Call goes out for a Minnesota primary

Talk about it

ST. PAUL — Barack Obama and Mitt Romney may have liked Tuesday’s precinct caucus results, but some political leaders already are looking to other ways for Minnesotans to pick their presidential hopefuls.

As both political parties brag about turnout, stories abound about woes caucus goers encountered when trying to attend the caucuses. Some precinct leaders scrambled to accommodate overflow crowds as a record number of Minnesotans crammed into school classrooms and churches.

In Red Wing, two disabled DFL caucusgoers reportedly were dropped off at the wrong doors at Twin Bluff Middle School due to a lack of signs and had to find their way to the front doors to get inside.

The huge turnout prompted some state legislators Wednesday to propose that Minnesota should switch to a presidential primary vote, as in Wisconsin, while retaining precinct caucuses for other political party business.

“We think it is time to rethink the way in which we invite civic engagement in our political process,” said Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope.

She said she will draft a bill for consideration during the upcoming legislative session, which begins Tuesday.

Under Rest’s proposal, the political parties would decide when to hold presidential primaries and whether the votes are binding. It would not abandon the caucus format entirely. Caucuses allow people to have an impact on organization of political parties, she said.

Rest and others behind the presidential primary push will have to convince other lawmakers a change is needed.

Rep. Sandy Wollschlager, a Cannon Falls DFLer who also sits on the House elections committee, said promoting a presidential primary was not among the panel’s priorities when legislators met recently to discuss issues for the upcoming session.

“When people come out in the numbers that they did, it’s so exciting,” Wollschlager said of the caucuses. “To think that you’re going to change it ... it kind of bothers me.”

At her caucus south of the Twin Cities, Wollschlager said there was record turnout and lots of enthusiasm.

“I don’t want to lose all of that,” she said.

Tuesday’s results could be a step toward building up the party system and getting new people involved in politics, Wollschlager said.

By Scott Wente

and Don Davis

mnbureau@forumcomm.com

ST. PAUL — Barack Obama and Mitt Romney may have liked Tuesday’s precinct caucus results, but some political leaders already are looking to other ways for Minnesotans to pick their presidential hopefuls.

As both political parties brag about turnout, stories abound about woes caucus goers encountered when trying to attend the caucuses. Some precinct leaders scrambled to accommodate overflow crowds as a record number of Minnesotans crammed into school classrooms and churches.

In Red Wing, two disabled DFL caucusgoers reportedly were dropped off at the wrong doors at Twin Bluff Middle School due to a lack of signs and had to find their way to the front doors to get inside.

The huge turnout prompted some state legislators Wednesday to propose that Minnesota should switch to a presidential primary vote, as in Wisconsin, while retaining precinct caucuses for other political party business.

“We think it is time to rethink the way in which we invite civic engagement in our political process,” said Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope.

She said she will draft a bill for consideration during the upcoming legislative session, which begins Tuesday.

Under Rest’s proposal, the political parties would decide when to hold presidential primaries and whether the votes are binding. It would not abandon the caucus format entirely. Caucuses allow people to have an impact on organization of political parties, she said.

Rest and others behind the presidential primary push will have to convince other lawmakers a change is needed.

Rep. Sandy Wollschlager, a Cannon Falls DFLer who also sits on the House elections committee, said promoting a presidential primary was not among the panel’s priorities when legislators met recently to discuss issues for the upcoming session.

“When people come out in the numbers that they did, it’s so exciting,” Wollschlager said of the caucuses. “To think that you’re going to change it ... it kind of bothers me.”

At her caucus south of the Twin Cities, Wollschlager said there was record turnout and lots of enthusiasm.

“I don’t want to lose all of that,” she said.

Tuesday’s results could be a step toward building up the party system and getting new people involved in politics, Wollschlager said.

“I’m not going to jump on a bandwagon because we had a great turnout last night and that means we need to change,” she said.

Nineteen hours after the caucuses ended, Democratic leaders had worked through a complex formula that gave Obama a 48-24 edge in state delegates over New York U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton. The delegate counts are estimates pending final returns.

Those delegates are pledged to support the candidates at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, while another 16 “super delegates” may vote however they want.

It was a record caucus turnout Tuesday. Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party caucus numbers topped 200,000 even as counting continued Wednesday. About 63,000 Republicans attended their meetings.

In both cases, twice as many turned out as predicted, and more than in any previous caucus.“I’m not going to jump on a bandwagon because we had a great turnout last night and that means we need to change,” she said.

Nineteen hours after the caucuses ended, Democratic leaders had worked through a complex formula that gave Obama a 48-24 edge in state delegates over New York U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton. The delegate counts are estimates pending final returns.

Those delegates are pledged to support the candidates at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, while another 16 “super delegates” may vote however they want.

It was a record caucus turnout Tuesday. Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party caucus numbers topped 200,000 even as counting continued Wednesday. About 63,000 Republicans attended their meetings.

In both cases, twice as many turned out as predicted, and more than in any previous caucus.

Tags: news, obama, romney