Three-way tie in first ballot for GOP Senate endorsement

A three-way tie in the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate means all six candidates will continue to the second ballot. St. Louis County Commissioner Chris Dahlberg narrowly led the pack with 25 percent of the votes, followed closely by businessman Mike McFadden and State Sen. Julianne Ortman. Below are the results:

Chris Dahlberg: 497 votes, 25 percent

Mike McFadden: 458 votes, 23 percent

Julianne Ortman: 447 votes, 22 percent

Phillip Parrish: 323 votes, 16 percent

Jim Abeler: 133 votes, 6.7 percent

Monti Moreno: 112 votes, 5.6 percent

Below is a sampling of their speeches:

Chris Dahlberg: The St. Louis County Commissioner emphasized that Republicans need to win the Iron Range in order to defeat Democratic U.S. Sen. Al Franken.
"We need to turn Franken's blue counties to Republican red." Said Dahlberg, whose low-key presentation was met warmly by delegates, in part because of his pledge to abide by their endorsement.

Jim Abeler: The retiring state representative from Anoka touted his 16 years in the House dealing with health issues as a key reason why he's best qualified to defeat Al Franken, who he called "A failure and an embarrassment." Abeler said his strength lies not just in picking up the Republican vote, but also Independents and even Democrats.
"Not everyone can do that." He said.

Phillip Parrish: Despite his low budget, the relative-unknown educator and Naval Reserve officer wowed the crowd with a forceful speech condemning Washington Democrats for the "lies" surrounding last year's attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi and defense of the Second Amendment.
"We can defend our gun rights because come on, man, come and take it from me." Parrish said.

Mike McFadden: The investment banker walked to the podium with a mixed reception, but the crowd eventually warmed to McFadden as his enthusiasm grew. Despite his success, McFadden stressed his humble upbringing and said his status as a Washington outsider is exactly what Minnesota needs instead of career politicians.
"I believe in you, not Washington," McFadden said. "We are at risk of losing the American dream and I will not let that happen."
McFadden reflected his campaign's strong budget by ending the speech with fireworks, streamers and a balloon drop.