Following the 2012 elections, it was unclear how much momentum was left in the Tea Party movement, both nationally and in Minnesota. Political analysts blamed the conservative faction for several embarrassing Republican losses in high-profile campaigns, while overall public opinion seemed to have soured on the concept.

In theory at least, state Rep. Jim Abeler should be a formidable candidate for the GOP nomination in the 2014 U.S. Senate contest. The Anoka Republican brings 15 years of legislative experience at the Capitol and a deep understanding of health care issues.

When Mike McFadden announced his campaign for the U.S. Senate at the end of May, most politicos had never heard his name. The executive at a Minneapolis financial firm was making his first run for public office, and he wanted to get his name out early so he could begin raising funds to run against DFL Sen. Al Franken.

The 2014 U.S. Senate contest in Minnesota is looking like it will be an expensive affair.

Franken, whose campagin released his second quarter numbers on Thursday, said that money came from nearly 30,000 donors and a majority of the contributions were for $100 or less.

When Republican members of the Legislature return to St. Paul next year and compare notes on what they did during the interim, a growing number will say they launched campaigns for Congress.

State Rep. Jim Abeler announced on Tuesday morning he’s launched an exploratory committee for a 2014 U.S. Senate bid. The expert on health care issues who is in his eighth House term as a Republican from Anoka said he wants to "unlock the stifling stranglehold the federal government holds on Minnesota, and recapture the flexibility we need to run our own state.”

Rep. Tina Liebling vowed that she would pull her bill proposing changes to Minnesota’s troubled civil commitment program for sex offenders if Republicans asked for a roll call vote. The Rochester DFLer feared that Republicans would use any recorded vote to smear DFLers as soft on sex offenders when campaign season rolls around.

Legislation that would change how dangerous sex offenders are indefinitely detained cleared the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday with bipartisan support. The bill is now cleared to be taken up on the Senate floor.

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.