'

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You wanted 'Daily Show' tickets? The Evensons got 'em — and got there before anyone.

By David Brauer

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Jim Ramstad was wandering around the Xcel Energy Center, shaking hands and looking like a man at peace. For the first time in almost 30 years, Ramstad, who is stepping down after nine terms  as the congressman from Minnesota's 3rd District,  is not running for office.

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Starting Wednesday, there will be no admission charge to attend CivicFest, organizers announced today. Instead, organizers hope that visitors will donate money to help victims of Hurricane Gustav.

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A program that was billed last week as a panel discussion titled "Women and the GOP" and featuring Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin came off this morning a bit differently than planned.

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Amy Goodman's arrest: When journalists are the story

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First, the good: The goody bag given by the Host Committee to Republican delegates and members of the media when they arrived in St. Paul includes an umbrella. The perfect gift, given the change in the weather.

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So, with 45,000 GOP delegates and media members in town for the Republican National Convention, what do folks of other political persuasions do? The brave join in.

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MinnPost photo by Joe KimballRings of police surround an arrested suspect.

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Why John Cunningham, a Massachusetts candidate for Congress, became a 'Ron Paul Republican' after decades as a libertarian. 

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Bachmann addressing GOP tonight; Coleman, tonight and Wednesday

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The much-debated Jumbotron television is up and running just up the hill from the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

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Former Republican Rep. Mickey Edwards, author of  "Reclaiming Conservatism," said at the University of Minnesota Monday afternoon that the Republican Party had lost its principles, and lost its respect for the Constitution, and betrayed the essence of Conservatism over recent years...

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REUTERS/John GressBristol Palin holding brother Trig.

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America's paradox: We want religion in, but out, of politics

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The day I got the surprise assignment to cover the 1972 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Fla., the publisher of the Worthington Daily Globe gave me a second duty: Look after Randy.

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The changes and potential changes in this week's convention schedule reveal a lot about the significance, or lack thereof, of party conventions in the contemporary era.

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Rep. Michele Bachmann

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How big of an issue?

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Former DFL Congressman Tim Penny, who last week was in Denver on behalf of Republicans and singing the praises of John McCain, was at Xcel Energy Center this morning. More campaign work for McCain?

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It's Day One of the Republican National Convention and downtown St. Paul is now a maze of detours, barricades and security checks, which makes getting inside the Xcel Energy Center no small feat. Everyone needs a credential, and some credentials will only get you so far.

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Since Ronald Reagan, Republican presidential nominees have benefitted tremendously from the support of church-going Americans, especially Evangelical Christians. This was based substantially on the politics of abortion, but also over recent cycles other social issue hot buttons, such as gay marriage and stem cell research.

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The exit of TV news stars from St. Paul for New Orleans grabbed headlines, but the major news organizations aren't going anywhere — and even in its tawdry way, the Palin family pregnancy justifies their decision.

By David Brauer

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What a way to write finish to my career as a journalist, by covering the Republican National Convention in the city where I got my first reporting job more than four decades ago, after doing the same at the Democratic Convention in Denver, both of which figure to be as historic as the first two I covered in 1968.

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REUTERS/Shannon StapletonProtesters reacting to pepper spray.

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And now it's time for change, Republican-style. The message from Democrats is that Republican "change" means no change at all.

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A little over a decade ago, former Minnesota Wild owner Bob Naegele Jr., spent $45 million of his own money to help build the Xcel Energy Center. Naegele and then-St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman are widely credited with bringing NHL hockey back to downtown and helping to transform the state capital from a sleepy city by the Mississippi River to a Midwestern showpiece now hosting the Republican National Convention.

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As major protest looms, police in state of 'relaxed readiness'

“Unless there's action that requires their presence, they will stay in the relaxed-and-ready mode,” St. Paul Police Chief John Harrington says. He and Mayor Chris Coleman reiterated their support of peaceful protesters.

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Barring unforeseen developments (mustn't forget McGovern-Eagleton), the veepstakes are now over for four years. Seems like every round, a goodly chunk of the punditocracy starts the exercise by looking at key (significant electoral votes) states that a particular potential nominee could "put in play" as the semi-official phrase goes.

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Well before we fully assess the significance of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's candidacy for the future of women in politics, John McCain's selection of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate raises a host of new questions about women and politics.

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REUTERS/Lee CelanoWater crests over New Orleans canal.

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I spent some time at the State Fair Sunday looking for Republican National Convention delegates from out of town who might have arrived early and headed to the Great Minnesota Get-Together.

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Protesters in Guantanamo orange march against torture

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Cracked glass ceiling mirrors patchwork of questions

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“I can’t believe how well prepared we are,” declared St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman in late August as his city prepared for its moment in the political sun.

More than 100 years ago, another local civic leader voiced the same sentiments as his city got ready for its chance to shine in the national spotlight.

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As police raids exploded across the Twin Cities, a new Internet messaging service and a bunch of resourceful journalists combined for terrific, real-time coverage.

By David Brauer

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MinnPost photo by Joe KimballRNC Chairman Mike Duncan

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As the public learns more about Sen. John McCain's running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, bits of trivia have begun popping up on the Internet. Palin graduated in 1987 from the University of Idaho with a journalism degree, and the clip below, from 1988, features Palin (then Sarah Heath) delivering the sports scores during an Anchorage newscast. She may not earn any points in Minnesota for her unkind words about the North Stars, but may make up for it with the "Fargo"-esque way she says "penalties."

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Ron Paul's rally: The other political convention in town

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Convention's cacophony of voices will include blogs, vlogs, tweets and phlogs

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Not everybody loves the State Fair. I appreciate that. I don't understand it, but I can agree to disagree. But those of a political bent who dislike the crowds, or the walking, or the traffic or the greasy food at the fair should know about how candidates for office are interacting with fairgoers.

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DENVER — Barack Obama's masterful acceptance speech before some 80,000 supporters in the Denver Broncos' stadium Thursday night was as impressive as one of John Elway's last-minute touchdown drives, but John McCain's go-for-broke choice of a running mate may be the political equivalent of a rally-killing interception.

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I asked to Joel Goldstein of St. Louis University (author of "The Modern American Vice Presidency: The Transformation of a Political Institution") who has become my go-to guy on matters vice presidential for his reaction to John McCain's veep pick. Here's his reply:

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Gift bags will be distributed to Republican National Convention delegates — and the media covering them — as a way to introduce them to the area and make them like us more. More than 22,000 bags will be distributed.

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There is suddenly a lot more interest in a political breakfast meeting Tuesday in St. Paul. That's because Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is the scheduled speaker.

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As we all now know, Gov. Tim Pawlenty wasn't heading to Dayton, Ohio, this morning for the Republican vice-presidential announcement. Instead, he was on Carnes Avenue at the Minnesota State Fair, chatting about swine.

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The protest group that was denied a permit to use a Jumbotron television screen near the state Capitol to broadcast anti-Republican messages during next week's convention has filed suit, alleging its rights to free speech have been trampled.

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REUTERS/Jim BourgGov. Tim Pawlenty

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Lizz Winstead's 'Convention Guide for Us'

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Minnesotans always have an extra spring in their steps when one of their own succeeds on the national or international stage.  Beyond two favorite sons as vice presidents, Minnesota has had more than its fair share of recognized celebrities. This time it wasn’t meant to be for Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

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Is John McCain preparing to pull off a surprise to slow Barack Obama's post-convention bounce by naming a low profile former congressman-turned Washington lobbyist who worked in both Bush White Houses as his running mate?

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It's like Major League Baseball's FanFest, or the NFL Experience. Except you're immersed in history and politics, not sports. CivicFest, which opens Friday at the Minneapolis Convention Center and runs through Sept. 4, is a way for those who won't get inside the Xcel Energy Center for the Republican National Convention to get a satisfying taste of the presidency and presidential politics.

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MinnPost photo by Craig LassigPaul Ridgeway, party planner extraordinaire, will transform the Minneapolis Depot into an agriculture showcase for the big AgNite party during the GOP convention.

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MinnPost photo by Raoul BenavidesRenovation has begun inside Xcel Energy Center to ready the facility for the Republican National Convention.

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