Almanac: At the Capitol

Senate Republicans want Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to step aside and let a deputy oversee the Jan. 3 special election to fill Sen. Tom Neuville's seat. Minority Leader David Senjem said secretaries of states "live in glass houses and that glass has been broken." Sen. Chris Gerlach (R-Apple Valley), in his first press conference in a decade at the legislature, said he wants a fair and impartial election and he questioned Ritchie's ability to provide that not just because the secretary of state admitted to sharing a list with his campaign, but Gerlach said it was how Ritchie handled what happened after the allegations, that is changing his story. Gerlach says Ritchie is now "tainted." DFL Party Chair Brian Melendez said "this maneuver stinks of political desperation." He said Ritchie has been all about letting people vote and all he did was "misspeak" and having the secretary of state step aside for an election would create a "dangerous precedent." We'll get to hear much more from DFL and GOP party chairs when they square off live Friday night on Almanac.

And when it comes to elections, it looks like there could be a primary Dec. 18 or an endorsement battle on the DFL side. Mick McGuire the mayor of Montgomery announced his intention to run for Neuville's senate seat. Earlier today Anne Miller filed. And sources say another Dem is likely to get in soon too. It looks like Ray Cox will remain the lone Republican.

What a strange morning at the Capitol already. The House and Senate were supposed to start passing basic budget bills to keep the state running, but they didn't get agreement that the governor would sign the bills to keep the state running. So, just as they were about to launch into the budget bills, Senate Minority Leader David Senjem suggested they stop the bills and walk down to the governor's office and try to negotiate an end-of-session deal rather than pass bills that could just get vetoed again. Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller actually took Senjem up on his offer, live on the Senate floor. So leaders are trying to reach the Governor now, who's still at a bar signing the smoking ban bill. Sen. Senjem (might we call him Mr. Dealmaker?) will be live on Almanac: At the Capitol tonight with House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher.