Johnson’s line is insurance, and that has placed him smack in the center of Minnesota’s climate change debate

Among Republican gubernatorial candidates, Rep. Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove, had the greatest name recognition.

Republican candidates and activists filed into the National Sports Center in Blaine on Saturday to participate in a preliminary straw poll of candidates in the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races. Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson won the gubernatorial poll with 35 percent of the vote, and state Sen. Julianne Ortman won the U.S. Senate poll with 37 percent of the vote.

Johnson, a Hennepin County Commissioner, and Ortman, a state senator from Chanhassen, placed first in candidate straw polls cast by Republican Party of Minnesota activists gathered at the National Sports Center in Blaine on Saturday. Johnson beat five other Republican candidates for governor with 35 percent of the vote, with state Sen. Dave Thompson coming in second with 27 percent of the vote.

The modern Congress is often faulted for its inability to actually accomplish much. Even still, the members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are as good as ever in at least on area: Raising money toward their own re-election. In keeping with that trend, third-quarter Federal Elections Commission (FEC) reports find Minnesota’s delegation is pretty good at collecting checks, with at least one notable — if predictable — exception.

Jim Abeler is not running a traditional campaign for the United States Senate. Instead of spending hours making fundraising calls to beef up his campaign war chest, Abeler has spent most of his time in his car, driving from city to city to meet with Republican activists.

McFadden's campagin says they will report $1.2 million in cash-on-hand when they file their fundraising reports next week. The Republican financial executive is seeking the Republican nomination to run against incumbent DFL Sen. Al Franken next fall.

The St. Louis County commissioner, Republican and now-retired member of the U.S. Army reserves kicked of his campaign for the U.S. Senate last week.

St. Louis County Commissioner Chris Dahlberg has joined the field of GOP contenders seeking to oust U.S. Sen. Al Franken in 2014. There are now six candidates looking to secure the Republican nomination.

Though focused on his federal campaign, Abeler said he was "not disinterested" in coming back to the Capitol, where he serves as Republican lead on the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee.