Swanson’s opposition creates another political obstacle to the administration’s efforts to modify the terms of confinement for about 700 men.

At the GOP’s state central meeting in Blaine last Saturday Saturday, Johnson proved himself the most popular candidate among roughly 400 Republican Party activists in an early, nonbinding straw poll for the governor’s race. But Johnson’s appeal among activists has been building for years, most recently through his position as RNC committeeman and as one of the lead players in an audit of the party's post-Tony Sutton finances.

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.

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

Republicans are mired in an extended losing streak in statewide political contests. Since 2006, when Gov. Tim Pawlenty won re-election with 47 percent of the vote, Republicans have been shut out. That dubious streak reached a nadir of sorts last year, when U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar won re-election by nearly 35 percentage points over GOP challenger Kurt Bills.

The wounds had started to heal by the time Minnesota Republicans faced each other at an annual activist gathering in Blaine over the weekend. Many Republicans had already come to terms with the drubbing that took place on Nov. 6, when both Republican legislative majorities and two GOP-led constitutional amendments were rejected by voters.

One notable exception: Cravaack/Nolan CD 8 race

President Barack Obama is seven points ahead of Romney in the most recent statewide poll from Public Policy Polling. Among likely Minnesota voters, 51 percent support Obama, and 44 percent are planning to vote for Romney. The new results show Romney closing the gap on the incumbent since PPP's June survey, when Obama's lead stood at 54-39.

In what was both a dense tax policy exposition and a moment for election-year grandstanding, the House Taxes Committee on Monday dissected the many sources of revenue that are intended to pay for President Obama’s health care act.

After weeks of underwhelming financial numbers for Minnesota conservatives, this week starts with a much more encouraging set of digits. A new poll from Survey USA and KSTP finds an upswing in support for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the state, and 52 percent of respondents planning to vote in favor of the ballot question to ban gay marriage.