Ron Paul Wins Minnesota Big

This is the story of the 2012 primary season, one that continues to be repeated. Under significant media hype, a candidate wins the popular vote in a state, the media leaves town ignoring the importance of follow-through, the winning candidate leaves as well, going wherever he thinks the media might be, all the while an active group of Ron Paul supporters remain committed to winning that state's national delegates. 

This is Paul's "It's the Delegates, Dummy" strategy and in many states it's working. While Paul saw delegate victories Saturday in Virginia, Michigan, and Vermont, Paul's biggest delegate victory of the weekend has to be Minnesota.

At the Minnesota Republican Convention held in St. Cloud Minnesota on May 18-19, Paul's supporters swept 12 of the 13 available delegate positions. The thirteenth delegate spot went into a runoff. Observers report that one of those in the runoff was Minnesota Congresswoman and former presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. The other was a grassroots Paul supporter, Don Huizenga. 

The large size of Paul's delegation present at the St. Cloud convention left was little question who would win the runoff. It would not be Michele Bachmann. With Paul supporters already in control of a dominant 32 of the previously selected 39 national delegates, a commanding 82%, the Paul supporter did something surprisingly gracious. 

Don Huizenga conceded the contest. While standing before the delegation he announced his concession to Bachmann "out of respect for the work she's done." This allows the congresswoman to travel to Tampa, alongside 32 Ron Paul supporters to vote as a delegate to the Republican National Convention August 27. 

State Representative Kurt Bills, who received Ron Paul's difficult to obtain endorsement, became the GOP nominee for the Senate elections in Novemeber. This victory was another success for Paul and his constitutional platform. Bills is poised to face Minnesota's Senior Senator Amy Klobuchar in November. Klobuchar is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.