Minnesota political funds can make unlimited contributions to the recount operations of candidates Tom Emmer and Mark Dayton, the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board ruled on Wednesday. The board held an emergency meeting to discuss the issue after a request from Dayton's campaign for legal guidance.

The main question is whether a political committee or association that has a political fund can donate money to candidate's recount fund.

Union-backed independent political expenditure group Alliance for a Better Minnesota is out raising - and spending - pro-business group MN Forward in the Minnesota governor's race.

The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board issued public subsidy payments this week to candidates running for state office, dishing out nearly $4 million to 365 candidates, including nearly $1 million to the governor’s race.

Minnesota's campaign finance and disclosure laws were the subject of a New York Times editorial, which said the state should be "praised for requiring full sunshine."

The single biggest lightning rod for progressive money thus far in 2010 is the upstart Win Minnesota PAC and its independent expenditures PAC, the 2010 Fund. The main organization, as Paul Demko wrote last fall before joining PIM, was created in 2009 with an eye toward electing a Democrat in this year's gubernatorial race. Together, the two PACs have over $2 million in cash on hand.

It's a busy day over at the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board offices, as political party units and political committees and funds scramble to meet today's deadline for filing initial 2010 funding disclosure reports. In the meantime, here's a quick refresher course in the who's-who of major Minnesota political committees and funds (PCFs) from the last two state election cycles.

The Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board will not investigate a complaint filed by the state Republican party alleging that a polling firm made an illegal contribution to Tom Horner's gubernatorial campaign. The state agencydetermined that the alleged violation fell outside the bounds of its jurisdiction.

The Minnesota Republican Party is alleging that Independence Party gubernatorial candidate Tom Horner unfairly benefited from a poll that was conducted by a longtime acquaintance.

The House and Senate will hammer out their differences on a bill that makes changes to the state's campaign laws.