Politics & Government
Santorum Top Vote-Getter in ‘Workmanlike’ Northfield GOP Caucus
Little fanfane accompanied Republican Party business during Tuesday's Senate District 25B caucus at Northfield High School.
For being a political event, Tuesday night’s Senate District 25B GOP caucus at wasn’t too political.
There were no candidate stump speeches, and little political rhetoric was heard. There wasn’t even much of a cheer when Rick Santorum was declared winner of the caucus straw poll for president.
“Workmanlike” might be the best way to describe the meeting, which seemed to suit Bron Scherer, caucus chair and secretary-treasurer of the Republican Party of Minnesota, just fine.
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“I think things went well, and I think people are excited,” Scherer said after the caucus. “We had a lot of good discussion about issues, and it was nice to have all the students here to observe.”
Roughly 250 residents living in the eastern end of District 25—Northfield, Bridgewater Township, Dennison, Dundas, Nerstrand, Northfield Township and Wheeling Township—attended the caucus. Included in that number were scores of students from Northfield High School, as well as and colleges.
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In fact, one Northfield voting precinct—Ward 1, Precinct 1—was represented entirely by students: Carleton’s James Kerson, David Hecht, Scott Fox and David Jessup. They were observed by a pair of Northfield High School students not old enough to take part in precinct business.
Much of the discussion in that precinct meeting dealt with the president straw poll. Ron Paul received two votes from the precinct's voters, while Santorum and Mitt Romney received a vote apiece.
None of the four remaining GOP candidates for the presidential nominations stood out to the precinct voters.
“All bets are off when it comes to November,” Jessup said.
STRAW POLL RESULTS
As he did in statewide polling, Santorum won the District 25 straw poll with ease. He received 87 of the 211 votes cast. Romney was second with 56 votes. Paul had 48 and Newt Gingrich had 20.
Minnesota’s presidential straw poll is non-binding. For Republicans, that means that the candidate winning the caucus has no guarantee that delegates will support the victor at the GOP National Convention in Tampa, Fla., this summer.
