The campaign finance reports released last week show that political action committees large and small have been funneling lots of money into legislative races.

In many cases, DFLers simply got caught in an undertow in districts that are fundamentally split in their political allegiances; in some, like rural Senate District 16, they handed back control of districts no one had expected them to win in the first place; in others, it appears, they failed to take steps to protect incumbents who faced discernible pockets of Republican opposition.

Several former Republican legislators blasted both the Republican and DFL gubernatorial nominees for governor at state Capitol press conference. Minnesota Republican Party officials contend the former GOP legislators supporting Horner hold views that are removed from the current direction of the party.