Republican legislative leaders face challenges in amassing a suitable war chest due to both a well-fortified traditional DFL donor base and a state Republican Party that is financially imperiled.

The North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters is backing 58 DFLers and 23 Republicans in House and Senate races across the state. The union's first round of endorsements includes 14 challengers -- all DFLers.

In a press conference in the State Office Building, House Speaker Kurt Zellers lauded the slate of candidates they have recruited for the fall elections and railed on DFLers and Gov. Mark Dayton's administration for trying to raise taxes, "force" unionization of daycare providers and for putting state government spending on "autopilot."

It was supposed to be a show of electoral force, and it was: After filing for office en masse on Thursday morning, several dozen GOP lawmakers and candidates lined the back wall and spilled out the doors of a press room in the State Office Building.

Left for dead in April, the Vikings stadium bill sprinted to passage in the session’s closing days. What happened?

Less than a month ago, the Minnesota House and Senate looked poised to adjourn without passing any major pieces of legislation. Most notably, a bonding package and a Minnesota Vikings stadium appeared to be dead in the water.

House Republican leaders emphasized the long-view of things as they spoke to reporters on the morning after the 2012 legislative session adjourned sine die. After an end-of-session legislative battle in which a bonding bill and Vikings stadium bill were pushed through with more DFL than Republican votes, House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Majority Leader Matt Dean emphasized the budget balancing deal from 2011 and said their priorities this year were squelched by Gov. Mark Dayton.

After a veto by Gov. Mark Dayton last week, the House has passed a smaller version of its omnibus tax bill on a mostly party-line vote.

At first it was a “hare-brained scheme,” and then it was “absolutely worth considering.” At first it was roofless, and then it couldn’t be built without a roof.

An all-new Republican roofless Vikings stadium plan paid partially with state borrowing is now out of the picture and legislative floor votes are forthcoming on a $500 million bonding bill and the stadium proposal that has been working its way through committees all session.