Jaws dropped at the Capitol Monday as word spread that state Rep. Michael Beard of Shakopee -- as bona fide a conservative as sits on the GOP side of the House aisle -- needed 12 ballots Saturday to win his party's blessing for a sixth term, and then only achieved it when his opponent dropped out.

The key issue propelling challenger Bruce Mackenthun, the Shakopee Valley News reported, was Beard's support for switching from contested to yes-or-no "retention" election of Minnesota judges.

The proposal for retention elections sprang several years ago from a panel with an excellent Republican pedigree. It was headed by former GOP Gov. Al Quie. The panel argued that the change would minimize chances that Minnesota's judicial elections would become highly politicized and greatly influenced by special-interest financing, as has occurred in other states.

But the idea has been resisted in GOP circles by a loose coalition that includes the anti-abortion lobby and conservative populists who want direct elections, not gubernatorial appointments, to launch most judicial careers. Though Beard finally prevailed on Saturday, his convention experience garnered plenty of attention and comment from his colleagues. They won't soon forget which issue caused his narrow escape. For a reform idea with much to commend it, that's a pity.