Dayton Preps for Tough Politics in State of the State Speech

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Gov. Mark Dayton is ready to set his legislative vision for 2016.

The Democratic governor was set to give his annual State of the State address Wednesday night. The speech comes just a day after the Legislature returned to the Capitol for session.

Dayton could outline proposals for top priorities like early education, boosting water quality and more. But those may clash with the political realities of split-party control in Minnesota's Legislature.

Wednesday's speech gives Dayton a powerful platform to urge the Republican-controlled House and Democratic-majority Senate to set aside their partisan differences. Those squabbles came out early Tuesday as a push to quickly extend unemployment benefits for laid-off steelworkers failed.

Capitol renovations have forced the address to a new venue. Dayton will speak on the University of Minnesota campus.