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More on the northern GOP’s Congressional conundrum
The 8th CD Republicans meet this weekend in McGregor to endorse a candidate for Congress. A source has told me that a Pine County man named Mike Cummins will be nominated for that endorsement, but that there remains discontent within GOP circles for the long delay in finding a candidate and the relative obscurity of…
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Maryland files for 7B House seat
Daniel L. Maryland of Duluth has filed to run for State Representative in District 7B as a DFLer. He is the fourth Democrat to file and the fifth to announce. Who is he? He doesn’t have a website and I’m not finding much on Google right now. I can tell you that Maryland was a…
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No DFL endorsement in shortened House 7B primary
The word from Duluth is that there will be no DFL endorsement in the House 7B primary. This wasn’t shocking news. Rep. Mike Jaros’s surprise retirement last month didn’t leave enough time for an endorsement to hold much weight in the light of the ongoing candidate filing period. To the primary we go! Still just…
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Twin Ports daily chopped down to twice weekly
According to the Duluth News-Tribune and others, the Superior (Wis.) Daily Telegram will drop from publishing six days a week to just twice. The paper’s management insists that the Telegram will focus on online content to continue serving its readers. Let me translate that: “Hey, Little Billy. Spot had to go away, but don’t worry.…
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Change we can blog in
You might notice some subtle changes to the blog over the next week or two. I am contemplating a moderate redesign that will make the place more attractive and useful. Here are some of the plans: Add a blog roll for conservative blogs on the side bar. I self-identify as a DFL/progressive blog and have…
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Brown on the Air: Retirement
My weekly commentary will once again air on 91.7 KAXE’s “Between You and Me” this Saturday, July 12 between 10 a.m. and noon. The call-in/music show’s topic for the day is “retirement” and the program will be guest hosted by legendary KAXE volunteer programmer D.J. the D.J., who himself retired recently. Me? I’m a whipper…
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Lack of consensus in GOP pick for 8th CD
Last night I reported that a source told me Mike Cummins is a leading contender for the GOP endorsement and nomination for the Eighth Congressional District seat held by Jim Oberstar. But this is news to some top Republicans in the district, according to another anonymous source. (Incidentally, my proclivity for anonymous sources here is…
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Star Trib: Core cities grow, outer suburbs slow
From today’s Star Tribune: Growth trends show more people choosing to live in urban cores instead of suburbs. This means less transportation cost and urban sprawl and a realistic chance of revitalizing aging city infrastructure. The same kind of model would make sense for small and mid-sized towns all over the state. I think gas…
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Ventura Watch, continued
It would now seem former Gov. Jesse Ventura is pulling back the reins on speculation about his potential run for the U.S. Senate. I’m moving back to the opinion that he’s using this for publicity value. While I can envision a scenario where Ventura could win, I can’t envision a scenario where he completes a…
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These bills!
Take a gander at this report from the U.S. Dept. of Energy. What? You don’t look at links like that? You’re busy. You need to check your Hotmail account to see if that guy/girl who likes you as a friend left any subtle clues that he/she is in love with you? Damn you people. Your…
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SOURCE: Cummins to challenge Oberstar
A reader named “Scoop” says this weekend Republicans will endorse Mike Cummins for the Eighth Congressional District seat held by the venerable U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar (DFL-Chisholm). I have not had much luck learning more about Mr. Cummins, but will keep trying. I’m sure we will know the whole story in coming days. Oberstar’s opponent…
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Oberstar’s opponent?
There may be some news today about Rep. Jim Oberstar’s Republican opponent this fall. An anonymous tip came in that I am checking out. Remember, the Eight CD GOP declared that their candidate this year had to remain unnamed this spring while he/she/it weighed the benefits of running. But we were told that this candidate…
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The Ventura watch
A reader heard Jesse Ventura on (N)PR today and tells me he sounds exactly like a candidate. I hate to be the one to say it, but he’s a legitimate threat to win this race. Fiscal conservative. Anti-war. Perpetually angry. It’s getting to be an angry year. It would play out like this. At first,…
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Make plans for cool July 19 music event in northern Minnesota
This is a shameless plug for an organization that I love. KAXE’s annual Mississippi River Festival is coming up on July 19. This is a full day of music along the Grand Rapids banks of the Mighty Miss’ in northern Minnesota. KAXE is an independent public station that capably holds the line against big corporate…
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Another 7B update: Brandon Clokey plans serious challenge
Throughout the discussion of who will succeed Mike Jaros as District 7B representative, I’ve noted the fact that one person had announced their candidacy for the DFL nomination long before Jaros’s announced retirement. Brandon Clokey, a Duluth small businessman and political newcomer, announced his run for this office back in January. And today, his campaign…