Minnesota Forward (or MN Forward[1]) is a political action group[2] funded by local corporations. They were "established to ensure that private-sector job creation and economic growth are at the top of the agenda during the 2010 campaign"[3] Their mission statement says that "MN Forward is an effort by Minnesota job providers to elect a governor and state legislators who understand the importance of creating private-sector jobs and economic opportunity in our state."[4]
As of late summer 2010, MN Forward was supporting a ticket consisting of Tom Emmer for governor, Terri Bonoff, Doug Magnus, and Jim Metzen for State Senate, and Gene Pelowski, Doug Wardlow, and Kurt Zellers for the State House.[5] However, the PAC, which took in $1.9 million in contributions, dedicated 97% of its expenditures towards supporting Emmer and defeating Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mark Dayton.[6]
In July 2010, Target Corporation and Best Buy, among others, gave $150,000 and $100,000 respectively to Minnesota Forward. The funds were then spent on campaign ads for Tom Emmer, which provoked criticism by Human Rights Campaign, due to his positions on LGBT rights.[7]