Holding candidate signs high above their heads, DFL delegates debated, cajoled, enticed and negotiated for the highest possible number of delegates to support their U.S. Senate candidate all the way to the state convention.

Each DFL Senate candidate — Al Franken, Mike Ciresi and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer — had supporters on hand at Saturday’s Meeker County DFL Convention who attempted to mold the rare walking subcaucus process to their liking.

“That has never happened as long as I can remember, and I have attended every county convention since we moved here in 1959,” delegate Norma Snelling said.

Dr. Dave Detert, convention chairman, said the night before the convention he studied the complicated procedure, which is used to determine state convention delegates. Attendees walk between established subcaucus groups based on candidates and/or issues; they may join or leave the groups up until the final count which allots state delegates proportionally in relation to each subcaucus group’s numbers.

“Although it was chaos, it was kind of fun,” Detert said

Read more in the March 6 Independent Review.