The GOP base appears no less irate than at any other moment in the Obama era, and the party leadership’s plans look no more coherent or calibrated to the times.

A conservative candidate in a presidential election is unlikely to ever win a majority among voters who are looking for a candidate working to alleviate social problems such as poverty.

Obama now faces the stark reality that little of what he hopes to accomplish in his remaining years in office will likely come to pass

The many roles played by chief executives create large presidential effects on how citizens think about issues concerning ideological categories of liberalism and conservatism.

Former Minnesota U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy will lead the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, serving as the program's director starting Jan. 23.

When news broke last week that longtime former House Chief Clerk Ed Burdick had died, representatives took time to reminisce on the chamber floor. Preston Republican Rep. Greg Davids remembered a time when the clock struck midnight on the last night of session. The Legislature was constitutionally required to adjourn, but had yet to finish its work.

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.

A late September poll from the Star Tribune found Emmer and Dayton running neck-and-neck in outstate Minnesota with 35 percent apiece, but a mid October KSTP/SurveyUSA poll put Dayton ahead in all regions.

Republican state Sen. Geoff Michel has a new campaign ad out this week, one of the first television spots released this election season by a legislative candidate.

Gopal Khanna, the state's first chief information officer, is confident that he is leaving a lasting impact on how the state leverages technology to boost efficiency.