State Rep. Paul Thissen, fresh off the endorsement of former gubernatorial candidate Tom Bakk, told convention delegates that it's time to stop playing not to lose.". He added that Gov. Tim Pawlenty "has used his veto pen as a weapon to assault the most vulnerable among us."

Thissen also talked about a Minnesota that "respects science," a theme he has sounded in candidate forums and a reference, in part, to the unwillingness of Republicans to fund embryionic stem cell research.