Editing Republican Party of Minnesota (section)

===Independent-Republican era===

The '''Independent-Republicans of Minnesota''' ('''I-R''') was the name of the party from November 15, 1975, until September 23, 1995. The name change was made because the "Republican" name was damaged by the [[Watergate Scandal]]. Polls conducted in the early-mid-1970s indicated people in Minnesota were more likely to vote for a candidate who identified as an "Independent" versus a "Republican". During that time, the state party became more dependent on [[grassroots fundraising]] and eventually went bankrupt.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}} After the national party pumped money into the party, in the early-mid-1980s, their image and base began turning more conservative. During this time the party held both US Senate seats and briefly controlled the state House of Representatives. By 1994, the grassroots had turned socially more conservative and changed the name back in 1995. Attempts to drop the term "Independent" had previously been defeated in 1989, 1991 and 1993.