(cross posted at mnblue)
Today was the Minnesota Senate District 50 Convention. The most important activity at this convention was to elect delegates (18 delegates plus 18 alternates) to the State DFL Convention to be held in Rochester, MN this June. The delegates at the state convention will determine who will receive the DFL endorsement for the US Senate race and have the honor of facing incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman. The three DFL candidates are Al Franken, Mike Ciresi, and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.
Senate District 50 in the north metro (all of New Brighton, Arden Hills, Columbia Heights, Hilltop, Fridley and portions of St. Anthony and Shoreview) is equally divided between Congressional District 4 (represented by Betty McCollum) and Congressional District 5 (represented by Keith Ellison). The SD50 DFL Convention was held at Columbia Heights High School and it turned out to be very good news for the Al Franken campaign.
I will cut to the chase regarding the distribution of delegates to the state convention. SD50 is to send 18 delegates to Rochester this June, 9 from CD4 and 9 from CD5. The convention was split between CD4 and CD5, with CD5 being sent into another auditorium downstairs. I participated in the CD4 portion so I can't say exactly what went on downstairs but in the CD4 part after all of the subcaucusing and voting, the 9 delegates were distributed as follows:
Al Franken-6 delegates
Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer-1 delegate
Mike Ciresi-1 delegate
undecided-1 delegate
I personally have the honor of being the one delegate pledged to Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer (thanks to those in the subcaucus who voted for me!!!).
I was told from someone at the CD5 protion that their 9 delegates were basically distributed the same way (Franken 6, Ciresi 1, Pallmeyer 1, undecided 1).
I have to say that I am mightily impressed with the grassroots effort of the Franken campaign. In SD50 they were really well organized and they were able to get a great many well respected progressive people in the district to go with them, people who under "normal" circumstances would have supported Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer.
It should also be noted that both the Ciresi and Pallmeyer campaigns had proxies who spoke for their candidates. Al Franken was there himself and gave a great, rousing speech that had even a Pallmeyer supporter like me cheering, but certainly not enough to make me change my mind.
On to Rochester in June!!!!!!!