ROCHESTER, Minnesota (July 14, 2011) – The Tea Party rallied dozens of protesters to an event attended by Governor Mark Dayton on Wednesday. The roundtable forum held at the Rochester Senior Center provided an opportunity for voters to confront the governor about the ongoing state government shutdown, now the longest of its kind in American history.

Cindy Maves, coordinator of the Rochester Tea Party Patriots, indicated the group was eager to send a message to the governor. “We waited for him outside with our signs and shouted ‘sign the bills’ as he entered the building,” she said. Maves referenced several budget bills passed by the Republican controlled legislature and vetoed by the governor in favor of a shutdown.