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Vikings Stadium Update: Gov. Mark Dayton, Republican Leaders Clash Over New Plan

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton held a news conference Wednesday at the State Captiol in St. Paul to bash the new Republican plan for the Vikings stadium, according to Doug Beldon of the St. Paul Pioneer Press:

He called the GOP plan "laughable" as well as "extremely, extremely disappointing and profoundly disturbing" and said "to have somebody trying to pretend that they're being serious and sincere in offering this kind of scheme, I just find offensive." He called the plan's unveiling Tuesday "one of the most cynical attempts at political gamesmanship that I've ever seen in my 35 years around here."

The new Republican plan, which GOP leaders previewed Tuesday afternoon and plan to outline in full to Dayton on Wednesday calls for the state to pay for the stadium's infrastructure and include those costs in the state's bonding bill. Republican Rep. John Kriesel, who has pressed forward to pass a stadium bill, expressed disappointment in the governor for bashing the new plan to the media.

"I've never been more disappointed in the governor," Kriesel said. "I expect better."

Kriesel believes Dayton should be amenable to the new plan, considering the original plan did not have the votes to pass.

For more on the Minnesota Vikings and their stadium issues, head over to The Daily Norseman.For more on the NFL in general, check out SB Nation's dedicated NFL hub.

Photographs by Micah Taylor, clairity, and Fibonacci Blue used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.