ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota’s debt-plagued Republican Party faces an eviction hearing next week after failing to pay rent for its headquarters since August.
The party’s landlord filed the notice in county housing court last week and a hearing is set for next week. Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Pat Shortridge told party members in a memo that officials are trying to renegotiate its lease.
The GOP has 21 months remaining on a lease with Hub Properties Trust for space a block from the state Capitol. Mr. Shortridge revealed the rent hadn’t been paid in eight months.
The most recent federal campaign reports show the Minnesota GOP owes nearly $1 million to vendors. That includes $107,000 to Hub Properties.
The eviction notice was first reported by Politics in Minnesota.
CAMPAIGN
Pro-Romney group: Mystery $400K donation error
The super PAC supporting likely GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney says it provided the wrong address for a mysterious donor who gave $400,000. But Restore Our Future still won’t say who is behind the money.
Super PACs can accept unlimited donations and do not have to identify their donors. Most donors do identify themselves but in some cases hide their names behind limited liability partnerships.
The $400,000 gift was attributed to a donor in South Florida. But Carl Forti, the head of the super PAC, said Monday that the paperwork is being corrected. He blamed the mistake on a clerical error.
Last year, Restore Our Future did not identify the source of a $1 million gift until a former executive with Mr. Romney’s old firm, Bain Capital, stepped forward.
DELAWARE
Gingrich visits state on eve of GOP primary
WILMINGTON — Newt Gingrich’s longshot bid for the Republican presidential nomination took him back to Delaware on the eve of the state’s presidential primary.
Mr. Gingrich was to attend Monday’s night’s meeting of the Brandywine-Wilmington Regional GOP Committee at state party headquarters in Wilmington.
Mr. Gingrich has made several stops in Delaware over the past month in hopes that retail politicking will result in an upset victory over front-runner Mitt Romney, and provide momentum as he heads to North Carolina and other states.
Mr. Gingrich has vowed to keep campaigning all the way to the national Republican Party convention in Florida in August. He has said he wants to help shape the party’s national platform to reflect what he calls a 21st-century conservatism, including American energy independence and government reform.
PENNSYLVANIA
Romney says he enjoyed past French vacations
ASTON — Mitt Romney spent two years as a Mormon missionary in France but says his best memories of the country are from vacations there.
Asked to recall his favorite times in France, Mr. Romney on Monday cited vacations with his wife, Ann, and “walking around the city of Paris.” He said he looks forward to “occasional vacations again” in France.
Mr. Romney has criticized President Obama for “jetting around the world” and has said Mr. Obama’s “elaborate vacations” set a bad example for the government.
The former Massachusetts governor lived in France as a young man and sometimes cites that period as a time when he experienced difficult living conditions. During a campaign appearance in Pennsylvania, a French TV reporter asked Mr. Romney to comment on his time in France.
WHITE HOUSE
Obama salutes Air Force Academy football team
President Obama struck a football running back’s pose after congratulating the Air Force Academy football team for winning the Commander in Chief’s trophy, the academy’s second in two years and 18th overall.
Mr. Obama presented the trophy during a ceremony Monday in the White House East Room. Air Force defensive star Jon Davis gave Obama a team jersey and the game ball from Air Force’s victory over the Naval Academy.
Mr. Davis told Mr. Obama: “You’re the man,” and asked him to strike a “Heisman pose.” Mr. Obama obliged, getting into a slight running crouch and extending his arm as cameras flashed wildly.
The trophy goes to the winner of a three-way season series between the major service academies. The Falcons defeated the Army and Navy teams during the last two seasons.
• From wire dispatches and staff reports
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