Fifteen people, including Sherburne County DFL chairperson Kathy Geary, were in attendance mostly to adopt rules, elect chairs, consider resolutions and elect delegates for conventions.

 

“First and foremost this is our opportunity to discuss the re-election of Gov. Dayton and Sen. Franken and any other incumbents with the party,” Geary said.

 

Geary went on to read an affirmation statement and a DFL platform statement before reading letters from Franken and Debra Hilstrom, who is vying to become the next Secretary of State.

 

Incumbent DFL Mark Ritchie announced June 4 that he won't seek re-election, after eight years in office.

 

Since Gov. Mark Dayton and U.S. Sen. Al Franken face no intra-party competition for the endorsement in their re-election efforts, there was no straw polling at area DFL caucuses.

 

DFL party volunteers and attendees Tuesday broke off into their precincts and voted for delegates and alternates to the party’s March 25 endorsing convention at Baily Ray’s in Santiago. They talked issues that included the future of the Sherco Power Plant in Becker, the environment, minimum wage and gun control.

 

The groups also discussed two resolutions — one to boost the state and federal minimum wage and two, to get rid of Citizens United by limiting the influence of big money spending in politics.

 

Franken mentioned in his letter read aloud by Geary that his last election was a close one in which he won by a mere 312 votes. Geary read that Franken is asking for a bigger push from DFLers to “make more of a difference in this year’s election.”