Final campaign stops, endorsements in Minnesota ahead of Super Tuesday
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Minnesota is one day away from Super Tuesday where voters will be caucusing all over the state. And the Clinton, Rubio, and Sanders campaigns are all hoping they can win Minnesota.
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It's a special time of year when living rooms, coffee shops and back offices become centers of democracy, and if there's one constant, no matter the party or candidate, it’s that every vote counts.
"I think every vote matters,” Chelsea Clinton said to a small group in Minnetonka on Sunday. “Every person who is supporting my mom matters. I'm going to keep talking to as many people as I can."
Chelsea Clinton carried her mom's message to a living room, speaking to an intimate crowd of a few dozen where she was joined by Gov. Mark Dayton. Hillary Clinton then announced Monday that she'll be making "retail stops" in Minnesota on Tuesday.
Nearby in Plymouth, another high profile endorsement came for a different candidate of a different party. Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty spoke to a small group, throwing his weight behind Marco Rubio as the man he believes can unite the country.
"The thing I like about Rubio is he can unite not just the party but the country,” Pawlenty said. “Yes he's conservative but he presents the conservative message that’s welcoming, inviting and based on his own experience with the American Dream."
Rubio will also be in Minnesota on Tuesday. But Pawlenty's choice for president trails party front-runner Donald Trump, an underdog position the Bernie Sanders campaign knows all too well.
"We've reached out at this point to well over hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans all over the state,” Robert Dempsey, Bernie Sanders campaign, said.
From their offices in St. Paul, the Sanders camp is hoping to mount an upset -- Sen. Sanders has made Minnesota a priority, holding a rally in Rochester and another in Minneapolis on Monday.
"Tomorrow, Minnesota can make history," Sen. Sanders said to a crowd at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Monday. "Tomorrow, Minnesota can help lead this country to a political revolution."
One interested face in the Sanders crowd was Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura, who told Fox 9 he is weighing a Sanders endorsement -- "Everyone's comparing my campaign to Trump. I am much closer to Bernie. I only took $25 and $50 donations from regular citizens. No PAC money. No special interest money. Just like Senator Sanders."
Sanders said with Minnesota's strong progressive history with Paul Wellstone and Keith Ellison, "We have have a real chance to win here."
If there's one thing to be learned from this primary season, it's that confidence, polls, and expectations only matter until votes are cast. And Minnesota is a caucus state, which means a few hundred votes could be the difference between winning and losing.