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.