Friday, May 3, 2013
John Kline, one of only five Minnesota representatives to hold a House chairmanship in the last 50 years, is serving in a time of increased power for House leadership.
When U.S. Rep. John Kline was named chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee in 2011, he became only the fifth Minnesotan to earn a chairmanship in the last half century. But, as the Star Tribune pointed out earlier this week, despite overseeing a $6 million annual budget and holding a position of prestige and putative influence, the fact is that committee chairs don't have as much power as they used to. A combination of political maneuvers that have centralized power in the hands of party leadership and rule changes—such as a three-term limit for committee chairs—have served to rob committee chairs of much of the legislative control committee chairs wielded in earlier eras. During a summer 2012 partisan negotiation between the…
Friday, April 26, 2013
Eagan resident Sona Mehring announced earlier in April that she planned to run for Minnesota's Second Congressional seat.
Just weeks after she announced that she would campaign against Rep. John Kline (R) in Minnesota's Second Congressional District, Eagan resident and CaringBridge founder Sona Mehring has abruptly ended her campaign. As part of her campaign for Congress, Mehring initially made the decision to resign from CaringBridge—a decision she appeared to regret in a news release issued Tuesday. Although her campaign had received "tremendous" support, Mehring said that her true passion lay with CaringBridge, a nonprofit she founded in 1997, and that her work there was not done. Read Mehring's full statement below: Dear Friends, As I set out on my campaign for Congress, there was a yearning to serve my country and the people in my community in a new way…
Monday, April 22, 2013
Rep. John Kline announced his intention to run for reelection to the House in 2014 in order to clear the field for candidates seeking higher office.
Rep. John Kline (R-Second District) announced Friday that he would run for his seventh term in Congress in 2014, ruling out bids for the U.S. Senate or the governor's office. Kline, a Burnsville resident, told reporters that he was announcing his plans for reelection in order to clear the field for candidates seeking higher office—particularly the seat of Sen. Al Franken. “It’s time for them to start to get serious and raise money. That will be a very expensive Senate race,” Kline said, according to the Associated Press. “Al has shown he can raise money. He’s got money and he can raise money. Whoever our candidate is, they need to be able to do that as well.” Kline said that some Republican politicians had told him they would not announce …
Saturday, April 6, 2013
Also in this week’s review: A new leader for the City of Burnsville staff, Little Caesar’s gets its sign wavers back.
Take a trip around Dakota County and the south metro with this week's rundown of top news. For the original story, simply click on the link in the headline. Burnsville Burnsville Board of Education Narrows Field to Two in Search for Superintendent As of Wednesday night, elected officials at the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School District were one step closer to finding a replacement for outgoing Superintendent Randy Clegg. Burnsville CFO Heather Johnston to be Promoted to City Manager The council was unanimous in their support of Heather Johnston, though Shakopee City Administrator Mark McNeill was a close second. Eagan It's Official, Obermueller Seeks 2014 Rematch Against Kline Mike Obermueller, who was defeated by incumbent Rep. John Kline…
Friday, March 15, 2013
Second District U.S. Rep. John Kline lent his name to a fundraiser for a Tennessee congressman, an anti-abortion Republican who allegedly slept with his medical patients and pressured one to have an abortion.
U.S. Rep. John Kline, a Republican whose district includes Burnsville, is receiving criticism for hosting a fundraiser for a scandal-plagued Tennessee congressman accused of impregnating his medical patient and pressuring her to have an abortion. Kline lent his name to a March 19 fundraiser for Tennessee Republican Scott DesJarlais, a doctor and anti-abortion advocate, who reportedly dated multiple patients, arranging for an abortion with one, and supported his wife's decision to have two abortions before their marriage, according to transcripts from their divorce proceedings. "Congressman Kline's support for disgraced, Tea Party hypocrite Scott DesJarlais is just one more example of how out of touch Kline is with Minnesota," said Andy …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Second District Rep. John Kline received $2,500 in contributions from the gun rights group during the 2012 election cycle.
The Sandy Hook school shooting may have added new fuel to the gun control debate, but advocacy groups have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to federal legislators since 2009, according to a report released Friday. Non-partisan research organization MapLight, in coordination with Tableau Software, compiled contribution totals for the leading advocacy groups in the gun control debate—the National Rifle Association and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. The NRA’s Political Action Committee dwarfs the Brady Campaign’s in terms of contributions to legislators. It gave about $1.5 million to legislators compared to the Brady Campaign’s $5,900. In Minnesota, the NRA gave nearly $30,000 to legislators—ranking the state 20th in NRA …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Rep. John Kline (R-Burnsville) was the only Minnesota Republican to vote yes on the House bill.
After the United States House of Representatives on Tuesday night passed a bill to avoid widespread tax increases and deep spending cuts for Americans (the Senate passed a bill in the early hours of Tuesday), Rep. John Kline (R-Burnsville), who was the only Minnesota Republican to vote yes on the bill, released the following statement: "For too long, I have called on the administration to work with Congress toward creating an environment that helps families by preserving tax relief and providing economic certainty so private-sector employers can create jobs. While I am pleased tax relief for the middle class and small businesses is made permanent by this bipartisan legislation, the sobering reality is our nation remains in a debt crisis …
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Incumbent Republican John Kline defeated Democrat Mike Obermueller by more than 8 points to keep his seat in congress.
Rep. John Kline (R-Lakeville) is going back to Washington, D.C. Kline defeated Democratic challenger Mike Obermueller by more than 8 points on Nov. 6. With each of the 291 precincts reporting, Kline received 193,587 votes, or 54.01 percent of the total votes cast. Obermueller received 164,335, or 45.85 percent. Patch will have more on this race in the coming days.
Friday, October 12, 2012
Eagan resident Mike Obermueller, a Democrat running against incumbent Rep. John Kline (R), answers in his first televised ad.
Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter| Blog for us Second Congressional District challenger Mike Obermueller, a Democrat, has released his first televised campaign advertisement earlier this week—a playful reinterpretation of his opponent Republican John Kline's own promise to cut spending. The ad, which cost the Obermueller campaign $150,000 to run, draws a tongue-in-cheek comparison between Washington D.C. and an inefficient pizza parlor overstaffed with snappily-dressed, somber-faced Feds. "There's way too much waste and both parties are to blame. Democrats don’t want to cut wasteful spending and Republicans are just as wasteful when they want more tax breaks for millionaires," Obermueller said …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
The meetings will be held in South Saint Paul, Eagan and Northfield, according to a press release issued by Second Congressional District Candidate Mike Obermueller.
Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter| Blog for us Mike Obermueller, DFL challenger to incumbent GOP Congressman John Kline, will hold round tables with voters across Rice and Dakota Counties on Wednesday, Sept. 12 to discuss Medicare and Social Security policy, two programs that have been threatened by declining revenues and a political tug of war at the capitol. The meeting times and locations are as follows: South Saint Paul 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12 Black Sheep Coffee Cafe 705 Southview Boulevard, South St. Paul Eagan 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12 Ring Mountain Creamery 1965 Cliff Lake Road, Eagan Northfield 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 12 The HideAway 421 Division Street South, Northfield…
Mac Hall
3:57 pm on Sunday, April 28, 2013
It is understandable would have a yearning to return to a program that benefited so many,, yet Sona’s early messaging of speaking out on family issues -- fair pay, early education funding, domestic violence, etc. -- take’s a voice that was exposing problems that Chairman Kline has ignored. Sona would have been a good representative. more ›