TV ad zeroes in on same-sex marriage

Keying off of a Minnesota lawsuit filed by three gay couples to protest the state prohibition against same-sex marriage, the National Organization for Marriage says it is running $200,000 worth of television ads to protest those who would "redefine marriage in Minnesota."

The ad, from the National Organization for Marriage, says "leading DFL and Independence candidates for governor support homosexual marriage" and displays photos of Democrats Mark Dayton, Matt Entenza, Margaret Anderson Kelliher and the IP's Tom Horner.

"Most DFL lawmakers don't want you to have a say. When they ask for your support, ask them if they'll guarantee your right to vote on marriage," the ad backers advise.

The ad does not make clear that, in Minnesota, governors do not have the ability to "guarantee" the right to a popular vote, which would have to come in the form of a constitutional amendment. To get on the ballot, amendments require support from the majority of the Legislature but no sign-off from governors.

Tom Prichard of the Minnesota Family Council, which is coordinating with NOM, said that governors do appoint judges and can sign or veto legislation that would allow same-sex marriage. Prichard could not recall a previous Minnesota television ad that addressed the same-sex marriage issue.

RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER

Entenza turns to Twitter

Obama announced his vice presidential pick via text message to supporters in 2008, promising those who signed up that they would be "first to know."

Entenza will use the 140-character messaging service to announce his pick, he said Tuesday.

"This campaign has been reaching out to voters in social media since the beginning," Entenza campaign manager David Colling said in a news release. "Social media today are some of the best venues for getting news out quickly to a wide audience."

A gubernatorial candidate must declare a lieutenant governor candidate in order to file his or her candidacy papers. Filings opened Tuesday and close on June 1.

RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER

"Margaret for Governor" spokeswoman Allison Myhre, who joined the Minnesota House speaker's gubernatorial campaign in January, announced Monday that she's "moving on" -- or rather, moving back to her old haunts in the Seventh District office of U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson.

Myhre cited personal reasons. "While it was a really difficult decision for me to leave, I won't miss all the nights away from my family in Fergus Falls," she said in an e-mail to reporters.

The announcement came without a lot of advance notice. In fact, her last day working for Margaret Anderson Kelliher was Friday. DFL caucus spokester Matt Swenson has signed on and will be joining the campaign team in a communications role on Tuesday, she said.

KEVIN DIAZ

How to make $6B vanish - TPaw style

Slow down the $2 billion repayment of K-12 shift, which he says reduces the deficit by $2 billion.

Thus the deficit becomes $3.6 billion.

Make unallotments to cities, counties, higher ed and others permanent, which whittles it to $2.6 billion.

He said there are "easy cuts" that get you below $2 billion.

If the economy improves, he said, more revenue will flow into state coffers and eat up some of the rest.