Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson leads the pack of three remaining candidates vying for the GOP gubernatorial endorsement after northern Minnesota teacher Rob Farnsworth was knocked out of contention.
Johnson held a commanding lead over repeat candidate Marty Seifert and state Sen. Dave Thompson by close to 10 points with 38.7 percent at the end of Round 2. Meanwhile only four votes separated Thompson and Seifert, who hovered near 30 percent.
Farnsworth, a 35-year-old husband and father of four, received just 37 votes for less than two percent. Ten percent of votes are required to move on to the third ballot.
In his concession speech, Farnsworth took to the podium and, noting that he's no longer a candidate, took off his tie before thanking supporters and family. Farnsworth wouldn't say which of the remaining candidates he would vote for, but instead told delegates to vote with their hearts "and everything will turn out alright."
Here are your results:
Jeff Johnson: 729 votes, 38.7 percent
Thompson: 559 votes, 29.7 percent
Seifert: 555 votes, 29.5 percent
On to Round 3.
