As promised, here are the delegate chase totals from our Delegate Tracker:
MN-03 (I'm missing a couple pledged dels here)
Maureen Hackett: 27
Jim Meffert: 15
MN-06
Tarryl Clark: 53
Maureen Reed: 22
The race in my Third congressional district is witnessing a bit more contention around these delegate totals: the Hackett campaign has crowed about their lead in pledged delegates (their published margin is 30-15) while Team Meffert has -- correctly, in my estimation -- responded that there is a huge number of uncommitted delegates in the race. More than one close observer of the race has told me that Meffert is doing just fine among those delegates, who at this rate will outnumber their pledged counterparts approximately 3:1 at the CD3 convention on April 10th.
In the Sixth, the picture is a bit more clear: Tarryl Clark opened up a big lead in this past weekend's conventions, which appear to have included more subcaucuses named for the congressional candidate than those in CD3 did. But some of the same caveats apply: there's still a large number of uncommitted delegates out there, by virtue of there being a competitive race higher on the ballot than this one.
Here's the full spreadsheet, cut down to include only those subcaucuses that include one of these candidates' names. Trying to break out all the uncommitted subcaucuses by CD would be a disaster, as there are several conventions that cross CD lines had to split up along those lines to complete their business.
As regular MPP readers know, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) loves herself some conspiracy theories. She reliably has a new one each month. This time, President Obama is giving out judgeships to bribe Democrats and she wants an investigation. Here's what she had to say on Larry King Live last night:
BACHMANN: Because today, the president offered a judgeship to the brother of a member of Congress. Tonight, the president has that same member of Congress at the White House, pressuring him to change his vote on health care. We need to have an - an independent investigation into this matter, because we've seen the Cornhusker Kickback, the Louisiana Purchase the union loophole. And now, the big question is, is the White House trading health care votes for judgeships? This is a pretty serious issue, Larry. ...If you offer a judgeship to a brother of a member of Congress and the same night you have that member at the White House, where the president's twisting his arm to ask that member of Congress to switch his vote on health care?
(Think Progress)
I know you'll be shocked, but this is a lie. Let's examine how Bachmann came to believe in this latest conspiracy theory.
"As the national unemployment rate hovers around 10%, we know that the massive 'stimulus' spending bill enacted almost a year ago has done nothing but add more debt to already over-burdened families and businesses." (bachmann.house.gov)
Michele Bachmann, then:
Everybody catch that?
"And this is one of the very happy days that we have, when we can bring some federal money to a great project that's been in in the works...wait....I know enough not to fight with a dump truck. He wins every time. This is one of the very happiest days that we have, when we can go ahead and add some sweetener to the pot to try and do something really good for Paynesville... And this is going to bring a lot more in terms of residents, I believe, to the Paynesville area, I think this will bring more tourism to the Paynesville area, and I think it will bring more businesses to the Paynesville area."
More residents, more tourism, and more businesses means MORE JOBS. Brought to Paynesville, according to Michele Bachmann, by federal spending.
Then: Bachmann MotorMouth Overdrive was "happily" handing out government checks, "add(ing) some sweetener to the pot".
Now: Federal spending does nothing.
What we already knew?
"Hypocrisy, Thy Party Is GOP"
What we learned today?
Bachmann wants to be a pilot - maybe so she can go looking for BLACK HELICOPTERS, or like she talked about in the YouTube above, flying nuns....
With the gubernatorial race at the top of this year's ticket, it's generally pretty easy to see where things stand on the pledged delegate chase for that race.
At the congressional endorsement level, it's a bit different. With so many delegates in Gubernatorial-candidate subcaucuses and so few in Congressional-candidate subcaucuses, there's a lot of room for strong supporters to hide in "uncommitted" subcaucuses and for the campaigns to press the flesh among those delegates that are actually uncommitted in their races.
With all that being said, here's what we have so far, with the same caveats (86% statewide coverage) that apply in the gubernatorial race:
CD2 Shelley Madore: 4
Dan Powers: 0
CD3 Maureen Hackett: 12
Jim Meffert: 9
CD6 Tarryl Clark: 16
Maureen Reed: 11
CD2 is missing numbers and still has a few conventions to go. In the case of CD3, both campaigns are starting to snipe about the delegate totals -- Team Hackett has been making public statements declaring a "clear lead" in the delegate chase while sources close to the Meffert effort have noted that their candidate is picking up greater support from uncommitted delegates.
So who knows.
Clark vs. Reed is an interesting case -- alternately, I've received reports that Clark wrecked Reed at local conventions and that Reed's supporters out-organized Clark's by a big margin. My impression is that Clark is winning, but Reed is not going away quietly.
Fantastic day of result-reporting yesterday -- we are now tracking about 60% of the pledged delegate totals. I'll post the full numbers tomorrow once Wild Weekend is complete, but here's the topline in the gubernatorial race:
Uncommitted is winning, but not by as much as it was last week.
Today's conventions include the following:
Beltrami CU
Faribault CU
Freeborn CU
Mower CU
And we're still looking for results from the following districts:
SD5
SD43
SD46
SD63
Aitkin
Blue Earth
Chisago
Goodhue
Isanti
Kandiyohi
Lac
Qui Parle
Steele
Yellow Medicine
As you'll see when I post the data on Monday, there are still some discrepancies and missing delegates from previously held conventions as well -- if you were in attendance at any of them or know someone who was, let us know.
I can't stress enough how great the MPP community has been on this project -- we're going to be providing some real substantive data on the makeup of the field for all to see before the convention, and I'm pretty sure we're the only ones doing this. We also couldn't do it without you folks out there, so thank you.
Today's local conventions -- where state convention delegates will be elected -- include the following locations:
SD 5 (Hibbing)
SD 16 (Milaca) (CD6)
SD 37 (Rosemount) (CD2)
SD 39 (Mendota Heights)
SD 43 (Plymouth) (CD3)
SD 46 (Brooklyn Center) (CD3)
SD 47 (Coon Rapids) (CD3/CD6)
SD 58 (Minneapolis)
SD 59 (Minneapolis)
SD 60 (Minneapolis)
SD 61 (Minneapolis)
SD 63 (Bloomington) (CD3)
SD 66 (St. Paul)
Atkin CU
Blue Earth CU
Chisago CU
Goodhue CU
Isanti CU
Kandiyohi CU
Lac Qui Parle CU
Steele CU
Waseca CU
Winona CU
Yellow Medicine CU
Along with tomorrow's conventions, more than 300 state convention delegates will be elected -- that's about 25% of the entire elected delegate universe. Obviously, this weekend is a big time for congressional and gubernatorial campaigns.
As previously noted, if you're attending one of these conventions as a delegate or an observer, please try to let us know the full subcaucus names and their delegate totals. We need to know everything about the subcaucuses -- candidate pledges, issues, organizations, etc, and how many delegates each subcaucus gets. Leave the reports in the comments or email us, and we'll track the totals as well as possible.
Tarryl Clark's campaign has a great idea. Track where and what Rep. Michele Bachmann is doing. They call it The Bachmann Agenda. Instead of doing the people's business and helping her constituents, you can see on an interactive map where she's been and where's she's going in the near future. Plus, they have details on her latest whacked policy positions (although, we have them here, too).
For the third time in just four weeks, Bachmann will not fly home to her district on Friday, but will instead land in Cincinnati, Ohio to deliver a speech to the Hamilton County Republican Party. Reports say Ohio GOP donors will pay between $70-90 each to hear from the Minnesota Congreswoman.
...
"More often than not, the answer to the question 'where is Michele Bachmann' is: 'not in her district'," said Zach Rodvold, Campaign Manager for Tarryl Clark's campaign for Congress. "It's clear Congresswoman Bachmann's priorities are chasing her national celebrity and pursuing her personal agenda -- and those priorities come at the expense of her district. While she appears on countless national talk shows and conservative conventions, a local reporter stumps her by asking her to name just three things she's done for her district. Her constituents deserve better."
(Clark campaign press release email)
Amen, Zach. Support Tarryl Clark's moneybomb cuz Sarah Palin is coming to town to raise money for Bachmann.
Ladies and Gentlemen, yours truly - the ol' TwoPutter - is hosting, as usual, the Friday Edition of "Minnesota Matters" on AM-950 KTNF, The Voice of Minnesota! The show runs from 6:00 to 7pm. So, tune in your radio today to AM-950, or listen live on your computer, here. Joining in-studio will be ace field reporter/political analyst Dusty Trice!
In addition to talking about news, we'll have the New Music Update, provided by David from The Electric Fetus - and I'd people to know that I'll be a Co-EmCee for tonight's Electric Fetus Reborn Concert, tonight after the show, at First Avenue And 7th Street Entry. Doors open at 7:00; I'll be there shortly after - get your tickets there!
In honor of the release of "False Witness! The Michele Bachmann Story (Volume 3)", we'll definitely play "False Or False Witness!" where one lucky caller will have to correctly identify if a quote I read was actually uttered by Michele Bachmann (answer "False Witness!") or if yours truly, the ol' TwoPutter, simply made it up (answer "false"). The fabulous prize awarded, courtesy of show sponsor Common Good Books, is one copy of Bill Prendergast's exceptional comic book: "False Witness! The Michele Bachmann Story (Volume 3)"!!!
So, again, tune in the radio today to AM-950, or listen live on your computer, here.
The following senate district and county unit conventions are taking place this weekend. This group represents a "Wild Weekend" of sorts, with a very large number of delegates getting elected all at once -- the best-organized campaign will have a big advantage in these locations.
Saturday:
SD 5 (Hibbing)
SD 16 (Milaca) (CD6)
SD 37 (Rosemount) (CD2)
SD 39 (Mendota Heights)
SD 43 (Plymouth) (CD3)
SD 46 (Brooklyn Center) (CD3)
SD 47 (Coon Rapids) (CD3/CD6)
SD 58 (Minneapolis)
SD 59 (Minneapolis)
SD 60 (Minneapolis)
SD 61 (Minneapolis)
SD 63 (Bloomington) (CD3)
SD 66 (St. Paul)
Atkin CU
Blue Earth CU
Chisago CU
Goodhue CU
Isanti CU
Kandiyohi CU
Lac Qui Parle CU
Steele CU
Waseca CU
Winona CU
Yellow Medicine CU
Sunday:
Beltrami CU
Faribault CU
Freeborn CU
Mower CU
If you can attend any of these conventions and provide us with the exact subcaucus/delegate totals, let us know!
And even if you're unable to attend, feel free to discuss the upcoming weekend in the comments.
Are you attending a local party convention today? Then make sure you get the exact results from the delegate elections -- exact names of the subcaucuses and how many delegates each one is allotted -- and leave them in the comments.
Also feel free to discuss whatever you're seeing going on at those conventions.
More local party conventions are scheduled for this weekend -- tomorrow we'll post an open thread for results so you folks out there can report them in.
Heading into the weekend, as promised, here are the named-subcaucus delegate totals from last week (subject to slight variations due to small conventions held before last weekend):
It's easier to detail the uncommitteds in the gubernatorial race, because it covers the whole state -- splitting up county units and SDs by Congressional district is more of a task. Reports did come in after last weekend indicating that Margaret Anderson Kelliher picked up a bunch of the uncommitted delegates, but that can't be confirmed conclusively without getting in touch with those delegates (which we're trying to do).
Anyway, those are the numbers as we have them right now -- let the weekend festivities begin!
...and sorry for not getting to these numbers until so late in the week.
As we've noted in a couple of recent posts, tracking delegate elections is anything but an exact science -- subcaucuses can be named for a gubernatorial candidate, or a congressional candidate, or an issue, or an organization, or some bizarre combination of the above, or uncommitted in either a statewide race or a congressional race...yeesh. It's complicated.
So here's where you, the members of the MPP community, comes in.
This weekend saw a few conventions elect delegates -- we could track those a little bit, and I'll post the results we have so far once I confirm a few things. But next weekend, there are a bunch more conventions, and ditto the weekend after that. In short, there's not enough time in the week to cover every local convention between now and April. So when you're at your local convention,
1. Make sure to stick around until the subcaucuses are allotted delegates.
2. Ask the convention chair for the names and delegate totals for each subcaucus.
3. Thank them profusely for their efforts, and go home.
4. Log on to MPP, and you'll find a SD/CU Convention Results Open Thread each weekend between now and the DFL State Convention. Leave the results from your convention (and any others you happen to have) in the comments.
Each week, we'll update the running count in the gubernatorial race and the several congressional races going on (CD2, CD3, CD6) along with some ideas about how the uncommitted delegate base will sort out.
This project will only be as good a resource as our little community makes it -- so let's make it a good one.
I had a real busy day, up early and just home - full report later. Here's the Unofficial Delegate Count from today: Meffert/Education takes 1 named delegate; Uncommitted/reNEWmn takes 2; Uncommitted/Critical Issues takes 1; Rybak/Hackett takes 2. Bottom line? Dr. Hackett took 2 of 3 named delegates.
I took a little trip from the DFL SD49 Convention, to go see what the GOPers were doing at their SD49 Convention. And it was bad-crazy stuff - full report later. When I left the DFL Convention, I wasn't sure where the GOPers were; all I knew was it was a school in Andover off of Hanson Blvd.
First school (elementary) I pulled into didn't have any "nObama" or "Flat Earth Society" bumperstickers on any of the cars, so I figured I wasn't at the "right" school. Next school? I pulled in, and saw a whole bunch of cars illegally parked; figured it HAD to be the "right" place - and it was. Emmer clearly beat Seifert in the outside sign war; first person I saw inside was republiCon Ron - who now, apparently, is Michele Bachmann's campaign manager. And just behind republiCon Ron was Michele! It was a sign of things to come!!! More later, but: the big news is the GOP tossed aside Incumbent GOP State Senator Debbie Johnson and endorsed Michelle Benson!!!
We'll have a full report from the SD49 DFL convention coming from TwoPuttTommy in a bit.
In short, the convention sounds like a perfect example of how difficult it can be to predict delegate counts at later congressional and state conventions.
In the gubernatorial race, R.T. Rybak and Margaret Anderson Kelliher both got multiple delegates in so-called "named" subcaucuses, and John Marty got one. But several delegates were elected in subcaucuses for the Sixth district race between Tarryl Clark and Maureen Reed, and those delegates are also eligible for the state convention where the gubernatorial endorsement will be decided.
Who are those delegates supporting? Counting them ahead of time will be a spin doctoring operation of monumental proportions.
Long live the walking subcaucus. Or something like that.
Wouldn't you know it. Sarah Palin is coming to Minnesota to raise money for Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) for her MN-06 reelection bid. That, of course, can only mean one thing...
I just received this email from the Tarryl Clark campaign:
In a few weeks, Sarah Palin will parachute into Minnesota to raise money for my opponent, Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. As a Congresswoman, Bachmann has shown time and time again that she is more interested in pursuing her personal agenda and building her national celebrity than she is in serving the people she represents; much like Sarah Palin.
The Republicans know that Congresswoman Bachmann is vulnerable. In fact, Michele Bachmann frequently refers to herself as "public enemy number one" among Republicans in Congress. That's why they're sending their biggest draw - the cover girl of the extreme right - into our state to raise money for this race. And that's where you come in.
Today my campaign is announcing a new fundraising technique called a "moneybomb," where we all work together to get people to pledge to the campaign and send a message to Congresswoman Bachmann and her allies on the far right.
We expect former Governor Palin and Congresswoman Bachmann to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single day. When our fundraising numbers are released in early April, we need to show Michele Bachmann and the far right that we'll have the resources to fight back when it counts most.
We need to show the people of Minnesota's 6th District that we're working hard every day for the chance to represent them in Washington. While Bachmann is leaving us behind to pursue her own personal agenda, I'm ready to fight for good jobs, for affordable healthcare and for Minnesota families.
