Welcome to a special edition of Hot Dish, the Star Tribune's weekday newsletter on all things Minnesota politics. We're publishing special editions through the weekend ahead of Super Tuesday. You can sign up for daily dispatches straight to your inbox at startribune.com/hotdishpolitics.
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Good morning!
The South Carolina primary results are in. Joe Biden won big. Tom Steyer dropped out after landing in third. Amy Klobuchar came in a distant sixth place, with 3% of the vote.
The Minnesota Democrat told Fox 9 this morning that she's staying in the race.
We're now less than 48 hours out from Super Tuesday, when Minnesotans join voters in 13 other states in picking a nominee. Briana wrote a helpful primer on the March 3 primary and stakes here in Minnesota. We've also published a comprehensive FAQ on the state's first primary in decades here.
So what's the state of the race here in Minnesota, where 75 pledged delegates are up for grabs? A recent Star Tribune/MPR Minnesota Poll showed a close race between Klobuchar and Bernie Sanders, who won the 2016 caucuses here by a wide margin. Here's how Klobuchar summed it up in that Fox 9 interview:
"Well, Super Tuesday is a big deal and the only two that are really competing in Minnesota right now are Senator Sanders and myself."
On that note, I took stock of Sanders' support and his campaign's final Minnesota push, which includes a Monday night rally and concert in St. Paul. His backers are feeling good about his chances, citing momentum from early-state wins and a big ground game. The campaign has knocked some 52,000 doors, with independent groups like TakeAction Minnesota and the Twin Cities DSA doing outreach of their own.
Klobuchar, who is spending the weekend barnstorming Super Tuesday states, also returns to Minnesota tonight to host a GOTV rally at St. Louis Park High. She'll be back again Tuesday, after polls close, for a results watch party in St. Paul. KARE 11's John Croman made a neat graphic showing Klobuchar's pre-Super Tuesday travel schedule.
A snapshot of some of the other campaign events happening on the ground here today:
- Ashley Judd continues a slate of appearances to boost Elizabeth Warren, including a Women for Warren event this afternoon at the campaign HQ.
- Rep. Angie Craig, State Auditor Julie Blaha and Dave Wellstone host two GOTV rallies for Klobuchar, in Rochester and St. Paul.Former NFL linebacker, entrepreneur and philanthropist Dhani Jones headlines several events for Michael Bloomberg.
- Pete Buttigieg supporters will gather for a canvassing kickoff in St. Paul. We're told there will be birthday cake for DFL Rep. Rick Hansen!
Leading Minnesota DFLers are also hitting the trail for their candidate of choice in other Super Tuesday states. Rep. Ilhan Omar was at a Sanders rally in Virginia last night. Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey are there on Klobuchar's behalf. House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, meanwhile, went to Oklahoma to stump for Klobuchar.
You won't see Attorney General Keith Ellison, one of Sanders' most prominent Minnesota backers, out campaigning this weekend. The reason? He's in Ghana with a group of state AGs.
That's all for now. Watch StarTribune.com for more on the state of Klobuchar's campaign, as well as the final GOTV push here in Minnesota. As always, you can send tips, thoughts and updates our way: hotdish@startribune.com.
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