The statewide straw poll contest gave the most enthusiastic party members just their second opportunity to voice an opinion in either contest.

In a statement that accompanied the announcement, Dayton described Smith as "the best administrator with whom I have ever worked."

The latest conventional wisdom points to chief of staff Tina Smith as the odds-on favorite.

Sen. Katie Sieben, DFL-Newport, announced on Friday that she would not seek the Lieutenant Governor position.

In an official response, chief of staff Tina Smith said the state paying for Hottinger's travel was "an error and will not happen again.

Dayton said the existing "operational problems" worry him, and are the kind of hitches that should have been worked out some time ago.

Scott said the fact that Smith holds both positions is "troubling and a massive ethical concern for the state."

As the federal government shutdown entered its second day, Gov. Mark Dayton’ s administration told reporters they are piecing together information about state government functions that could become affected.

Dayton called upon family, friends and trade union interests to help jump-start his reelection campaign.

Dayton on Tuesday appointed his chief of staff, Tina Smith, to serve on the board, along with retiring Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, retired Wells Fargo executive James Campbell and Susan Rani, president of Rani Engineering. The Mayo Clinic has also appointed Bill George, a member of the clinic's board of trustees and a former CEO of Medtronic, to the board.