ST. PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota's debt-plagued Republican Party faces an eviction hearing next week for its party headquarters after failing to pay its rent payments since August. The party's landlord filed the notice Wednesday in Ramsey County housing court and a hearing is set for next Tuesday. Minnesota Republican Party Chairman Pat Shortridge told party members in a memo Thursday that officials are trying to renegotiate its lease.
"We're not going to be evicted, and at the same time, are continuing to negotiate on the back payments as well as on a lease that better fits both our space needs and our budget," he wrote.
The GOP has 21 months remaining on a lease with Hub Properties Trust for space a block from the state Capitol. Shortridge, who took over the party in a leadership shakeup late last year, revealed the rent hadn't been paid in eight months.
"While this is a situation none of us wants, it's part of the rebuilding process," Shortridge wrote in his memo.
According to the most recent federal campaign reports, 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.
