Today’s UpTake: Dayton Releases Budget, Iron Range Special Election

Governor Mark Dayton takes center stage again today, as he releases his state budget at 10:30 at the Minnesota Department of Revenue, together with Commissioner Jim Schowalter, members of his Cabinet, and officials from Minnesota Management and Budget. The Republican response proves to be swift, as the GOP’s brain trust, including Amy Koch, Kurt Zellers, Matt Dean and Geoff Michel, deliver their response at noon from the State Capitol. Later today, up in the Iron Range, we’ll learn the results of the 5B special election, where DFLer Carly Melin has faced a barrage of controversial attacks from the state GOP, including last week’s mailer that used gun pictures and rhetoric to paint a target on the young political newcomer.

Speaking of Carly Melin, who is vying to fill out the term of fellow Democrat Tony Sertich (who Governor Mark Dayton appointed to head the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board), Representative Erin Murphy promised at the DFL True Blue Winter Celebration in Eagan on Sunday that Melin would personally visit House Majority Leader, Republican Matt Dean after winning today’s election — as payback for Dean’s odd visit to Melin’s campaign headquarters on Saturday. Also at the DFL celebration, party chairman Ken Martin previewed Dayton’s budget plan, and said that the party needs to work hard to regain suburban and rural Minnesotan voters. In honor of Valentine’s Day yesterday, we also brought you a literary evening devoted to “Heartache, Heartbreak and Happy Endings”, as well as a heartwarming story about Mustafa returning to Iraq after getting a new leg.