This Saturday, April 9th, our Senate District will hold its annual Convention. It will be attended primarily by the Delegates and Alternates elected at the March 2016 caucuses from those precincts lying within the boundaries of House Districts 49A and 49B.

Included in the purpose of our Convention is

• Election of Delegates, First Alternates, & Second Alternates to the Third Congressional District Convention (April 23rd) and the Fifth District Convention (April 30th)
• Election of Delegates, First Alternates, & Second Alternates to the Republican Party of Minnesota State Convention (May 20th & 21st in Duluth)

 The Bylaws of Senate District 49 call for a Delegate Nominating Committee to meet ahead of the SD 49 convention. 

The Committee consists of Executive Committee members and the Precinct Chairs.  During that meeting, held March 23, each precinct chair had the opportunity to nominate a Delegate and a First Alternate to each of the Congressional District and State conventions. It is the chairs who best know the individuals that have contributed and are continuing to contribute to the vitality of their precincts.  Those identified during that meeting will be introduced at the Convention.  They reflect a broad mix of SD49 voters:  men and women of various ages and levels of political experience,

During the April 9 convention, Delegates may still nominate themselves or others for CD and State Convention Delegate, First Alternate, or Second Alternate positions. The final selection of these positions will be by a vote of all of the delegates and seated alternates at the SD49 convention.  Please consider your availability on the dates of the convention(s), your ability to self-fund convention costs, and the likelihood of your attendance if you are considering placing your name in nomination.

We also want to be clear that, to run for delegate or alternate for the CD and State Conventions, there is no requirement to identify which Presidential Candidate you are supporting.

The cost of attending the Congressional District Conventions varies. CD 3 is asking $40 pre-registration, $50 at the door. CD 5 has set their price at $20.

The State Convention is usually set at about $50, but may be higher — this amount is not yet available. Given that the Convention is taking place in Duluth, you should also figure in the cost of an overnight stay, unless of course you intend to drive daily.