I'm just dropping a quick message for the Dkos. Right now I am working for the little publishing operation Politics in Minnesota, which runs off a bi-annual directory of all state legislators and districts, as well as lobbyists, capitol press corps, maps and election (and demographic) stats.
As of today I have done around 50 interviews, or about 1/4 of the 201 state legislators in 67 Senate districts and twice as many representatives.
The Senate has been under DFL control for a while, but the House flipped to the DFL very strongly this November, with major pickups in mid-range suburbs like Burnsville and outstate.
Anyhow I have a few more interviews left to run, and basically I am getting the sense that this is an extremely policy-oriented, very liberal and highly organized operation that is only in its third week of existence. I have a ton of very specific information about how all these new structures are materializing, as of course the House GOP had to fire about 150 staffers who were all replaced by partisan Dems on the state payroll.
The DFL is Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which was created by a Hubert Humphrey merger with the populist Farmer-Labor party in the 1940s. I think it should be considered almost a separate party from the national Democratic, at least in tone and style.
Once the interviews are done, I will have lots of stuff to day, although I don't want to blab anything on the Internets yet, to avoid poisoning the closed-door and off-the-record candor we are getting from the new Representatives (and Senators too - but my focus has mostly been in the House).
Anyhow I also wanted to ask kosmopolitans if there are any specific things that you guys would like to ask state reps about en masse?
I will have lots to tell about this - and believe me you will like it. I also worked this project during January-February 2005 in the grim post-Bush reelection days, on the directory, so this year i am doing return/update interviews with quite a few - Dems who were once marginalized minority members, and now get to hold the gavel.
Signing off for now - up to interview the Senate tax chairman, Tom Bakk from the Minnesota's Northeast arrowhead region.
(p.s. If you are into our state politics, please go to our site and pre-order the book! It will definitely be worth the $47.70 (incl shipping)!!!)