[money] Tribal PACs have given almost three times as much money to DFL political groups than to their GOP counterparts. The state DFL party and the House and Senate caucuses took in just over $700,000 from eight groups associated with American Indian tribes.

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.

On Tuesday hundreds of labor unions, business groups, lobbying shops and other independent political organizations submitted reports detailing how much money they’ve raised so far this year, what they’ve already spent and how much they have in the bank.

Minnesota's Indian tribes have been spreading more political contributions to Republicans since they took over control of the Legislature in 2010. That trend is continuing this year, but with one notable exception: the Senate GOP caucus hasn't received a dime from the tribes.

Indian tribes have been a powerful force in Minnesota politics for nearly two decades, bankrolling major political party groups with hundreds of thousands of dollars for their campaigns. In 2011 they spread their money almost evenly between DFLers and Republicans.

When Republican state senators gather on Tuesday to elect a new majority leader, their top-of-mind priority will be to choose someone who can bail out a sinking boat and set it sailing in the right direction again. But the stakes will also be very high for a set of Capitol interest groups facing an historic chance to make years’ and countless dollars’ worth of lobbying efforts pay off.

A steady downpour didn’t keep Indian gambling workers from flocking outside the state Capitol in St. Paul last April. At least 1,500 people gathered outside on the building’s steps, some arriving by the busload from reservations hours away. Clad in raincoats and shielded by a canopy of umbrellas, workers thrust signs into the air that read, “Rural jobs count too” and “Don’t gamble with my job!”

The Minnesota State Legislature got a preview Thursday of what a Block E casino debate will look like when a House committee held a hearing on a bill that would bring slots to racetracks.

The 2010 Minnesota election is one that will undeniably be marked by the influence of third-party groups, which have put millions of dollars - some more than any of the governor candidates - to influence the outcome. In addition to the more than $5 million funneled into DFL candidate coffers via labor-backed group Alliance for a Better Minnesota, tribal political action committees have put nearly $1.2 million into mostly DFL hands so far this year.

Minnesota's three biggest tribal PACs have been big givers to DFL party units and candidates in recent election cycles, but this year they are seemingly on a pace to blow past their previous spending ranges.