Republicans say momentum, not money, is key in two districts.

Peterson's announcement was hailed by DFL Party chair Ken Martin, who called Peterson a "true champion for farmers."

House Majority Leader Erin Murphy said the budget plan would "build on our historic investments in education.

Move MN, a coalition of transportation funding advocates, hopes the two revenue streams would result in $727 million per year.

The idea is significantly more popular with the young and less affluent, and polls much better with Democrats than Republicans.

"The DFL Party is in a strong position to reelect Gov. Mark Dayton [and] Sen. Al Franken," Martin said.

Leitz told board members the next two months would be a critical period for MNsure.

Over the course of the entire year, Peterson received just over $500,000 in total donations, with about $71,000 of that figure coming from individuals.

Dayton said he had been speaking with the MNsure board on an increasingly frequent basis in recent months.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Honour issued a statement calling on MNsure executive director April Todd-Malmlov to resign.