Republicans from  Santiago, Palmer, Orrock-Big Lake and Becker convened Tuesday evening at Becker Baptist Church.

Their turnout was considerably fewer than two years ago when a Presidential campaign drew hundreds.

But, an estimated 70 convened for their caucus, with every room in the lower level of the church held for individual precinct activities.

Jeff Johnson, a frontrunner for the GOP nomination to run for Minnesota Governor this fall, claimed top spot among the attendees, gaining 24 votes. Philip Parrish had 16, Keith Downey, six, Lance Johnson and Mary Giulaini-Stephens, two a piece, with 12 undecided.

Kristen Goenner of Santiago Twp. asked if former Gov. Tim Pawlenty was a candidate for the position. (National news reports had him stepping down from his Washington DC job in the coming weeks.)

“He’s not on the list,” responded Convenor  Dave Seitz.

It was a busy night for candidates seeking GOP endorsement to run for the District 15B state house seat this fall, to succeed Rep. Jim Newberger.

Four announced candidates made their hurried visits to all the precincts, telling about themselves and how they can best serve the district.

Those candidates include Lucas Knese, Big Lake-Orrock; Myron Wilson, Orrock; Shane Mekeland, Becker; and John Ulrick, Foley. 

Knese, speaking to the Becker Twp. Republicans, emphasized his work as assistant to Rep. Newberger has given him a lot of experience dealing with the issues. 

“This is about how mad I am with things in St. Paul,” he said. 

Mekeland, a small business owner and building contractor, pledged his efforts against tax increases and decreasing regulations, support for school choice and Right to Work.

 

Wilson pledged his support to move Minnesota from the fifth highest taxed state to a lower quartile, redundancy in government and expand telecommuting for state jobs. A native of Orrock Twp., he has served as a deputy sheriff and state trooper.

 

Ulrick is retired from 30 years as a chief warrant officer in the Army. He operates a 280-acre farm in Morrison County and  owns and operates a small plastic injection molding company.

 

At the outset of the caucus, each attendee was given a list of platforms on which the Republican party is based.

 

Meanwhile, Rep. Newberger was as busy as ever, beginning his evening with precinct caucuses to the north, then appearing at Becker.

 

   He spoke to the state convention in Duluth, where he will vie for the Republican nomination to face Incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar for a six-year seat in the US Senate this fall.

 

“It’s on your shoulders,” he told the Becker Twp. caucus. “This fall, I will be looking for a new job - the US Senate.

 

“Sen. Klobuchar needs to go,” he said. “Ninety percent of her voting record is with Obama.”

 

“And Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer,” said one from the crowd.

 

The Becker Twp. caucus , convened by Mark Swanson, was the largest of the evening, with about 25 sitting in.

 

 Becker City, convened by Michelle Newberger, had only four attendees,  as did Palmer Twp.

 

Santiago Twp., convened by Seitz, had seven attending; Orrock-Big Lake Twp. had about 15.

 

Among Becker City’s caucus-goers was first-timer Roger Bigalke. Prior to the caucus start, Bigalke, a very active member of the Becker Legion, spoke about continuing plans for their new Becker Veterans Memorial, which is hoped for competion this year.

 

During their sessions, caucus-goers elected delegates to upcoming conventions for approving resolutions at Clearwater March 9, then the district nominating convention at Foley March 10.

 

Yes, some housekeeping duties. A jar was passed, with the announcement the rent for the church spaces that night was $300; the Santiago folk kicked in $50.