After rising to speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives in the wake of the 2010 election, Rep. Kurt Zellers was stung two years later by his caucus’s demotion to minority status. The Republican from Maple Grove struck an unassuming profile at the Capitol this past spring.

Paul Marquart knows that when it comes to the gun debate at the Capitol, most of it boils down to matters of region and culture.

During the fall campaign season, the Republican Party of Minnesota sent out mailings in Senate District 4 accusing Kent Eken of voting to raise the “granny tax.”

Leaders from all four legislative caucuses are spending the waning days of the 2012 campaign barnstorming key districts around the state.

GOP-aligned independent groups have rushed to fill the campaign spending gap that Republicans face in their battle for continued control of the Minnesota Legislature.

On Thursday morning state Reps. Carolyn McElfatrick and Tom Anzelc appeared on the “Making Sausage” radio program on KAXE (FM 91.7) in Grand Rapids. They fielded questions about the budget, taxes and the proposed constitutional amendments.

The Senate District 49 race has resulted in the largest haul so far with more than $100,000 in political contributions. Campaign finance reports have revealed this and a lot more, including some notable financial mismatches as well as challengers bringing in more than incumbents.

There are just four districts across the state where incumbent legislators from opposing parties are squaring off in the general election. But three of those contests are in a single central Minnesota Senate district that stretches from Iron Range mining towns in the north to the Pillsbury State Forest in the south.

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.

House and Senate races across the state are rapidly shaking out following the release of new legislative maps.