The Daily Digest (Campaign finance flaws, dueling conventions, unemployment insurance)

Good morning!

Please send any tips, comments and suggestions to bneely@mpr.org and remember to follow us on Twitter at @mprpolitics and @brettneely. If you enjoy reading the Daily Digest and find it useful, please share it with others who might enjoy it, too.

In Minnesota

The Minnesota campaign finance agency disclosed on Tuesday that it found $26 million worth of data problems in its records late last year, reports the Star Tribune.

Create a More Connected Minnesota

MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.

The state's Republican and DFL parties will hold dueling conventions on the same days in May. Republicans will meet in Rochester while DFLers will gather in Duluth. (MPR News)

A state board has approved plans for a new state Senate office building that would offer "powerful" views of the Capitol in St. Paul. (Pioneer Press)

Former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has been released from the hospital three days after suffering a heart attack. (MPR News)

In Congress/National Politics

A proposal to extend benefits for the long-term unemployed has unexpectedly cleared a procedural hurdle in the U.S. Senate (both of Minnesota's Senators backed the measure), but its prospects in the U.S. House are slim. (NPR)

Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates's new memoir is sharply critical of the Obama Administration's Afghanistan policy. (New York Times)

Farm bill update: lawmakers still say they're positive the bill can be wrapped up soon though they've now been saying that for years. The latest hangup is a dairy program championed by 7th District Rep. Collin Peterson. (Politico)

Several of the the Republican Party's biggest donors have passed away in recent months, and that's put some party operatives on the search for a new generation of younger mega-donors. (Politico)