Far away from St. Paul, a group of counties in southeastern Minnesota has been trying to convert the much-talked-about notion of government services consolidation into reality. For Laura Elvebak, Waseca County’s administrator, the county’s outlook makes what’s generally known as government redesign a matter of survival.

On paper the open seat in House District 43A should favor the DFL nominee. Partisan indexes suggest the district tilts in their favor by anywhere from 2 to 14 percentage points.

State Reps. Connie Doepke and Steve Smith feel the wrath of GOP grass roots, may head to primary.

It was one of those votes no one wanted to take. The state’s new maps dropped DFL senators and allies John Marty and Mary Jo McGuire into Senate District 66, forcing activists in the area to pick between them at a recent endorsing convention.

When the state’s redistricting maps were dropped in February, McFarlane, a three-term House member from White Bear Lake, found herself in the same district Dean, the second most powerful member in the chamber. McFarlane lost the endorsement to Dean in one ballot at the district's endorsing convention two weekends ago.

House Majority Leader Matt Dean on Saturday won an endorsement competition against fellow GOP Rep. Carol McFarlane. The new redistricting maps drawn by a panel of judges paired the two incumbents into the newly drawn House District 38B in the suburbs north of St. Paul.

On Saturday Reps. Glenn Gruenhagen and Ron Shimanski squared off in Hutchinson for the GOP endorsement in House District 18B. On the second ballot Gruenhagen pulled within half a percentage point of crossing the 60 percent threshold required for endorsement.

At least three incumbent Republican legislators appear to be facing serious challenges for party endorsement.

House and Senate races across the state are rapidly shaking out after the release of the 2012 legislative map last month. And with local endorsing conventions set to take place throughout March, incumbents and challengers alike have little time to make decisions about their political futures.

Dean announced his intentions to run for re-election on his Facebook page on Monday. Dean said he plans to seek and abide by the Republican endorsement in the newly configured House District 38B.