ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Democratic and Republican activists are gathering at political conventions over the weekend to pick their favored candidates to replace outgoing Gov. Mark Dayton this fall, but their say may not be the final word in either party. More than 2,000 loyal Republican voters started their convention in Duluth Friday afternoon, while Democrats kicked off their convention in Rochester. It’s the culmination of months of behind-the-scenes organizing, as candidates in races up and down the ballot jockeyed for the support of convention delegates at local precinct caucuses, legislative race conventions and congressional district gatherings. Both parties will also endorse candidates for other statewide offices and a pair of U.S. Senate races — including the surprise special election to finish the term of former Sen. Al Franken, who resigned amid a sexual misconduct scandal earlier this year. The voting gets underway Friday afternoon. But the main event was the wide-open race for governor, with an unsettled field in both parties and the certainty that at least one party was headed for an August primary. Delegates from both parties were scheduled to vote in that race Saturday. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty is promising to bring the fight for the nomination to Republican voters on Aug. 14. A two-term former governor who entered the race in April after months of speculation, Pawlenty said Thursday his late entry in the race meant he couldn’t seriously compete for the endorsement, prompting him to skip it altogether. But with unparalleled name recognition and fundraising prowess, just his presence in the race could be disruptive for his rivals who need the party’s endorsement to compete against him in August. Republicans are hungry to win the governor’s race; they control both chambers of the Legislature, but Pawlenty’s 2006 re-election was their last statewide victory. Jeff Johnson was the favorite to clinch the Republican endorsement heading into the weekend. It’s Johnson’s second run at the governor’s office after losing to Dayton in 2014. He has spent weeks pitching that he’s a better choice than Pawlenty, whom he has branded as old news beholden to the big banks he spent five years lobbying for after leaving public office. Woodbury Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens and retired naval intelligence officer Phillip Parrish are also vying for the endorsement. Candidates from both parties need at least 60 percent of delegates’ support to secure the endorsement. In years past, that has taken hours and a dozen or more rounds of voting to secure. Meanwhile, Democrats were anxious to unify around a candidate and avert a messy primary. But they also entered the weekend with the possibility that the convention wouldn’t crown its final candidate. It’s in the party’s history, as Dayton himself skipped the 2010 convention and beat endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher before going on to win two terms. U.S. Rep. Tim Walz was largely viewed as the front runner in the race as he built up a massive fundraising lead over state Rep. Erin Murphy and State Auditor Rebecca Otto. Walz, a six-term congressman from southern Minnesota, has positioned himself as the candidate best suited to appeal to both urban and rural Democrats, while Murphy and Otto have largely sought to appeal to the party’s more liberal base. But while Otto and Murphy have said they’ll honor the party’s endorsement and won’t proceed to a primary without it, Walz hasn’t pledged to abide by the endorsement. Murphy built up momentum in the weeks leading up to the convention, piling up endorsements from some of the state’s largest unions including AFSCME Council 5 and the Service Employees International Union. In Rochester, Democratic party chairman Ken Martin underscored the high stakes of the election, noting the race for governor was the headliner in an otherwise jam-packed election cycle that also features two U.S. Senate races, four or more competitive congressional elections, a fight for control of the state House and more. DFL House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman told the crowd of more than 1,000 delegates to keep their eyes on local House elections amid the focus on replacing Dayton. “We are just one election away from becoming Wisconsin. A DFL governor can prevent that, but so can a DFL house,” she said. The battle for each party’s endorsement in U.S. Senate races was less contested, with votes expected Friday evening. Two-term Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar faced no challengers and was quickly endorsed. She’s likely to face GOP state Rep. Jim Newberger. New U.S. Sen. Tina Smith faced three challenges as she tries to keep the seat once held by Franken that she was appointed in January to fill. But she easily won the endorsement with nearly 75 percent of vote on the first ballot, beating party activist Nick Leonard and Richard Painter — a former Republican and ethics attorney under President George W. Bush’s administration. Painter is promising to run for the Democratic nomination in a primary. The winner will face GOP state Sen. Karin Housley, who is running for her party’s nod unopposed. (© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)<doc-sep>Endorsements were handed out to Senate candidates. Minnesota's political world descended on Duluth and Rochester on Friday as the state DFL and GOP conventions got underway. Democrat delegates traveled to Rochester for their event, with Republicans heading north for theirs. The main decision making on Friday was about endorsing candidates for the not one, but two U.S. Senate elections happening this November. The conventions continue on Saturday, when party members will decide who will get the all-important nod for this year's Minnesota governor race, as well as endorsements for attorney general and state auditor. While an endorsement from the party gives candidates a boost, it doesn't mean they're a shoo-in for the nomination – that's decided during the primaries this August. Here are the main results from Friday: U.S. Senate Race #1 DFL: Incumbent Sen. Amy Klobuchar easily got the endorsement for re-election to her seat, which she is the odds-on favorite to retain. GOP: State Rep. Jim Newberger got the GOP endorsement to run against Klobuchar. U.S. Senate Race #2 DFL: Interim incumbent Sen. Tina Smith received the endorsement with 74.5 percent of the vote ahead of Richard Painter, who intends to challenge her in the August primary. GOP: State Sen. Karin Housley, who represents the St. Croix River Valley, got the Republican endorsement with 75 percent of the vote. Secretary of State DFL: Current SoS Steve Simon received the DFL endorsement shortly into Friday's proceedings. GOP: Is selecting its endorsed candidate on Saturday.<doc-sep>Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson dropped out of the running for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party endorsement after failing to get the required 60 percent of delegates’ votes on the first ballot. Democrats are gathered in Rochester this weekend at the Mayo Civic Center for their endorsing convention. A past A+ rating from the National Rifle Association likely tripped up Swanson. Gun control is a key issue for Democrats this election season after the relentless pace of school shootings continues nationwide. Challenger Matt Pelikan, a Northfield native, got 47 percent of the vote to Swanson’s 52 percent. Shortly after the tally was posted on the civic center screen, Ken Martin, DFL party chair, announced Swanson would drop out of the running for the party endorsement. “Thank you for believing in politics of hope, not fear,” Pelikan told delegates in his acceptance speech after being endorsed by a voice vote. Not getting the endorsement doesn’t mean Swanson won’t seek a fourth term as attorney general. Pelikan declined to speculate if he would face Swanson in a summer primary. “The (candidate) filing deadline is Tuesday. We’ll see what happens,” Pelikan said. Swanson has also been rumored to be considering a last minute gubernatorial bid. A spokesman for the attorney general said she was still weighing her options. Ahead of the endorsement vote Swanson had her supporters detail her work as the state’s top law enforcement official. Pelikan was criticized for his lack of experience, a critique he brushed off. “Experience is measured in more than years,” he said. Pelikan was critical of Swanson’s handling of a lawsuit against 3M that was recently settled for $850 million. He also said Swanson was to slow to go after drug makers for their role in the opioid crisis. Republicans seized on news of the happenings in Rochester as a sign of divisions within the DFL in a series of announcements to delegates. “They’re in free fall,” said state Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, co-chair of the GOP convention. Whoever wins in the primary will face Doug Wardlow, an unopposed candidate whom Republicans endorsed at their convention in Duluth this weekend. “This is a real opportunity for us to take back the office for the first time in 40 years,” Wardlow said.<doc-sep>
It’s election season in Minnesota. While youth eye the end of the school year and grownups salivate (or stress) over upcoming vacations, thousands of political die-hards from the state’s two leading parties will descend on two cities Friday for state conventions. The Republican Party of Minnesota will hold its state convention in Duluth on Friday and Saturday. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party will hold its state convention in Rochester Friday through Sunday. Unity and infighting can be expected at both, a sign of the passionate, and at times messy, vibrancy of the democratic process. Among the goals: Delegates to each convention will vote to endorse candidates for statewide offices that will appear on ballots in the Aug. 15 primary and Nov. 6 general election. WHAT’S THE POINT? Those are some big offices — both of the state’s U.S. Senate seats and governorship top the list. But also the offices of lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general and state auditor. Endorsements for other offices appearing on the ballot this year — all eight U.S. House seats, all 134 state House seats and at least one state Senate seat — are taken care of at smaller conventions. RELATED: Who’s running for Minnesota governor? But to be clear: An endorsement is a party’s official blessing. It doesn’t actually mean a thing, as far as election law goes. Many — but not all — candidates have pledged to abide by the party’s endorsement, meaning if they lose, they won’t seek the party’s legal nomination, which happens in polling booths in the August primary. It’s also possible a convention can conclude without a candidate being endorsed. Still, conventions matter. And the headliners at both conventions this year are for the race to succeed Gov. Mark Dayton, who is not seeking re-election. The battle for the hearts and minds — and votes — of delegates has been underway for months, in both public and private settings. On Thursday, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz, who is seeking the DFL endorsement, held a news conference to essentially showcase his allies in the Legislature — a tactic certainly done with the knowledge that one of his opponents, six-term state Rep. Erin Murphy, has allies there as well. Also on Thursday, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican who is not actually seeking his party’s endorsement at its convention, held his own news conference to announce his running mate, former state Senate president and current Lt. Gov. Michelle Fischbach. Pawlenty’s lieutenant governor from his eight years in office, Carol Molnau, has endorsed one of his leading opponents, Hennepin County Commissioner Jeff Johnson. Both Tims held their events in the same room on the grounds of the Capitol on Thursday morning — a final chance to grab the coverage of the state’s political press corps before journalists dispersed to Rochester and Duluth. DFL GOVERNOR’S RACE The DFL governor’s race at the convention is arguably the more exciting — because its outcome is less clear. Of the most prominent candidates, Walz and Murphy also face State Auditor Rebecca Otto. Sixty percent of the expected 1,400 delegates are needed to win the endorsement, and none of the three is believed to have amassed that. Political hacks love such a situation, where various scenarios can be imagined. How many rounds of voting will be needed before a winner’s bandwagon reaches the magic 840 delegates? Is it possible there will be no endorsement? And so on. Of relevance: Walz has not pledged to abide by the endorsement — a posture that can be controversial among party faithful — while Murphy has said she will. So if Walz wins the endorsement, she’ll drop out. If Murphy wins, however, Walz has positioned himself to challenge her in a primary. GOP GOVERNOR’S RACE Pawlenty’s lack of presence at the GOP convention in Duluth will loom large. When he announced his candidacy in April, he said he felt it was too late to make an attempt to seek the endorsement. Some Republicans buy that, while some think it was a pragmatic move to avoid trying and failing. Saturday’s battle in Duluth will be between Johnson, Woodbury Mayor Mary Giuliani Stephens, and Phillip Parrish, with many insiders believing Johnson holds a strong lead going in. Presumably, whoever wins the endorsement will run against Pawlenty in the August primary. Christopher Magan contributed to this report. NOTE: This story originally neglected to mention Phillip Parrish.