MN: Corporate cash ready to roll into Minnesota elections

Star Tribune:

A new political organization, backed by two of the state's most powerful business interests and led by one of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's top deputies, could result in a powerful wave of corporate cash in this year's state elections.

Brian McClung, Pawlenty's deputy chief of staff and spokesman, said Wednesday that he will leave his post to head MN Forward, an organization that will serve as the vehicle for the Minnesota Business Partnership and the state Chamber of Commerce to weigh in on the 2010 elections.

The group could exert unprecedented influence in the upcoming election. A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling this year opened the door to a far greater political role for corporations by allowing them to fund advertising blitzes for or against individual candidates.

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