The 2018 election season kicked off in Minnesota Tuesday evening with people across the state arriving at their designated locations for precinct caucus night. Area residents followed suit, with Republicans from the City of Clearwater, Clearwater Twp., the City of Clear Lake and Clear Lake Twp. gathering at the American Legion in Clearwater.

 

Purpose of the caucuses was to begin the process of selecting candidates for the upcoming election, conduct straw polls, and pass resolutions from area residents that will be evaluated for the possibility of becoming proposals for law in the future.

 

The Clearwater GOP caucus was organized by Barry Kukowski, who was elected precinct chair two years ago and re-elected Tuesday night. Kukowski is also BPOU (Basic Party Operating Unit) chair of District 15B. 

 

“We took a straw poll and the results came back nearly identical to the state level,” he said. “Jeff Johnson was number one in the governor’s race, hands down.”

 

Along with polling, three proposed resolutions were passed forward and volunteers were signed up to become 2018 election judges.

 

Although all four Clearwater and Clear Lake precincts combined for the caucus, each has its own caucus chair and conducted its own business and administrative items separately.

 

Rep. Jim Newberger, who is running for US Senate this election, stopped by for a brief speech before heading off to the next caucus location. Lucas Knese, who is running for Newberger’s position in the House of Representatives, also showed up to introduce himself and ask for the Republican Party’s endorsement.