Bold Blue North
Minnesota's political process from Caucus Night to Election Night.
Bold Blue North
State Convention Weekend
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Kim and Amy discuss what happens at a political party state convention including party endorsements for state office races and passing resolutions to create the state party platform.
Welcome to the Bold Blue North podcast with Kim and Amy. We are covering the Minnesota political process from caucus night to election night.
SPEAKER_01Today we're going to go over state convention, which is happening this Friday in Rochester for the DFLers. They're going to welcome 2,800 delegates and alternates. They're also going to be endorsing candidates for governor, attorney general, state auditor, secretary of state, and the open Senate seat that is being vacated by Tina Smith.
SPEAKER_00And so those delegates and alternates got elected back at Senate District Conventions. Yes. I was going to say precinct caucuses. I'm like, nope, that's not right. So Senate District Convention, they elected the delegates and alternates that went both to their congressional district convention and to the state convention.
SPEAKER_01Correct. So if you were it's like a two for one. So if you're elected as a delegate, you automatically go to your congressional district as well. Um our Senate district, um, just for example, has 17 delegates that were elected and um in turn also 17 alternates. So a total of 34 people will be going to uh state convention from our Senate district. Um there's a number of things that happen at the state convention. Um it goes on for about three days. Um it starts late at well, about four o'clock on Friday night, and then um usually adjourns if all the business gets done around noon on Sunday. Um there are a number of things to do behind the scenes while you're there as well. Um, for instance, on uh Friday, they usually do caucus meetings, and um there's a number numerous caucuses within the DFL.
SPEAKER_00So let's say what a caucus is separate, it's so confusing. We have so many types of caucuses. We do precinct caucuses, but this is a different.
SPEAKER_01That is very true. I I will uh clarify that. So what I'm talking about here is they're uh essentially like think of them almost as like a club. Um, it's different people who get together that have you know the same um interests at heart um that form a a committee caucus. Think of it like that. So for instance, there's a veterans caucus, a Muslim caucus, a feminine caucus, uh a Jewish uh community caucus, environmental caucus, uh Stonewall DFL caucus, which is uh LGBTQ, um disability caucus, uh there's even a rural caucus that kind of is outreach to members who don't live, you know, in urban cities. Um, so there's all those individual caucus meetings, and anybody can join any caucus, right? Like you don't have to be Muslim to join the Muslim caucus, or um, you don't have to be uh, you know, LGBTQ to join the Stonewall Caucus.
SPEAKER_00Um, they're open to anybody and uh But you definitely like should have a a connection reason for joining that obviously that you want to support what that caucus is advocating for. Yes, absolutely. And then there are also some just mattering of trainings that you can go to. So if you get there early on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, just like even one of them called Delegate 101. If you've never gone to convention before and you don't know what's happening, although hopefully our podcast here will help you a bit. Um de-escalation training, stuff like that. So that is not required at all. It's just casual if you want to show up for it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, and they also sometimes if they have um officers there, they'll do officer trainings as well. Sometimes like outreach and inclusion officers will get together and go through some trainings on that, or treasurers. Um, it just depends on who's there from what Senate district. Um, they'll do some additional outreach and and um things at that time. Um, so uh I what I wanted to talk about next was delegates and alternates. So every Senate district is allotted a certain amount of delegates per proportional to uh, you know, how many uh strong Democrats are in their Senate district. Um, and then there's an equal amount of alternates that are also elected. So if you have 20 delegates, then you have 20 alternates. Um, there's also two delegation chairs per uh Senate district, and those are delegates, so you don't get like two additional slots, it's just within those delegates, you elect two people to essentially be in charge. Um, their main focus is to switch out delegates and alternates um to make sure that people are fully seated at all times, like you have the full amount of delegates on the floor. Um, they're also in charge of balloting. So when it comes time for voting, they pass out ballots, they collect ballots, they put them in an envelope, they hand them up. Um, they're in charge of wrangling everybody together. So if they break for lunch or, you know, whatever the case is, making sure everybody gets back to the table and that you have a full amount of delegates at all times um sitting on the floor for voting.
SPEAKER_00So if you're a delegate and you're feeling like you want to take a break, then you just talk to your um delegation chair and let them know you're leaving the floor. The floor is the big room where the whole convention happens. And if you're not part of the convention, you're not gonna be allowed on the floor because you can't vote. Um, you might, I think this year, the alternates are gonna be able to observe from the balcony, but um, I guess we'll see if that's happening. And so then they will then upgrade an alternate while you were gone. And then when you come back, you'd have to communicate to your chair, and then the alternates do the alternates numbered.
SPEAKER_01The alternates are numbered and it's a little funky. Um it they can be numbered from say you have 20 alternates, right? They could be numbered from one to 20. There also could be sub caucuses. So if your convention broke out into walking subcaucuses to elect your delegates, um, which we covered in our convention prep um podcast, the one before this, um, those walking subcaucuses, you actually have your alternates that are elected within that. So if you had say two delegates that were elected per subcaucus, then your two alternates would be there. So if your delegate from, let's say you were the red caucus, I'm just making up something, and you walking sub caucus, and you were elected as there were two delegates and two alternates. If one of the delegates from the red caucus leaves, then the alternate from the red caucus would get moved up. But you couldn't move up someone from the blue caucus to the red caucus, it would have to be those alternates that go with those subcaucuses. So it's a little more complex when you're doing walking subcaucus.
SPEAKER_00And so the walking sub caucuses were likely either in support of a specific candidate. Um, this year it was probably um supporting one of the people who are running for Tina Smith's Senate seat, and also people supporting different um values like clean water. You you might get a group together for that, or maybe a union is trying to get people together to back different um resolutions, which is another thing that happens at convention, is I don't remember how many, but so we had about 60 resolutions coming out of our Senate district convention that were passed up the chain, and so did every other Senate district.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so every Senate district gets allotted the same amount of resolutions um as they do delegates and alternates. They say 60. Maybe we had it was 34. Yeah, there was only so there were 34, there was probably 150 that went into our Senate district convention, and then 34 that came out um that were passed and because they were voted on at convention by the delegates, and then those that passed go up to state convention, those that passed up to a total of 34.
SPEAKER_00So we had to go down and count the actual votes to see like what was the most popular resolution. Right. So everything that passed a 50% threshold didn't necessarily go. We only were able to fill up our 34 because I mean the poor people that have to pull the resolutions together for the state convention. Um, very thankful for those people because they take ones that are similar and combine them and come up with a whole big slate of resolutions that the state delegates will be voting on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. A couple hundred. So if you know anybody on the resolutions committee for state, buy them a drink. They deserve it.
SPEAKER_00I was gonna say chocolate. So or chocolatey. Maybe a chocolatey drink.
SPEAKER_01A chocolatey drink, yeah. Espresso martini. Yeah, there you go. There we go. And so the resolutions and party platforms are also something that will be voted on um at convention. Usually those are done, um, it's like a digital balloting process. So it'll come up in the the beginning. Usually they introduce them Friday night, and then you have until Sunday when it adjourns to actually do your voting. Um, so you can, you know, put in which ones that you want to see move forward. Um, there is quite a lengthy question-answer period um for the resolutions. And so usually by the time it gets up to state, um, there's about a hundred um resolutions that are there. And then I think 60 some, I don't have the exact number, are are actually passed.
SPEAKER_00Um, so there's being passed at the state convention means it becomes part of the party platform for that correct.
SPEAKER_01Yep. So those uh that's the last step in becoming part of the party platform. Um, so typically what happens or what happened two years ago when I went, um, they'll combine some of the 100. Um, where if they're very similar, they'll pass some sort of motion to like combine them into one. So that way you're not having to to vote on all 100 of them. Um, sometimes you have opposing that this happened two years ago. Um, there was in a there was a bill, or I'm sorry, a resolution for something and then a resolution against it. And what happened is is that those two kind of groups came together and went behind the scenes and and kind of did some negotiating behind the the scenes and came out with a revised resolution that kind of combined both of their, you know, what they wanted out of it and negotiated a new resolution. And um, that actually passed pretty unanimously. So sometimes stuff like that will happen where you people get creative behind the scenes and do some negotiating and um working to combine things um to make sure that the resolution passes and the things that they want pass, almost like bills would at legislature. So um it's kind of an interesting process.
SPEAKER_00I feel like for me at convention, that was the slowest part because people can get up and speak for or against different resolutions and it just kind of goes on and so that's a good time for alternates and delegates to switch because you can get a little tedious and you know, taking a break and and tag teaming each other in and out of that um is is sometimes really good. Well, and you it's also good to remember, I think if anything starts feeling this, you know, you want to keep your energy up for the for the convention. So you do want to take breaks, or if it gets too loud, or you're tired of being, you know, sitting close to a bunch of people at a table, just you know, remember to take breaks, go get some, go get a snack, which they do have um you can in the past. I know you could buy lunch there. It's good to come with your own little stash of snacks, like maybe not snacks for your whole table. I don't think they want you bringing in a whole grocery bag of food for your table.
SPEAKER_01Sometimes delegation chairs will bring chocolate or candy or something like that to keep you guys awake.
SPEAKER_00Um, but even I've seen people settle in for the night for um, you know, Saturday night can go long and late. So maybe be prepared to send one of your alternates out for some dinner if they're uh if the convention site isn't serving any more food that day. You just gotta keep yourself happy. Yes. Don't get hangry. Don't get yes.
SPEAKER_01Bad voting happens when you're hangry.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, so yeah, I mean, there's a lot of the um endorsements that need to be made um between the governor, attorney general, state auditor, secretary of state. The Senate seat might get a little easier because one of the candidates, um, Angie Craig, uh, dropped out of the endorsement. So let me clarify that she didn't drop out of the race. There's a difference. She's still running, but she is decided not to seek the DFL endorsement and we'll go straight to the primary. So um Peggy Flanagan is the only one seeking the DFL endorsement.
SPEAKER_00Well, she's the only one we know of. There could be. Sure. Because I've definitely gone to things where I thought, oh, here's the three people trying to get the endorsement, and then there's some person I've never heard of, which is unfortunate. They couldn't get their name out better beforehand, but or at least whatever. I didn't I wasn't aware of them. So probably, I mean, even if there's someone besides Peggy Flanagan, I'm gonna say she's gonna get the endorsement. I'm gonna go out and allege and yes, yeah, predict that.
SPEAKER_01So they actually have to take nominations from the floor as well. So somebody could literally just stand up and be like, I'd like to be the senator. And um they probably won't win the endorsement, but they could do that. Um, and there's quite a number, and the DFO endorsement is it's almost like the golden ticket, right? Like you get um resources, you get help, you get the party standing behind you, um, you get access to voter files, things like that. So it's it's definitely gives you the leg up.
SPEAKER_00And you definitely see people put it on their campaign literature and yard signs that they're the endorsed candidate prior to the primary.
SPEAKER_01For sure. Um, but there are a number of candidates who have won um state party offices without having the DFL endorsement. Um, Governor Walls is one of them, probably the most prominent. Um, he did actually did not win the endorsement the first time that he was seeking running for governor, um, and still won the governorship. So that was uh So it was Erin Murphy, who's our current Senate leader of the, I suppose the Senate's tied.
SPEAKER_00So she's sure co-leader of the um Minnesota Senate. But yeah, that year she had won the endorsement.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So you could definitely have upsets like that that happen.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um and then you so after the endorsements are all made and resolutions happen, um, it adjourns the state convention usually adjourns about Sunday afternoon. Um, sometimes around noon, if you can get out there a little earlier. Um, and then it's straight on to campaign season at that point. Um all filing deadlines for people running for office is June 2nd, so right after the um the state convention. And um off to the races. The primary is the second Tuesday in August. I don't have the exact date off the top of my head, and then of course, general election in November.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Um, one other thing that uh occasionally happens at state convention, but not this year because there's not a presidential race, is um they do elect the folks who get to go to the national convention. Oh some of those some of those national convention delegates are elected at this uh level. Um otherwise after the convention, Kim's right, campaign season gets really into full swing. And so if you want to um get involved in anybody's campaign and help door knock or phone call or postcards or whatever for them, then you can um hopefully they have a website and a way to contact them so you can get involved. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Parades are also a really great way for candidates to get out there. So, you know, every single town, it seems like in Minnesota has a parade of some sort or a festival. Um, if you go to them, most likely your candidate um that is running for the DFL uh will be there. And so you can get some more information, find out how you can volunteer, fundraise, whatever you know suits you. There's again a job for everyone, even if it's filling out postcards and mailing them. Um even going to the store to buy the stamps.
SPEAKER_00Yes, there you go. It takes the pressure off some of the other people that are uh helping on the campaign. Any little bit helps. Right. So, and that doesn't mean you have to pay for the postcard stamps. The campaign will have funds for that. Um, so that is our quick last minute talk about the state convention. Yeah, you might have thought we all went on vacation, but just lots lots of things have been happening.
SPEAKER_01Yes, life got away from us. So um our next episode, we were going to have somebody from um state convention who went on, um, and we'll interview them and uh get their their hot take on what happened and um some pointers for the next time they go to convention. So thanks for listening to Bold Blue North, and we'll see you next time.