Notably, both Democratic candidates get a slight boost when the poll of adults is trimmed to include only likely voters.

The board also discussed its thinking about hiring a full-time, permanent replacement for April Todd-Malmlov.

When it comes to his bid for re-election next fall, Rep. Tim Faust said the gay marriage vote will only have a small impact on his chances. “It’s going to make a difference, but is it going to make a difference in the mind of the independent voter? I don’t think so.”

The growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions is refiguring energy politics from the global down to the local level — a development partially reflected in the energy bill that passed the Minnesota Legislature this year.

On the same day the U.S. Supreme Court struck struck down the federal Defense of Marriage Act, the Minnesotans United PAC released the full "Minnesota 15" list of pro-gay marriage legislators who will be made "priorities" in their reelection campaigns. That list includes the five legislative Republicans who voted in favor of the bill and 10 rural Democrats serving in the House who could be vulnerable after casting their "yes" votes.

Republican legislators who voted in favor of a controversial bill to legalize gay marriage last session are now back home in their districts, and some of them are dealing with blowback from that decision.

Rachel Larson Bohman wasted no time getting into the race for Minnesota secretary of state. Within an hour of DFL officeholder Mark Ritchie’s Tuesday announcement that he would not seek a third term in 2014, Bohman released a statement putting her name in the ring as a Democrat.

Democrats who control the Legislature saved some politicking and deal-making on Capitol restoration bonding and taxes for the final hours of the regular 2013 Legislative session

On Thursday afternoon the Minnesota House passed its long-watched bill to legalize same-sex marriage by a 75-59 vote that followed roughly three hours of floor debate.

The centerpiece of the bill is a new standard for investor-owned utilities like Xcel Energy to generate 4 percent of their electricity from solar sources by 2025.