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With an insider’s eye, Hot Dish tracks the tastiest bits of Minnesota’s political scene and keep you up-to-date on those elected to serve you.

Contributors in Minnesota: Jennifer Brooks, Baird Helgeson, Mike Kaszuba, Patricia Lopez, Jim Ragsdale, Brad Schrade and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger. Contributor in D.C.: Kevin Diaz.

In Arden Hills, an early -- and lonely -- Romney supporter

Posted by: Mike Kaszuba under 2012 Presidential election, Minnesota campaigns, National campaigns, Republicans Updated: February 7, 2012 - 7:03 PM

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At Mounds View High School in Arden Hills, Greg Meyers arrived early for Minnesota’s political caucuses Tuesday and knew it would probably not be a big evening at the high school for his presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.

“I’m probably going to be the only Mitt guy,” said Meyers, the chair for the House District 50B Republicans. “For a lot of people, he’s not conservative enough.”

Meyers said he has had trouble convincing Republican friends that Romney, unlike the other Republican presidential candidates, may be the most electable of the candidates. “It’s not resonating right now, for me, with my circle of people,” he said.

But said Meyers: “If it’s not Mitt, I love Newt” Gingrich.
 

Here are your predictions for Minnesota's Republican Party caucus vote

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger under Morning Hot Dish newsletter, 2012 Presidential election, National campaigns, Republicans Updated: February 7, 2012 - 6:43 PM

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Minnesotans weighed in on their guesses for the winner of Tuesday night's Republican Party caucus vote over the last few days and the results are below.

The person who gets closest to the actual results will get bragging rights and a mention in the Star Tribune's Morning Hot Dish political newsletter. To sign up, go to StarTribune.com/membercenter, check the Politics newsletter box and save the change.

 

Dueling pigs, cheering crowds and a glitterbomb at Santorum rally

Posted by: Jennifer Brooks under Minnesota campaigns Updated: February 7, 2012 - 5:35 PM

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An energized Rick Santorum stumped in Blaine Tuesday afternoon, eager for a replay of his Iowa caucus victory, and unfazed by the pig protesting outside the rally, or the glitter bomb somebody lobbed at his neck.
“Don’t settle for second best!” Santorum told the cheering crowd of at more than 200 supporters at the National Sports Center in Blaine, hours before the start of the Minnesota caucuses.
Dismissing opponent Newt Gingrich as “a piker,” and main rival Mitt Romney as the author of a healthcare plan that has been “a disaster for Massachusetts,” Santorum told the crowds that the latest state polls have him ahead by one point.
He drew more cheers as he derided climate change as “hoax science” and blasted Romney for policies that required Catholic charities to support gay adoption. The enthusiastic, flag-waving crowd booed Romney.
“Let’s make this election about Barack Obama and his lousy record for America,” Santorum said.
Forget polls. If you really want to know how a campaign is faring, ask the campaign button vendors.
Cass Arble, far from her home in North Carolina, has been following the Santorum campaign for months, selling stacks of buttons with legends like“Enjoy Capitalism” and “Rock the Vest” -- a nod to the candidate’s signature knitwear.
“These people are very enthusiastic,” said Arble, whose buttons were selling well at $5 for one or three for $10. “I’ve been places where people barely showed up and nobody bought anything.”
Out in the lobby, Maple Grove attorney Marjorie Holsten had brought the Minnesota Tea Party’s mascot to meet her candidate of choice. Taylor Swine, a potbellied pig, has graced conservative events across the state for the past three years, Holsten said.
While her pig happily gobbled up Cheerios, Holsten said the swine was meant to emphasize the message that a Santorum administration would end the era of big governments and porkbarrel spending.
“I really believe Rick Santorum is going to be there to stop the pork,” she said.
That message was somewhat muddied by the presence of a protester just outside, dressed in a pig costume and waving a sign accusing Santorum of accepting government pork projects during his Senate career. Pig-costumed protesters, aligned with the Romney campaign, have dogged Santorum across multiple states.
“I can’t believe Santorum split our lobby like this,” the protester, who declined to identify himself, said in mock sorrow
It wasn’t the last of the protest gantlet Santorum had to run. As he entered the auditorium and moved toward the stage, he was hit by a glitter bomb that left his neck and shoulders covered with multicolored sparkles.
Afterward, Santorum shrugged off the incident, part of a nationwide protest aimed at candidates whose policies are deemed not-gay-friendly. The glitterbomber fled the room, pursued by a few irate Santorum supporters, but Blain police said they wouldn’t press charges unless the candidate asked them to.
“I get those at almost every event. It doesn’t even matter,” said Santorum, whose suit jacket sparkled for his entire stump speech.  “It’s glitter. Big deal.”

Franken introduces legislation to combat courthouse violence

Posted by: Corey Mitchell under Funding, Minnesota U.S. senators, Democrats Updated: February 7, 2012 - 3:21 PM

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Sen. Al Franken introduced the Local Courthouse Safety Act on Tuesday in response to violence in suburban and rural courthouses across the country  -- including the December shooting at the Cook County Courthouse in Grand Marais.


Franken’s legislation would address security concerns, including a lack of screening equipment and training at local courthouses. the problem is most evident in in rural and suburban areas. which often lack metal detectors, considered the most basic of security measures.


“Under no circumstances should our local sheriffs or court personnel have to put their lives at risk to ensure that the basic acts of our judicial system get carried out,” Franken said in a statement. “My legislation will give courtroom access to the basic resources they need to make sure that every Minnesotan’s day in court is safe.”


Sen. Amy Klobuchar signed on as an original cosponsor of the legislation, which would give states authority to use existing grant money to improve courthouse security.


“The recent shooting at the Cook County Courthouse demonstrates that more needs to be done to keep local courthouses safe and this will help improve security and prevent future violence," Klobuchar said in a statement.
 

Close race at caucuses? No provisions for a GOP recount.

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger under 2012 Presidential election, National campaigns, Republicans Updated: February 7, 2012 - 11:50 AM

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This blog post was in the Morning Hot Dish newsletter. If you're not already getting Morning Hot Dish by email, it's easy to sign up.  Go to StarTribune.com/membercenter, check the Politics newsletter box and save the change.

If the Republican caucus straw poll is super-duper close Tuesday, as some suspect it will be, Minnesota won’t get to use its well-worn recount skills.

Pat Shortridge, chair of the state Republican Party, said there are no caucus recount plans.

“You’ve got to make sure that everybody’s tabulated their information correctly,” Shortridge said. “I have confidence we can do both: get it done quickly enough … yet at the same time have the data that’s accurate.”

You can track caucus results, along with us on Twitter, at StarTribune.com and on the Secretary of State's site.

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