Editing Republican Party of Minnesota (section)

===2000-2010s===

For the [[2006 United States Senate election in Minnesota|2006 U.S. Senate election]], the party endorsed [[Mark Kennedy (politician)|Mark Kennedy]] for [[United States Senate]], who lost to [[Amy Klobuchar]].

In the [[2008 United States Senate election in Minnesota|2008 U.S. Senate election]], incumbent Republican Senator [[Norm Coleman]] was defeated by [[Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party|Democratic-Farmer-Labor]] candidate [[Al Franken]] by 312 votes out of over 2.5 million cast after a long series of dramatic, contentious, and expensive re-counts.

The party was fined $170,000 for violating federal campaign finance regulations from 2003 to 2008.<ref>http://www.citypages.com, AUGUST 19, 2011, MINNESOTA GOP FINED $170,000 FOR FEC VIOLATIONS BY MIKE MULLEN, [http://www.citypages.com/news/minnesota-gop-fined-170-000-for-fec-violations-6545785]</ref> The Chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party [[Tony Sutton]] (R) was found guilty of circumventing Finance Laws in the Gubernatorial Election Recount of 2010 and fined $33,000. (2010)<ref name="auto">http://www.mprnews.org,  July 13, 2012, Minn. GOP, former chairman fined over recount by Tom Scheck [http://www.mprnews.org/story/2012/07/13/politics/sutton-gop-recount-fines]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/blogs/113884259.html |title=GOP chairman Sutton to join PR company |publisher=Startribune.com |date=2011-01-17 |access-date=2011-01-18}}</ref>

The last Republican Governor of Minnesota was [[Tim Pawlenty]]. He was [[2002 Minnesota gubernatorial election|elected in 2002]]; after [[2006 Minnesota gubernatorial election|winning re-election in 2006]], he served two terms. With [[2010 Minnesota gubernatorial election|Tom Emmer's defeat in 2010]] by [[Mark Dayton]], Republicans held the governorship for eight years. Despite having lost every executive race in the general election of 2010, the party captured both chambers of the [[Minnesota Legislature]] for the first time since the 1970s,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/106596798.html | title=Republicans celebrate, outline legislative goals | work=[[Star Tribune]] | date=November 4, 2010 | access-date=June 23, 2014 | author=Kaszuka, Mike | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915125846/http://www.startribune.com/politics/106596798.html | archive-date=September 15, 2014 }}</ref> and defeated 18-term Rep. [[Jim Oberstar]] by electing [[Chip Cravaack]] to [[Minnesota's 8th district]].

====2010 gubernatorial race====

For the [[2010 Minnesota elections|2010 statewide elections]], the party endorsed State Representative [[Tom Emmer]] and [[Metropolitan Council (Minnesota)|Metropolitan Council]] member [[Annette Meeks]] for governor and lieutenant governor. State Representative [[Dan Severson]] was the endorsed candidate for [[Minnesota Secretary of State|secretary of state]]. Attorney and psychologist [[Chris Barden]] was the endorsed candidate for [[Minnesota Attorney General|attorney general]]. [[Patricia Anderson]] was the endorsed candidate for [[Minnesota State Auditor|state auditor]]. All five executive candidates lost their respective elections.

Following the [[Minnesota gubernatorial election, 2010|2010 gubernatorial recount]], the Minnesota GOP was heavily in debt, owing $2 million primarily for the recount of votes.  The GOP had stopped paying rent for its headquarters near the Capitol and the landlord filed an eviction summons once the Party had fallen $111,000 behind in rent.<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/148614415.html | title=Debt-laden Minn. GOP notified of eviction | work=[[Star Tribune]] | date=April 23, 2012 | access-date=June 23, 2014 | last=Helgeson | first=Baird | author2=Stassen-Berger, Rachel E.}}</ref> They announced they would move their headquarters to Minneapolis's [[Seward, Minneapolis|Seward neighborhood]] in January 2014. The new headquarters is situated diagonally across from the [[Seward Community Cafe]] where it shares a building with a [[Pizza Luce]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/235075261.html | title=State GOP moves HQ to Minneapolis DFL stronghold | work=[[Star Tribune]] | date=December 9, 2013 | access-date=June 23, 2014 | last=Helgeson | first=Baird | quote=The new location puts the party headquarters in the heart of a longtime DFL stronghold.}}</ref> Party Chairman Keith Downey said they were moving away from St. Paul "to be closer to the people."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_24687880/minnesota-gop-move-offices-from-st-paul-minneapolis | title=Minnesota GOP to move offices from St. Paul to Minneapolis | work=[[St. Paul Pioneer Press|Pioneer Press]] | date=December 9, 2013 | access-date=June 23, 2014 | last=Salisbury | first=Bill}}</ref> The headquarters were later moved to [[Edina, Minnesota|Edina]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=|title=About {{!}} MNGOP|url=https://mngop.com/about/|access-date=2021-02-17|language=en-US}}</ref>
Despite this, in 2010, Republicans had taken control of both houses of the State Legislature for the first time in three decades, only to lose both houses in 2012.