Minnesota Lawyer

House vets join first-timers in Senate GOP fold as Capitol Report continues profiling all 65 of the newly elected members of the Minnesota Legislature.

Business-backed PACs continued their fundraising push in the late summer as the focus shifted from contested primaries to November's general election. Most of their spending was dedicated to supporting first-term Republican incumbents in swing districts.

Near the close of a fractious two-day Republican Party of Minnesota state convention in St. Cloud, Jeff Johnson took the dais to address the elephant in the room: the tensions between supporters of Ron Paul and other activists and party regulars.

State Rep. Mike Beard barely survived a GOP endorsement challenge on Saturday in House District 55A. Beard faced a backlash for his support for retention elections of judicial contests. There were also DFL conventions in Districts 2 and 4.