December 7, 2006 - Governor Pawlenty has reshuffled his cabinet. Two key commissioners are leaving and another has asked for a demotion. Pawlenty's commissioners of finance and natural resources are stepping down. The revenue Commissioner asked for a different position in the department and has been replaced. The moves come just one month before Pawlenty is set to begin his second term. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
December 4, 2006 - For the first time since 2001, Minnesota's governor and state lawmakers are talking about a tax rebate. The projected surplus for the current two-year budget cycle adds up to $1 billion, and grows to more than $2 billion by 2009. State law requires Governor Pawlenty to propose a tax rebate plan to the Legislature. MPR's Tom Scheck takes a look at Pawlenty's alternatives and whether finance experts believe a rebate is necessary...
November 15, 2006 - Governor Pawlenty says he wants to extend health insurance coverage to all Minnesota children. He made the announcement yesterday during a speech to a group of health care and policy experts in Minneapolis. Pawlenty's remarks come just one week after he narrowly won re-election and now faces a Legislature that is controlled by Democrats. Several groups were surprised by the announcement. While they applaud the move, they want to hear more specifics before signing on. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
November 10, 2006 - A pair of lawmakers from Minneapolis one of them an outspoken critic of Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty, will lead the Minnesota House and Senate. Senate DFLers selected Senator Larry Pogemiller as Majority Leader. Pogemiller has been a frequent critic of Governor Pawlenty over the past four years. House Democrats last night also elected Margaret Anderson Kelliher as the next speaker of the House. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports..
November 6, 2006 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports on final senatorial debate, hosted by Minnesota Public Radio, where the three major party candidates made their pitch to voters on the last full day of campaigning before Tuesday's election. Democrat Amy Klobuchar, Republican Mark Kennedy and the Independence Party's Robert Fitzgerald sparred over global warming, prescription drug costs and the war in Iraq. Klobuchar continues to hold major leads in all the independent polls, but Kennedy believes he's closing the gap in the final days of the election.
November 3, 2006 - The candidates for U.S. Senate from Minnesota will fan out across the state today to make their final pitches to voters before Election Day. Democrat Amy Klobuchar, Republican Mark Kennedy and the Independence Party's Robert Fitzgerald debated the issues last night in Rochester. The main topics were the war in Iraq and stem cell research.
November 2, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on U.S. Senate race, interviews the candidate’s campaign managers, and gets views from potential voters. With less than a week to go before the Midterm elections, a new MPR/St. Paul Pioneer Press poll shows Democrat Amy Klobuchar with a wide lead over Republican Mark Kennedy. The poll, however, does show that the gap is closing at a time when other polls show Klobuchar extending her lead. MPR’s
October 26, 2006 - Recently, in close races, Republicans have been turning to immigration as their top issue. This controversial topic has been succesful for Republicans in the past, and they continue to use it today.
October 16, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on national TV appearance of Minnesota U.S. Senate candidates. The candidates for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat are back in Minnesota today after appearing in a nationally televised debate on Sunday. Democrat Amy Klobuchar and Republican Mark Kennedy were in Washington yesterday to appear in an NBC “Meet the Press” debate. The high-stakes appearance took place as, yet another independent poll, shows Kennedy trailing Klobuchar by a substantial margin.
October 6, 2006 - Health care is emerging as one of the big issues in this year's campaign for U.S. Senate. Democrat Amy Klobuchar, Republican Mark Kennedy and Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald have all proposed ways to provide more health insurance coverage by controlling the cost of health care. As part of our look at the issues in this year's campaign, MPR's Tom Scheck looks at what the candidates are saying about health care and whether their promises add up.