Candidates Make Final Push In Minnesota Before Super Tuesday
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP/WCCO) —It's Super Tuesday.
More delegates are up for grabs on Super Tuesday than any other day in the presidential nominating process.
Minnesota is one of 12 states holding primaries or caucuses. It's a critical point in the race for each party's endorsement that could cement the leaders' path to the nomination, give others a much-needed win or be the end of the road for others.
The latest polls show Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton leading in key states.
The stakes are high for Bernie Sanders on Minnesota's caucus day.
The Vermont senator is well behind the former secretary of state in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination and needs to do well in caucus states that tend to reward candidates with passionate supporters.
Sanders hit Minnesota hard in the week leading up to Tuesday's voting, hosting his third rally in four days on Monday. He said he intends to take his campaign all the way to the Democratic convention.
Sanders made his final pitch in Massachusetts Monday night where more than 100 delegates are on the line.
Meanwhile, Clinton has dispatched an army of surrogates to campaign on her behalf and enlisted the support of Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges and countless more. She has also locked up the support of most of Minnesota's so-called superdelegates: elected officials and party bigwigs who cast a vote at the convention regardless of the caucus outcome.
Clinton plans to visit the Twin Cities Tuesday, not for a scheduled rally but rather a few last-minute stops at "retail locations."
The first stop was Mapps Coffee and Tea in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, which is near the University of Minnesota. Clinton's second and final appearance was a lunchtime stop a the city's popular Midtown Global Market.
Political analysts expect she will gain far more delegates than Sanders.
Despite a narrowing field on the Republican side as Jeb Bush and others dropped out of the race, the GOP contest was difficult to read, as most Republicans focused on other voting states. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio made a stop in Minneapolis last week and will host a rally in Andover Tuesday. That rally was slated to start at 12:30 p.m.
Rubio has been trying to halt the Trump's momentum, hammering him for days. Recently, Rubio attacked Trump for failing to immediately disavow former KKK leader David Duke, who announced his support for Trump.
Ted Cruz is banking on a win in his home state of Texas to keep his campaign alive.
RELATED: What To Know For The Minnesota Caucuses
A lot of Minnesotans are expected to attend caucuses Tuesday.
Top political leaders even believe the turnout could rival the record number of people who turned out in 2008, the last time there was an open seat for president.
More than 214,000 Democrats and almost 63,000 Republicans showed up at the caucuses that year. However, that's only about ten percent of total Minnesota voters. Still, it was a record turnout.
It's a messy process to decide the winner in Minnesota's caucus format. For Democrats, there are 77 delegates up for grabs, while the GOP will battle it out for 38. And both parties allocate delegates proportionally, meaning even losing candidates can pick up some delegates if they get enough support.
Party leaders have gotten extra ballots, more meeting rooms and more volunteers to help out Tuesday night.
Both parties will take a presidential straw poll right away at 7 p.m. There will be secret ballots for everyone. The voting has to be done by 8 p.m. Voters can leave after they are done, or stay to start picking convention delegates.
To attend a caucus meeting, voters must be eligible to vote in the November election. Voters must also live near where the caucus is being held.
To find where to go, visit the Minnesota caucus finder online.
Final tallies weren't expected until after caucuses wrap up late Tuesday night.
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