Politics

Once considered a Democratic stronghold, Minnesota has become a target for presidential candidates in the 11th hour of the election.

Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan campaigned in Minneapolis on Sunday afternoon for a “victory rally” the same day President Barack Obama sent surrogate Bill Clinton to speak at St. Cloud State University.

Rep. Phyllis Kahn and Sen. Kari Dziedzic are fighting almost nonexistent battles for re-election to the Minnesota Legislature this year.

Along with campaigning for themselves, they’re helping out other candidates and joining the fight against the marriage and voter ID amendments.

“We’ve been working for a lot of the candidates all over the area,” Kahn said.

“It’s much more stressful than when you just have your own race and focus on it. When you’re campaigning for yourself you know what to do.”

For nearly 40 years, Democratic presidential candidates have banked on Minnesota’s electoral votes.

But a recent Star Tribune/Mason-Dixon poll suggested President Barack Obama’s lead is narrowing in Minnesota.

With a week until the election, the Obama campaign sent former President Bill Clinton to the University of Minnesota for a rally Tuesday morning.

Clinton spoke to an excited, student-heavy crowd of about 1,800 at McNamara Alumni Center.

From convention platforms to contraceptives, religion comes up in some of today’s most prominent political discussions.

On Monday, a few University of Minnesota professors sat down together at the Nolte Center for Continuing Education to discuss the prevalence of religion in today’s election.

Each of the four professors offered their own thoughts on religious issues in the upcoming elections.

Dara Strolovitch, a political science professor, talked about the involvement of religious groups in Minnesota’s upcoming marriage amendment.