Senator Jim Carlson was named along with several other senators, in the DFL Senate caucus's violating of campaign finance rules by spending over the limit in the last election. Now the DFL senate caucus will have to pay a $100,000 fine. I'm sure the DFL Senate caucus feels this is a small price to pay for taking the election away from their opponents. To be charitable, it may have been a bona fide mistake, CFB rules can be tricky to follow, just like understanding and following the tax laws. Then again it doesn't matter if it was or was not. The damage is done and the election of 2012 can never be viewed as fair now.
Republicans, like Senator Ted Daily, Rep. Doug Wardlow and Rep. Diane Anderson stayed within the Campaign Finance rules and lost. The DFL's win at any cost attitude should not be allowed to continue, especially in the next election.
Here's the link to the Campaign Finance Board ruling: http://www.cfboard.state.mn.us/bdinfo/investigation/12_17_2013_DFL_Senate_Caucus_Findings.pdf
