Beltrami County Republicans will hold their county convention 9 a.m. Saturday at Northern Elementary School.
Delegates were elected at precinct caucuses on Feb. 5 who are eligible to attend the county convention, where delegates will be elected to both the 7th District and 8th District GOP conventions and the state convention.
With Sen. John McCain of Arizona the apparent Republican presidential nominee, delegate selection Saturday shouldn't focus on the presidential race. In a straw poll at the precinct caucus, Beltrami Republicans favored former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee with 43 percent and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney second at 25 percent.
Both have since dropped out of the race.
McCain, who has Gov. Tim Pawlenty has his national campaign chairman, was third in the Beltrami County straw poll, with 17 percent.
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Aside from elected local party officers and board members, Beltrami County Republicans will also debate resolutions on platform issues to be forwarded to the state convention, and hear from potential candidates for office in 2008.
U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., is seeking re-election while Republicans are being sought to run against DFLers Rep. Collin Peterson in the 7th District and Jim Oberstar in the 8th District. So far, only Alan Roebke of Chaska has announced his bid for the 7th District GOP nomination.
Beltrami County Republicans will also be seeking opponents for 2B Rep. Brita Sailer, DFL-Park Rapids, and 4A Rep. Frank Moe, DFL-Bemidji, in the Minnesota House. The Rev. David Myers of Bemidji, who faced Moe in 2006, will try a rematch, as well as perennial candidate Adam Steele of Bemidji, who ran in 2006 as an Independence Party candidate.
