Minnesota takes its turn in Republican presidential race

STAR/TRIBUNE
Fresh from regaining front-runner status, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney squeezed in a Minnesota stop Wednesday to harness his new momentum into a strong showing in the state's caucuses next week.

"It's time for us to bring a new definition to hope," Romney told a cheering crowd in Eagan, a day after a commanding win in the Florida primary. "Hope should mean a good job and good paycheck, not a faded word on an old bumper sticker."

Romney is the second GOP presidential candidate to visit the state in three days, highlighting the newfound importance of Minnesota in what has been a bitter and ferociously contested race for the GOP presidential nomination. For years, the state's caucuses were lost in the national din, lumped in among more than a dozen states selecting their preferences for president on the same day.

This time, Minnesota has the potential to provide a boost to some candidates, particularly those who have fallen behind. "We used to be a footnote of a footnote," said David Sturrock, a GOP activist from Marshall and the former treasurer for the Minnesota Republican Party. "This year we will get national attention."

Political groups backing Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich blitzed the airwaves in Florida, and there are reports that supporters of Romney and of former Sen. Rick Santorum are buying ads in Minnesota. Romney supporters anticipate another visit by him before Tuesday's caucuses. On Monday, Santorum touched down in the tiny town of Luverne, in the southwest corner of the state, speaking to a crowd of more than 400 for nearly 90 minutes. He too says he hopes to return to the state before the caucuses.

Meanwhile, Texas Rep. Ron Paul's campaign has quietly held regular recruiting meetings to build a formidable army that could pull off a caucus night upset. Paul has been trailing badly in the polls, but winning the state's preference poll would give him bragging rights and a chance at a sizable chunk of the state's 40 delegates. Minnesota GOP delegates will not be awarded on the basis of Tuesday's straw poll. "Our campaign is working hard at the grass-roots level in Minnesota," said Gary Howard, a Paul campaign spokesman. Minnesota, he said, is "a state that is often crucial to success in the general election."

Republicans expect only about 60,000 GOP voters to come out for the caucuses, a number small enough that it could make it easier for an organized grass-roots campaign like Paul's to have a strong finish, possibly even a win, several political watchers said.

Gingrich's campaign has not announced any Minnesota campaign swings.