Brian Carr joined the Minnesota Retailers Association in January, 2015, after having worked in government and politics in Washington D.C. with the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.

Brian leads our legislative advocacy program which serves to enhance the Minnesota retail industry. Utilizing his legislative experience and policy background, Brian brings a diverse set of skills and knowledge in representing the members of the retailers association at the State Capitol.

Brian is a 2014 graduate of the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Brian can be reached at (651) 227-6631 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Minnesota's retailers are optimistic about shopper spending this holiday season following a Thanksgiving weekend that mostly met or exceeded sales expectations.  The Minnesota Retailers Association solicited feedback from retailers around the state through an informal, non-scientific survey last week.

In that survey, 50 percent of respondents expect this holiday season to be better than last year, with the balance generally anticipating this season to be about the same as 2013. Those responses correlate with 44 percent of retailers reporting stronger than expected sales, foot traffic as anticipated, and slightly elevated online visits for the Thanksgiving weekend.

What might be fueling consumer spending this holiday season? Several retailers cited low gasoline prices as a factor in boosting the potential that consumers will spend more this year.  Other factors mentioned include timely Winter weather to get consumers a gift-giving mood.

As customers stop by your store today, the election is sure to be the topic of many conversations.  Here are a few results of the polls closing a short 13 hours ago across Minnesota.     

Governor

• DFL Governor Mark Dayton won reelection last night, garnering about 50 percent of the vote.

Minnesota House of Representatives

• Republicans won control of the Minnesota House of Representatives, picking up a likely 10 or 11 seats.
• Greater Minnesota played a pivotal role in the seat pickups.
• Republicans campaigned on a theme of bringing balance to Minnesota government.
• The DFL controls the Minnesota Senate and Governor's office.

Statewide Offices

• DFLers kept all their statewide office seats last night.
• DFL Representative Steve Simon won his bid for Secretary of State.

U.S. Senate

• U.S. Senator Al Franken retained his seat in his first reelection bid.
• Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate last night, winning more than six seats.

U.S. House of Representatives

• All of Minnesota's incumbent U.S. House of Representatives members won reelection, including the highly watched 8th Congressional District where Rick Nolan defeated Republican challenger Steward Mills.
• Republican Tom Emmer won his the race to succeed Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann in the 6th Congressional District.
• Republicans retained control of the U.S. House in elections last night.

Voter Turnout

• Voter turnout in Minnesota has been estimated to be lower than recent mid-term elections by around 200,000 voters.