Hartman: North Dakota Matters

This week's commentary by 60 Minutes II Columnist Steve Hartman.

Over the past four days, I have criss-crossed this state, and suffered temperatures so cold that even Janet Jackson wouldn't risk the exposure.

I came here to cover the primary race from my car whenever possible. Believe it or not, I actually volunteered for this assignment.

And here's why: North Dakota has always been the kick-me state. Even the capitol is an unimpressive duckling.

Their Hall of Fame is a punch line waiting to happen. And because it has been the brunt of so many jokes, it's great to see that this year, the first time ever in a primary election, North Dakota matters. It really matters.

Because North Dakota only has one-third of one percent of all delegates, most candidates used to just blow this one off. Or if they did stop by, it was so briefly you never knew if they were campaigning or refueling.

So here's what this sneaky little state did this year. Because primaries are as much about momentum as anything, they moved their caucus up a month.

And, boy, are people fired up -- wherever you go.

This year, North Dakotans got to meet five candidates, including John Kerry, who just gave you the basic insert-your-state-name-here speech: "Thank you, North Dakota."

That was enough. Kerry went on to clean house here, taking 51 percent of the vote. Of course, it's still a tiny push that probably won't make that much of a difference in the end. But North Dakotans say, for now, they're just content to enjoy this moment in the sun -- figuratively, I assume.