A little known real estate developer announced Monday that he will challenge child-safety advocate Patty Wetterling and Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar for the Minnesota DFL's nomination in the 2006 U.S. Senate race. (05/16/2005)

Citing the potential for a divisive campaign ahead, conservative former U.S. Sen. Rod Grams said Sunday he is ending his bid to return to the Senate in 2006. (04/25/2005)

A debate in the Minnesota House started as an attempt to place certain cold remedies behind pharmacy counters, to make it harder for meth manufacturers to obtain the pseudoephedrine crucial to making their drugs. It ended with a sweeping ban on many everyday medications. (04/22/2005)

Speaking at a fundraiser for the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota on Wednesday, Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean said his party needs to do a better job of appealing to voters emotionally. ( 04/21/2005)

Democrat Amy Klobuchar officially entered the race for U.S. Senate on Sunday. So far only Klobuchar and Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy have formally launched campaigns for the seat DFLer Mark Dayton will leave at the end of next year. (04/17/2005)

The Republicans vying for a spot on Minnesota's 6th Congressional District ballot hauled in comparable amounts of campaign cash and, in some cases, looked to the same donors, according to reports that were due Friday. (04/15/2005)

Amid a contentious fight over gay marriage, a Republican state senator said Thursday that he was no longer able to keep his own sexuality a secret. (04/14/2005)

Minnesota is getting visits from some high-powered political operatives this week. President Bush's Senior Advisor Karl Rove is coming to a fundraiser for Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Friday and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., speaks to Minnesota Democrats on Saturday. MPR's political analysts weigh in on the state's political climate. ( 04/08/2005)

There's talk among some Republicans that Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty might be a good candidate for president or vice president in 2008. Some say in addition to being in line with the GOP on the issues, Pawlenty could help win votes from Minnesota and other Midwestern battleground states. (04/08/2005)

The Minnesota Senate has beaten back an attempt to force a vote on a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. The failed tactic came as thousands of gays, lesbians, and their supporters rallied on the Capitol grounds in opposition to the gay marriage ban. (04/07/2005)

DFLers Patty Wetterling and Amy Klobuchar are moving forward with their prospective Senate campaigns, with Wetterling sending out a fund-raising letter and Klobuchar setting up a campaign Web site. (03/18/2005)

A Minnesota Public Radio analysis of campaign finance records shows that state political party units last year spent close to $3 million to influence the outcome of a handful of targeted legislative races. In almost two dozen cases, the party spending outstripped what the candidates themselves were allowed to spend under voluntary spending restraints. (03/14/2005)

Another Republican Party heavy hitter, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, endorsed U.S. Rep. Mark Kennedy's 2006 campaign Monday as the congressman's lone GOP rival lashed out at party bosses he said were counting him out too soon. (03/07/2005)

U.S. Rep. Gil Gutknecht said Friday he would run for re-election to the House, ending the possibility of a primary fight between two Republican congressmen for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Mark Dayton. (03/04/2005)

Phil Krinkie, a GOP state representative with a penny-pinching reputation, on Friday joined a swelling field for Minnesota's 6th District congressional seat. (02/25/2005)