Congressional District 3 spans 13 BPOU's and had 370 people registered for the April 30 convention. SD49 had the highest number of registered delegates and alternates; 44 of the 64 delegates and alternates confirmed to represent Senate District 49 followed through and registered for the CD3 Convention.
The convention opened on Thursday evening, April 30, shortly after 7 pm. The most anticipated event of the evening was the endorsement of Kendall Qualls as Republican candidate for the 3rd Congressional seat. Qualls humbly accepted the endorsement by acclimation and promised an energetic campaign against DFL incumbent Dean Phillips. More information can be found about Kendall Qualls at his website (https://kendallforcongress.com/).
Three delegates and three alternates to the 2020 Republican National Convention were elected from a field of 10 candidates. The delegates elected were Patti Meier, Amy Stretcher Burkes, and Barb Sutter. The alternates were Jennifer Larson, John Alexander, and Mary Susan Timion.
Sam Adjei was selected to represent Republicans in the 3rd Congressional District when the Electoral College meets to vote for President after the 2020 election. Tanya Simons was elected to be his alternate.
Participants heard from Congressman Tom Emmer and three candidates seeking the Republican endorsement for their US Senate campaigns
• Rob Barrett Jr.
• Forrest Hyatt
• Jason Lewis
Candidates for MN GOP executive office also spoke. They were:
• Sheri Auclair and Carlton Crawford (MN GOP Deputy Chair)
• Becky Hall and Barb Sutter (National Committeewoman)
• Max Rymer (National Committeeman)
Barb Sutter (pictured at right), former SD49 co-chair and current MN GOP Secretary, expressed her appreciation for the support she received in her bid to be a National Convention delegate from within SD49 and across CD3.
“I’m truly grateful. I very much look forward to being there in August in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will proudly represent our state. I pledge to honor your vote by faithfully fulfilling those responsibilities for which I’ve been elected. I will never waiver in my support for our President!”
Ironically, Barb Sutter was one of seven SD49 delegates that signed on to the convention but was not seated due to an entry error in the Credentials report or problems with performing the early Roll Call votes. Thirteen SD49 alternates were seated and voted, up through an alternate that was ranked 25th out of 32. Clearly, alternates should be encouraged to register for upcoming conventions, for the odds just might be in their favor!