Statewide Blog

Racists to rally in Duluth, redistricting reverberations, small town rhymes

White supremacy group plans Duluth rally

Duluth News Tribune: "The white unity rally will be held at the Duluth Civic Center and could last up to three hours, a local organizer said."

Redistricting

New political boundaries drawn for Minnesota

MPR News: "New congressional districts released today by a special court panel put DFL Rep. Betty McCollum and Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann in the same district. Along with the congressional map, the panel released the new political boundaries the Minnesota Legislature."

Michele Bachmann catches break in Minnesota congressional map

Politico: "Bachmann, a third-term congresswoman who waged an unsuccessful bid for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination, will run in a Republican-friendly district in the suburban Twin Cities area that will actually be slightly safer for her than her current one."

Subtle changes in the 1st and 2nd Districts

Pioneer Press: "The south suburban 2nd District will shift southeasterly. ... The 1st District, meanwhile, will still run across southern Minnesota, though it will lose Wabasha County and two counties and part of a third in the southwest to the 7th District covering western Minnesota."

New boundaries create open seats in Central Minnesota

Saint Cloud Times: "A state judicial panel released the new boundaries as part of the once-a-decade redistricting process, creating several new Central Minnesota legislative districts without an incumbent lawmaker residing in them."

Editorial: Credit judges for fair representation

Star Tribune: "Minnesota should give them a permanent role in redistricting."

Range retains similar legislative delegation

Minnesota Brown: "The 8th CD is largely unchanged, with Rep. Chip Cravaack still here. Iron Range and Duluth legislative incumbents are largely protected, though the orientation moves west (not south as I had suspected). Rep. Carly Melin absorbs a lot of Itasca County precincts."

Ripple In Stillwater: Redistricting poses tough choices for Bachmann's political future

Ripple In Stillwater: "In a fundraising email to supporters ... Bachmann charged the five-judge redistricting panel responsible for the 'injustice' of placing her in the same district as DFL Congresswoman Betty McCollum with 'liberal bias.'"

Redistricting data show a rise in minority populations throughout Minnesota

MNpublius: "The Census, of course, doesn't tell us anything about political affiliations. But there are certain proxies we can use. For example, minority groups tend to lean heavily toward the DFL."

Cloquet area residents plan rally to highlight Cravaack's absence from 8th District

Pine Journal: "As new redistricting maps are made public in Minnesota on Tuesday, a group of Cloquet area residents will be bringing attention to the fact that no matter how the lines are drawn, Rep. Chip Cravaack does not live in Minnesota's 8th District."

Also making news

Foley revives police department, appoints interim chief

Saint Cloud Times: "City Council members voted to re-establish the Foley's police department Tuesday by a vote of 4-1.Mayor Gary Gruba voted against the motion."

NikeeJS raps in praise of small town life

MPR News: "When the rapper Nikee JS started recording rhymes at 14, his lyrics relied mostly on beamers and bling. But 12 years later, he's flipped the script. Instead of rapping of fast cars, flashy jewelry and champagne, Nikee JS now draws inspiration from the cornfields of his native Jackson. He aims to bring a small-town sensibility to the rap scene."