The GOP base appears no less irate than at any other moment in the Obama era, and the party leadership’s plans look no more coherent or calibrated to the times.

Even before Franken went public with his letter of concern, the Republican Party of Minnesota was targeting the Democratic incumbent for what it called "broken promises."

Republicans keep reaching back to Ronald Reagan because they have little else to offer.

Earlier, McFadden had gained the endorsement of former U.S. Sens. Norm Coleman and Rod Grams.

The compacts that regulate Indian-run gambling in the state never came up for a vote in the Minnesota Legislature. In fact, the whole affair happened rather quietly.

So we have “déjà-vu all over again.” Remember the grand compromise between Ronnie and Tip that started Reaganomics in the early 1980s? In that fateful deal, reached as I recall mano a mano, eyeball-to-eyeball, President Ronald Reagan got what he wanted: lower taxes; and Tip O’Neill, Democratic speaker of the House, got what he wanted: higher spending.

Minnesota residents who strap on their downhill skis at Buck Hill in Burnsville are required to pony up the state's 6.85 percent sales tax when purchasing lift tickets. By contrast, individuals who choose to explore the state's cross-country ski trails are spared the sales tax when purchasing a pass from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Revamped gun measures and tougher rules for payday lenders are among the laws that took effect around the country on Jan. 1. But some of them may not be on the books for long.

In 1972, the state Senate's Liberal Caucus won the majority in the general election. When they took office, both chambers switched to a partisan affiliation footing, and and Senate DFLers started a run in the driver's seat that would last nearly 40 years. As Republicans prepare to end their 38-year drought by taking control of the Senate next week, Capitol Report sifted through the archives to glean some of the defining moments in the upper chamber during the decades of DFL rule.

On the last Saturday in June, Gov. Tim Pawlenty addressed a crowd of nearly 1,500 Republican activists and donors gathered at the Nashville Convention Center. The annual Statesmen’s Dinner is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Tennessee Republican Party, with a minimum contribution of $250 required to gain entry.