In one of the first shots of the 2014 U.S. Senate race, the Minnesota Republican Party took aim at DFL incumbent Al Franken Tuesday, calling him the "deciding vote" on Obamacare legislation containing a 2.3 percent medical device tax. More telling, the party apparatus compared him to U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen, the Minnesota Republican who has championed legislation repealing the tax, which the GOP says could cost the Minnesota economy $1 billion a year. Paulsen is frequently mentioned as a potential Senate challenger, though he has given mixed signals about his interest. Franken was the 60th vote in the Senate for a while, until the Democrats lost their filibuster-proof majority. He also supports medical device tax repeal legislation, though it hasn't gone anywhere in the Senate.
Most Read
-
Minneapolis may lose one of its skyscrapers. Should we mourn or rejoice?
-
University of Minnesota, protesters reach deal to end pro-Palestinian encampment
-
Breaking it down: Wolves-Nuggets matchups (and who's going to win)
-
Ship found at the bottom of Lake Superior more than 100 years after it went missing
-
SCSU president leaves abruptly; cuts expected in weeks ahead