The two major American parties have moved from the traditional place as coalitions of diverse viewpoints to more European-style ideological political entities.

The Minnesota GOP party will conduct a presidential straw poll in conjunction with next month's Midwest Leadership Conference in Bloomington. Only participants in the conference will be eligible to participate.

With the once-frenzied budget process mired in conference committee doldrums, Republican-sponsored constitutional amendments that would clamp down on taxes and spending are filling the fiscal policy void.

In some political attacks during this year's legislative campaign, the attacking party has been the one that's gotten bloodied.

Fundraising numbers are by no means the end all-be all indicator of a candidate's electoral success, but some recently released campaign finance reports reveal startling numbers that could point to several GOP takeovers in the state House.

Rep. Ron Erhardt, R-Edina, took a parting shot on the House floor last week on the issue of transportation funding. Earlier in the session, Erhardt ...