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Local media picks up on Ironworld/KSTP flap
The Mesabi Daily News, and sister publication Hibbing Daily Tribune, ran a story about KSTP’s Ironworld hit piece from last week. Across the Range, readers collectively ask: “What is KSTP?” Bill Hanna talked to the #2 in the KSTP newsroom, Iron Range Resources Commissioner Sandy Layman and others. Layman took former State Rep. and Taxpayer’s…
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Who will win? Who will vote?
I’m easing myself into the practice of reducing the amount of political polling I report here. Other blogs report it at great length and have faster access to the original polling data than me. Also, I think that polling should be reported as intended by pollsters: as a simple snapshot of one moment in time…
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Ventura to announce plans Monday
Jesse Ventura will announce his plans for the U.S. Senate race Monday night. It had appeared that the Ventura for Senate fever was dying down, but I doubt Jesse’s going to get all dressed up Monday night for nothing. Meantime, Good Morning America did a segment on Al Franken this morning that showed the whole…
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Cummins announces run for Congress against Oberstar
Mike Cummins, a Pine City home efficiency developer, called me Friday night to confirm that he’ll be seeking the GOP endorsement for the Eighth Congressional District seat held by Jim Oberstar. Cummins was gone most of the week touring a solar array in Canada as part of his job in helping people make their homes…
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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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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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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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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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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…
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Minnesota Power to run on anchor power
Hey, remember Channel 3? We used to have this channel (3) here in northern Minnesota that was like a real channel. It had news and people worked there and back in the 1960s there were clown shows and whatnot, the whole deal. There is still a Channel 3 (CBS) in Duluth, but it’s operated by…
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Go to hell, KSTP
Let me begin by saying the way things have been done on the Iron Range hasn’t always been perfect. It’s an area with a unique governance structure because of our mining tax system and that system has taken time to make more efficient. There’s been plenty to criticize and I’ve been one of the critics.…