Tonight's caucuses have added meaning in MN-8

Tonight, Minnesota holds its biennial precinct caucuses, the first step of organization of the state’s major political parties. Eligible citizens are asked to gather at 6:30 p.m. at their community location for their respective party. You can find out where you’re supposed to go here. Voting begins at 7 p.m.

Republicans will vote on their contested race for President. Mitt Romney is the national front runner and won here four years ago, but Rick Santorum leads in recent Minnesota polling. Both Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich are within striking distance. It’s fair to say that any of the four could win tonight’s caucus under the right scenario, though Santorum or Romney are most likely.

The Independence Party will hold its first-ever online caucuses.

Democrats, or more rightly in our fine state, Democratic Farmer Laborites will also caucus around the state, mostly for organizational purposes and to renominate President Obama. However, here in Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional district caucus-goers will also be voting in a non-binding straw poll to show preference for one of the three candidates running against Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-MN8). Though the poll is not binding it will show the general thinking of the delegates who will be voting to endorse a candidate in a few months. A lack of consensus would portend a long battle all the way to the August primary election.

In January I interviewed the three DFLers, and you can click their names to see those interviews: Rick Nolan, Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark. Later today I hope to post audio from my recent summary of those interviews on KAXE. Additionally, you can find footage of a recent MN-8 DFL forum in Finland, Minnesota at the Uptake.

I don’t have a hard and fast predication, as this will be the first large-scale public test of support for these candidates. I think Nolan should do well in this straw poll, first or a close second. Anderson needs to stay out of third place and could do well depending on where people turn out. Clark can probably afford to finish third the way she’s managed expectations and raised money, but a blowout would be trouble for her.

Meantime, would you like to know who has endorsed the MN-8 DFL candidates? They have very kindly been reminding me of these endorsements on a daily basis for some time. For kicks, I’ve added the recent fourth quarter fundraising totals for the three candidates because that’s going to end up being a big factor, me thinks. Click through for the full post. It reads like a list of characters in a Dickens novel. (Happy 200th Birthday, Charles Dickens!)

I will make a good faith attempt to report the results of the straw poll, though I cannot predict how long it will take for the DFL to report those numbers. The Republican presidential vote will be known sooner.

Rick Nolan:
$60,000 raised in fourth quarter, $35,800 cash on hand

House Assistant Majority Leader State Rep. John Ward, Brainerd
Iron Range Delegation Chair State Rep. Tom Anzelc, Balsam Township
State Rep. Kerry Gauthier, Duluth
State Rep. John Persell, Bemidji
State Rep. Bill Hilty, Finlayson
Former Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Marlene Johnson
Former State Rep. and Eveleth Mayor Current Citizen Rep. to the IRRRB Joe Begich
Minnesota Senate President Don Samuelson
Former State Senator George Perpich, Chisholm
Former Cuyuna Range State Rep. Kris Hasskamp
Former State Rep. Tim Faust of Mora
Northeast Area Labor Council President Al Netland
Iron Range Labor Assembly President Tom Cvar
Duluth Central Labor Body President Dan O’Neill
Carlton County Labor Body President Mike Kuiti
Jim Gleb & Tamara Jones – United Food and Commercial Workers Union Reps
Chisago County Commissioner George McMahon
Koochiching County Commissioner Rob Ecklund
Former State Senator Becky Lourey, Kerrick
Iron Range publishing icon Veda Ponikvar, Chisholm
Tina Welsh, Duluth Community Activist
Erik Peterson, Esko Community Activist
Aitkin County Chair Cordy Strand, Aitkin
Senate District 5 Chair Cathy Daniels, Hibbing
Thom Petersen – DFL Director & MN Farmer’s Union Gov Relations Director, Pine City
Duluth Community Activist and Business Leader, John Goldfine

Tarryl Clark:
$161,000 raised in 4Q, $275,000 cash on hand

Steve Raukar- St. Louis County Commissioner and Chair of the Minneapolis-Duluth/Superior Passenger Rail Alliance
Linda Krug- At-Large Duluth City Counselor, former Dean at UMD College of Liberal Arts, and small business owner
Mary Olson- Former State Senator (SD-4) representing parts of Beltrami, Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, and Itasca Counties
Peg Sweeney – Saint Louis County Commissioner and member of the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) Board of Directors
Kriss Hakala- Chair of the Chisago County DFL
Dave and Laura Perry- long-time community leaders and DFL activists
Barb Peterson- Vice President of DFL Feminist Caucus, farmer and active member of the DFL
Mark Mandich- Itasca County Commissioner and member of AFSCME Council 65 Steelworkers District 11
the National Committee to Protect Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM)
womenwinning
EMILY’s List
The Women’s Campaign Fund
Harlan Tardy- Executive Director of the Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA) covering 8 Northern Minnesota Counties, former longtime member of the Nashwauk Keewatin School Board
Will Munger – Longtime environmental and DFL activist and owner of the Munger Inn in Duluth
Lorrie Janatopoulos – Community activist, planning director at AEOA in Virginia and former candidate for St. Louis County Commissioner
Gail Kulick – Former State Rep (16-A) covering parts of Mille Lacs and Morrison Counties, former Milaca School Board member and city attorney for Foreston, Onamia, and Milaca
Rick Olseen – Former State Senator (SD 17) representing Isanti and Chisago counties.
Earl and Donna Gustufson- Earl served in the Minnesota House from 1963-1970 and then in the Minnesota Senate from 1971-1972. Donna is a long time community activist
Jeff Kletscher- Five-term mayor of Floodwood, MN. He also serves as the President of the Minnesota Association of Small Cities.