Free Republic

All three leading Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates for governor hold firm leads over Republican endorsee Tom Emmer, a new statewide poll shows. The poll also showed Gov. Tim Pawlenty's popularity has sunk to a new low. In addition, it suggested Minnesotans are gloomy about the state of their state. A lopsided majority thinks the North Star state is headed in the wrong direction. Decision Resources Ltd., of Minneapolis, conducted the survey of 800 Minnesota adults May 28-June 2. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Among the three main DFL gubernatorial candidates, former U.S. Sen. Mark Dayton has...

Election day is six months away, but for now it appears Democrats won't have an easy time winning the Minnesota governor's office for the first time in 24 years. Exclusive 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS-SurveyUSA poll results show Republican Tom Emmer as the early front-runner in three hypothetical races. His lead coincides with a surge in Minnesota voters who self-identify themselves as Republicans. Emmer captured the Republican endorsement for governor in convincing fashion. Now, in a hypothetical match-up against DFL-endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher and the favorite to win the Independence Party nomination, Tom Horner, Emmer has a convincing lead. According to...

Sarah Palin's preferred nominee for governor of Minnesota, state Rep. Tom Emmer, is the winner of the party's endorsement, too. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that Emmer's chief rival, state Rep. Marty Seifert, has conceded after two rounds of ballotting showed Emmer was the clear leader. Seifert had said before the convention that he'd stand aside and not force a primary if he lost today in Minneapolis. That means Emmer will be able to start focusing on November while Democrats have to wait for the outcome of an August primary before they can start campaigning against Emmer. Palin endorsed Emmer...

State Rep. Tom Emmer captured the GOP endorsement for Minnesota governor on Friday, blitzing establishment candidate Marty Seifert in a mere two ballots at the party's state convention. Neither held a clear lead going into the convention, raising the prospect of an extended floor battle. But Emmer, who steadily gained ground on Seifert in recent months and was endorsed a day before the convention by Sarah Palin, jumped out to lead Seifert 53 percent to 43 percent on the first ballot. When Emmer stretched his lead on the second ballot, it was over for Seifert. He took the podium to...

On Thursday, the day before Minnesota Republicans are slated to vote on their choice for governor, Tom Emmer won powerful backing from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, one of the party's biggest stars. Palin said Emmer, a leading candidate for governor, is a straight talking, patriotic hockey dad. "A family man who wants to leave his kids a better future, a 'hockey dad' who once played for the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks, a patriotic commonsense conservative who wishes to serve for the right reasons – that’s Tom Emmer, and I ask you to join me in supporting him for governor...

There seems to be a false dichotomy in our political discourse, a choice between principle and pragmatism. In truth, there are three options. One can be dogmatic to the point of impotence, principled, but unrealistic. One can be willing to compromise anything for power, pragmatic without principle. Or, one can define their pragmatism within principle. The latter choice is the most desirable, for little good comes from unprincipled action, and nothing comes from impracticality.The rise of the Tea Party, and broader liberty movement, has progressed through the Gandhian phases of being first ignored, then ridiculed, and now viciously attacked. Whether...

The recent hubbub over the "revelation" of Tom Emmer's previously known and easily Googled DWI charges from 19 and 29 years ago highlight an ideological difference between Emmer and opponent Marty Seifert. The distinction was drawn by Seifert himself, in reference to a bill Emmer sponsored in 2009 which "would have delayed license revocation and other administrative sanctions for suspected drunken drivers until a conviction or guilty plea" and "would have made DWI records private data after 10 years." Seifert was quoted in the Marshall Independent, saying he would not vote for the bill.Delaying punishment until guilt is proven is...