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Cathy Wurzer
St. Paul, Minn.

Former state senator says state funding makes Vikings stadium debate different

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Minnesota lawmakers come back from the Easter Passover break next week, and DFL governor Mark Dayton has made it clear what his priorities are for the rest of the session. He recently sent a letter to top Republican lawmakers saying that he wants a bonding bill, some health care spending, and a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings.

The stadium bill is limping along at the Capitol this session. That's a stark contrast to six years ago when the Minnesota Twins got a stadium bill signed into law. Target Field opened a few years later.

Former DFL state senator Steve Kelley was the chief author of the Twins stadium bill. Cathy Wurzer talks with him about the political dynamics at work in 2006 and how they differ from today's Vikings stadium debate. Kelley is a senior fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.