Presidential campaign activity heats up in Minnesota before Tuesday's caucuses

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Both Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and former U.S. senator Rick Santorum will be campaigning in Minnesota this weekend while former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney made stops throughout the state yesterday as candidates visit the Gopher State with its precinct caucuses schedule for Tuesday.

Rep. Paul will be in Minnesota Saturday and Monday. His campaign stops Saturday include a Rochester town hall meeting for undecided voters

from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM at Mayo High School, 1420 11th Ave. SE. Then he heads to Chanhassen for another town hall with undecided voters from 2-3 p.m. at utoMotorPlex, 8200 Audubon Road befor his final stop Saturday at Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Dr. in Arden Hills for a rally from 5:30-6:30 p.m. On Monday, Paul will speak to a town hall in St. Cloud at the River's Edge Convention Center from 4-5 p.m. before holding a rally at the Minneapolis Convention Center at 1301 2nd Ave. South from 7-8 p.m.. More events could be scheduled throughout the weekend.

Santorum is making a number of campaign stops this weekend in Minnesota. The former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania is going to a pancake breakfast Sunday in Bemidji (12:30 p.m.), touring Bemidji Woolen Mills (1 p.m.) and headlining a rally at the Sanford Center (2:30 p,m,). Bemidji Woolen Mills is the maker of Santorum's official campaign sweater vests. He's also scheduled to attend a Sunday morning church service in Eden Prairie and is the special guest for a "Super Santorum Sunday" party in Waconia (5:30 p.m). Santorum held a town hall meeting Monday night in Luverne.

Minnesota is known as a politically-active state but, even so, attendance will likely be small at next Tuesday's precinct caucuses. Former state Republican Party Chairman Chuck Slocum is predicting a relatively good turnout - but still only a fraction of all eligible voters. Slocum expects 80,000 persons in total will head to party caucuses with most going to the Republicans because they have a presidential contest right now. Slocum notes that six political parties will host precinct caucuses next Tuesday night in Minnesota. Mitt Romney won Minnesota's 2008 G0P caucuses with 41 percent of the vote but dropped out of contention the very next day - and the G0P nomination ultimately went to John McCain.

Tags: news, minnesota, politics