Minnesota
Boosted by Trump's visit, Minnesota GOP raised more than $1 million last month
The Republican Party of Minnesota pulled in about $1.1 million in donations last month, boosted by former President Donald Trump headlining its annual fundraising dinner, according to its latest federal campaign finance report.
The Minnesota GOP reported having about $502,000 on hand in its federal campaign account at the end of May, and roughly $34,000 in debt. It’s a notable turnaround for the party whose debt exceeded $400,000 late last year.
“I believe we’re in as strong a position as maybe we’ve been in recent times,” state GOP chairman David Hann said in an interview Friday.
The Minnesota GOP also has a state campaign account. At the end of May, the party reported having $78,191 in that account while carrying $103,065 in debt.
Hann said the party paid off its remaining state and federal account debts this month.
“It’s been about 18 years since the party has been debt-free, and we are now debt-free,” he said.
Most of the money raised by the Minnesota GOP last month came from the fundraiser that Trump headlined, Hann said. “The dinner itself was … not a million, but it was close.”
Trump’s presidential campaign also raised money from the visit, taking in about $300,000 in direct donations, Hann said.
Trump is hoping to become the first Republican presidential candidate to win Minnesota since 1972. A Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota poll conducted earlier this month found President Joe Biden holding a narrow lead over Trump.
Minnesota Republicans have their sights set on flipping the state House and ending the DFL’s trifecta control of state government. Control of the state Senate will also be on the ballot via a high-stakes special election to fill a west-metro seat vacated by DFL Sen. Kelly Morrison, who resigned to focus on her campaign for Congress. The Minnesota Senate is deadlocked 33-33 after Morrison’s departure.
The Minnesota DFL holds a fundraising advantage over the GOP, even after Trump’s visit.
The DFL similarly raised about $1.1 million in May, according to its federal campaign finance report, and it reported having $1.8 million on hand and zero debt at the end of the month.
Additionally, the DFL reported having $2 million and no debt in its state campaign account at the end of May.
“Even after they sold their souls to convicted felon Donald Trump, Minnesota Republicans still aren’t close to closing the gap with the Minnesota DFL,” state DFL chairman Ken Martin said in a statement Friday. “The DFL has a six-fold cash on hand advantage which has given us the resources to hire organizers and open offices in every corner of Minnesota.”
Staff writer Briana Bierschbach contributed to this report.
Minnesota
How to get tickets for Minnesota Vikings vs. LA Rams NFC Wild Card playoff game
The final game of the NFL’s Wild Card weekend is set to take the Minnesota Vikings to LA to face the NFC West champion Rams Monday night at SoFi Stadium. The game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. ET, and tickets are still available to catch the action live.
How to get Vikings vs. Rams NFC Wild Card tickets: Seats are available for the NFC Wild Card matchup between the Vikings and Rams on secondary sites Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek and Viagogo.
As of Jan. 9, the starting prices were as follows:
- Vivid Seats starting at $87
- StubHub starting at $92
- SeatGeek starting at $92
- Viagogo starting at $91
#5 Minnesota Vikings (14-3) at #4 Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
NFC Wild Card Playoffs
When: Monday, Jan. 13 at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT)
Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, Calif.
The Vikings had a shot to win the NFC’s top seed in Week 18, but fell short against the Detroit Lions, losing the NFC North Division and slipping to the No. 5 spot instead for a road matchup on Wild Card weekend. They are listed as 1-point favorites against the Rams after finishing the regular season with a 14-3 record and nine straight wins prior to last weekend’s 31-9 loss in Detroit. Though all the ingredients are in place for the Vikings to make a run, just three of their 14 victories this season came against playoff teams and one of their three losses came to the Rams (30-20) back in Week 8.
- Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams NFC Wild Card tickets: Vivid Seats | StubHub | SeatGeek | Viagogo
The Rams found their way through an injury-marred start to the season and closed it out strong with five straight wins before resting starters in a Week 18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks (30-25). The highlight of that stretch and their season as a whole was a 44-42 shootout win over the Buffalo Bills that was fueled by two Kyren Williams touchdown runs and a big day from the receiving duo of Puka Nacua (12-162-1) and Cooper Kupp (5-92-1). The same combination of playmakers around quarterback Matthew Stafford are central to LA’s path to victory against Minnesota.
Minnesota
If Arizona hosts Los Angeles Rams vs Minnesota Vikings due to fires, it wouldn’t be a first
NFL Wild Card playoff picks: Consider Eagles, Commanders and Vikings
Lorenzo Reyes is back with his three best bets ahead of Sunday and Monday’s games during Wild Card Weekend.
There could still be one more football game played in Arizona this season. On Wednesday, the NFL announced that it has a contingency plan to potentially move Monday night’s wild-card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams to State Farm Stadium due to ongoing wildfires raging across Southern California.
For now, the league is preparing for the game to take place at SoFi Stadium, the Rams’ home in Inglewood. But if a change of location is deemed necessary, the Cardinals’ stadium in Glendale would play host, giving Arizona its first playoff game — excluding Super Bowls — since the 2015 divisional round.
It would, however, not be the first time that NFL teams have had to move to Arizona. Here are the other times that similar moves have occurred:
2020: San Francisco 49ers
Due to the spread of COVID-19 in the fall of 2020, Santa Clara County briefly banned all contact sports. That forced the San Francisco 49ers to play three home games at State Farm Stadium. The team used fields near the stadium as its practice facility and stayed at the Renaissance Phoenix Glendale Hotel and Spa across the street.
2007: San Diego Chargers
It would not be unprecedented if the Rams had to make Arizona home due to fires. The then-San Diego Chargers practiced at the Cardinals’ Tempe facility for three days in 2007 due to the Witch Creek Fire, which forced 40 members of the organization to evacuate their homes. The team returned to San Diego for their game that Sunday, defeating the Houston Texans.
2003: San Diego Chargers
Four years earlier, the Chargers had a Monday Night Football game against the Dolphins moved to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. Again, the move was due to fires in Southern California, which caused poor air quality. The Chargers’ home field, Qualcomm Stadium, was also used as an evacuation center during the fires. Both teams flew to Arizona on game day for a game Miami won, 26-10. The NFL distributed 73,104 free tickets to the game.
Minnesota
Boston Fleet fall to Minnesota Frost in overtime
Taylor Heise scored the overtime winner to lift the Minnesota Frost to a 2-1 victory over the Boston Fleet on Wednesday night
The win is the Frost’s third in as many games this season against the Fleet, and the second in seven days by an overtime finish. Hannah Bilka scored early on for the Fleet, making this the first time Boston has opened the scoring against Minnesota this season.
Later in the first period, Denisa Křížová scored her first goal of the campaign, tying the game at one and ending the game’s regulation scoring. Heise’s winner came at 3:20 of the extra frame on Minnesota’s first shot of overtime on Emma Söderberg, who stopped 24 shots throughout regulation. Maddie Rooney picked up her fourth win of the season with a 26-save performance.
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