Miller, a two-term senator from Winona, had been considering a run for the seat after being approached by several "major players" in the district over the last several weeks. But with twin sons on the way and responsibilities to run his family's scrap metal processing business, Miller said Friday that "the timing just isn't right for Congress."

Miller, who lives in Winona and is serving his second term in the Senate, said he is considering a run for the seat after being approached by "more than one person and some major players" in the district. He plans to make his decision in the next few weeks in order "to be fair to everyone" considering a run for the seat.

The Senate passed a higher education finance bill that includes $250 million in additional funding and a tuition freeze at the state's public colleges and universities by a 44-22 vote on Friday. Six Republicans joined all DFLers in voting for the measure.

With most major finance bills clearing the House and Senate floors, attention will now turn towards conference committees this week. Conferees on several bills have already been appointed by legislative leaders.

For Branden Petersen, the past week has been, in his words, “unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.” It all started when the 27-year-old Republican senator from Andover told the Star Tribune that he’s likely to support a DFL effort to legalize gay marriage in 2013, just months after voters rejected a constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman.

Minnesota’s 2012 Democratic legislative campaigns started about two years ago. The exact date depends on who you ask.

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

When Jeremy Miller walked in the 2010 La Crescent Applefest Parade, his interactions with voters led to a lot of questions. “Who are you?” they asked. And: “You’re running for what?” And: “Are you even old enough?”

When so-called right-to-work legislation came up for a floor vote in March, Sen. Jeremy Miller was the only Republican to vote against the proposal. Although it was merely a procedural vote to send the proposed constitutional amendment to a different committee, organized labor was grateful for the freshman legislator’s public opposition.

The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49 announced that it's backing 16 GOP incumbents and 10 DFL incumbents in its first round of endorsements. The list is noteworthy because of its bipartisan mix, which is rare for most labor unions.