Title: Republican Party of Minnesota - Wikipedia
Headings: Republican Party of Minnesota
Republican Party of Minnesota
Contents
History
Early history
Independent-Republican era
Recent history
Current elected officials
Members of Congress
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Statewide offices
State legislature
See also
References
External links

Content: The party was aided by an opposition divided between the Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party, who eventually merged in 1944. Independent-Republican era
The Independent-Republicans of Minnesota ( I-R) was the name of the party from November 15, 1975, until September 23, 1995. The name change was made because the "Republican" name was damaged by the Watergate Scandal. Polls conducted in the early-mid-1970s indicated people in Minnesota were more likely to vote for a candidate who identified as an "Independent" versus a "Republican". During that time, the state party became more dependent on grassroots fundraising and eventually went bankrupt. After the national party pumped money into the party, in the early-mid-1980s, their image and base began turning more conservative. During this time the party had both US Senate seats and briefly held control of the state House of Representatives. By 1994, the grassroots had turned socially more conservative and changed the name back in 1995. Attempts to drop the term "Independent" had been defeated in 1989, 1991 and 1993. Recent history
The previous Governor of Minnesota Tim Pawlenty is a Republican.