Politics & Government
Super Tuesday Live Minnesota 2016 Caucus Results: Rubio, Sanders Win (UPDATED)
Sites saw high turnouts as GOP candidate Marco Rubio held off Ted Cruz, and Democratic contender Bernie Sanders beat Hillary Clinton.
Results from Republican Caucus in Minnesota | InsideGov
UPDATED (10:37 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Republican candidate Marco Rubio and Democratic contender were the projected winners for their parties in Minnesota’s Super Tuesday caucus, according to reports.
With about 37 percent of the vote, Rubio, a U.S. Senator from Florida, held off Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who came in second. Republican contender Donald Trump, who spent the evening racking up Super Tuesday victories, came in third. As of Tuesday night, Minnesota was the only state Rubio won Tuesday. (Alaska polls were still open at the time of publication.)
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Main Developments:
- Super Tuesday 2016 Full Results, Winners
- Florida Sen. Marco Rubio held off Texas Sen. Ted Cruz to win Minnesota’s Republican caucus. Donald Trump came in third.
- Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders beat opponent Hillary Clinton to win Minnesota’s Democratic caucus.
- Caucus locations around the state reported high turnouts, which created long lines, traffic snarls, packed parking lots and other problems.
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Sanders beat Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton with about 59 percent of the vote. Minnesota, however, was only one of three states Clinton didn’t win Tuesday. (Again, Alaska polls were still open at the time of publication.)
The victories mean Rubio claims the state’s 38 GOP delegates, and Sanders captures 77 delegates (plus 16 superdelegates) for the Democrats.
Minnesota saw huge turnouts throughout the state, which caused some precincts to run out of ballots, according to reports. There also were reports of traffic snarls and packed parking lots at caucus locations deterring voters. Although residents could cast a ballot as long as they were in line by 8 p.m., the time precincts closed, some voters said they were turned away.
The state’s difficulty handling such a large turnout had some critics urging Minnesota to eventually consider a primary system in the future. In fact, State Rep. Pat Garofalo told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Minnesota lacks the facilities and infrastructure to officially hold a caucus and should go the traditional primary route.
In the GOP caucus, Minnesotans clearly turned their noses up at Trump's off-putting insults and positions that could, in Gopher State terms, be described as just not very nice. The same could be said for Cruz, for that matter. Rubio made several appearances here ahead of the caucus.
Rubio’s good showing in Minnesota could be attributed to his presence in the state Tuesday. The candidate held an afternoon rally Tuesday in Andover as part of an effort to capture Minnesota’s delegates and take the wind out of Trump’s campaign sails. Trump’s presence in the state has been low with campaign organizers only recently stumping hard, the Star Tribune reports. After the rally, Rubio flew back to Miami to await Super Tuesday results, according to The Associated Press.
“Donald Trump will be an embarrassment to America, will be an embarrassment to anyone supporting him,” Rubio said at Tuesday’s rally, according to CBSMiami.com. “What he will do to our foreign policy will embarrass everyone in this room. Anyone is supporting him now. This can’t happen, and if any state knows that, it’s Minnesota.”
Minnesota was seen as a state Rubio could win, and he was endorsed by former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, former U.S. Sens. Norm Coleman and Rudy Boschwitz, and U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen.
Visiting the state wasn’t as successful a tactic for Clinton, however. She made her own push for Minnesota voters Tuesday, visiting the state for the fourth time and hitting a few locations throughout the state.
On Monday, Sanders held a rally at the Minneapolis Convention Center that attracted more than 2,000 people. This week’s push followed two state appearances last week; one on Friday in Hibbing, and one Saturday in Rochester.
And what does one of Minnesota’s most famous—and the state’s most flamboyant—politician think of the candidates in this year’s presidential race that are bringing attention to his home on Super Tuesday?
“I’m fine with Donald [Trump],” former Gov. Jesse Ventura told the Star Tribune, adding that politically he’s aligned more with Sanders. “I’m not a Democrat or a Republican, and I would endorse [Trump] on the Republican side. … These are the two candidates [Trump and Sanders] that are not owned by special interests.”
UPDATED (10:25 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio is the projected winner in Minnesota’s Super Tuesday caucus, according to reports.
With about 37 percent of the vote, Rubio, a U.S. Senator from Florida, held off Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who came in second. Republican contender Donald Trump, who spent the evening racking up Super Tuesday victories, came in third. As of Tuesday night, Minnesota was the only state Rubio won Tuesday. (Alaska polls were still open at the time of publication.)
The victory means Rubio claims the state’s 38 GOP delegates.
Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders continues to lead contender Hillary Clinton, but that race is still too close too call.
UPDATED (9:24 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Republican hopeful Marco Rubio and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders are in the early lead of Minnesota's Super Tuesday caucus with less than half of the state's precincts reporting, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Rubio, a U.S. Senator from Florida, has a slight lead over Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, the Star Tribune reports. GOP candidate Donald Trump is a distant third.
Sanders also continues to stay ahead of contender Hillary Clinton.
UPDATED (9:11 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Democratic candidate Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders extends his lead in the Minnesota's Super Tuesday caucus over contender Hillary Clinton with about 8 percent of precincts reporting, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Sanders has 4,150 votes to Clinton's 2,640, according to the Star Tribune. The winner of this caucus would earn 77 delegates (plus 16 superdelegates). Sanders is already the projected winner in Vermont and Oklahoma. Clinton has wins in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Texas and Virginia.
UPDATED (8:51 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): With less than 5 percent of the Minnesota caucus precincts reporting, Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is ahead by six points, with candidates Marco Rubio and Donald Trump in a tie for second, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has a slight lead over Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton with less than 3 percent of state sites reporting, according to the Star Tribune.
UPDATED (8:27 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Minnesota saw huge turnouts throughout the state, which caused some precincts to run out of ballots, according to reports. There also were reports of traffic snarls and packed parking lots at caucus locations deterring voters. Although residents could cast a ballot as long as they were in line by 8 p.m., the time precincts closed, some voters said they were turned away.
The state’s difficulty handling such a large turnout had some critics urging Minnesota to eventually consider a primary system in the future.
UPDATED (8:11 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): The caucuses in Minnesota and Colorado are too close call for either party at this point, according to reports.
And let it never be said that Minnesotans aren’t willing to go to any extreme to make sure voters can exercise their Constitutional rights, as this tweet demonstrates:
UPDATED (8:03 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Some voting precincts have had to come up with creative alternatives after running out of ballots. This voter posted an example on Twitter:
Although voting ends at 8 p.m., anyone in line at a precinct by that time will be allowed to cast a ballot.
UPDATED (7:50 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): News outlets and Minnesotans on social media continue to report huge crowds, long lines and packed parking lots at caucus locations around the state. If voters are still in line at 8 p.m., they will be allowed to vote.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that three to four precincts out of 4,000 have run out of ballots, which means the state probably won’t see a record turnout. The Secretary of State’s website also is down, which means voters can’t go online to find out where their precinct is, the Star Tribune reports.
Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is the projected winner in Arkansas, the state where she was First Lady when her husband, Bill Clinton, was governor.
UPDATED (7:33 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Wake the Vote 2016 posted an interesting fact about the Minnesota caucus as reported by The New York Times: The past two Republican presidential candidates to win the state did not receive the party nomination.
UPDATED (7:17 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting a high caucus turnout around the Twin Cities area. In fact, traffic is tied up at at Edina’s Valley View Middle School Democratic caucus location. This turnout shouldn’t delay tallying results, however, according to the Star Tribune.
Republican candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton have been declared the winners in Alabama and Tennessee. Trump also is the projected winner in Massachusetts.
Check out Patch for election results from all the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses.
UPDATED (7:02 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Voting at Minnesota caucus locations has begun and will run until 8 p.m. While many voters used social media to rally support for their candidates, some residents decried the state’s caucus system and suggested it should switch to a primary election.
UPDATED (6:40 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was named the winner in Georgia, while Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton is the projected winner in Georgia and Virginia, and her opponent, Bernie Sanders, took his home state of Vermont.
Check out Patch for election results from all the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses.
UPDATED (3:47 p.m. Tuesday, March 1): Reports on Hillary Clinton campaign and polling for both parties’ races.
ORIGINAL STORY
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Main Developments:
- Candidates such as Bernie Sanders and Marco Rubio rally Minnesota campaign supporters on Super Tuesday.
- Rubio and Hillary Clinton make stops Tuesday in Minnesota.
- Former Gov. Jesse Ventura likes Sanders and Trump.
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Because polling has been sparse in Minnesota, which is one of the 13 states (as well as American Samoa) holding a presidential caucus or primary election Tuesday, pundits are unsure which Democratic and Republican have the strongest foothold in the Gopher State, according to WCCO-TV. That’s why it’s been crucial for presidential hopefuls, such as Democrat contender Bernie Sanders and Republican candidate Marco Rubio, to try to capture the state and take a bite out the lead of their parties’ respective front runners, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
“We think we have a real chance of winning here,” Sanders told the Star Tribune. But Sanders said a loss in Minnesota wouldn’t cripple his chances to be the Democratic nominee.
On Monday, Sanders held a rally at the Minneapolis Convention Center that attracted more than 2,000 people. This week’s push followed two state appearances last week; one on Friday in Hibbing, and one Saturday in Rochester.
Rubio held an afternoon rally Tuesday in Andover as part of an effort to capture Minnesota’s delegates and take the wind out of Trump’s campaign sails. Trump’s presence in the state has been low with campaign organizers only recently stumping hard, the Star Tribune reports. After the rally, Rubio was scheduled to fly back to Miami to await Super Tuesday results, according to The Associated Press.
“Donald Trump will be an embarrassment to America, will be an embarrassment to anyone supporting him,” Rubio said at Tuesday’s rally, according to CBSMiami.com. “What he will do to our foreign policy will embarrass everyone in this room. Anyone is supporting him now. This can’t happen, and if any state knows that, it’s Minnesota.”
Clinton also is making her own push for Minnesota voters on Tuesday, visiting the state for the fourth time and hitting a few locations throughout the state. Check out this Reuters video of one stop at a cafe in Minneapolis.
Going into Super Tuesday, polls showed Clinton and Sanders deadlocked in Minnesota, Politco reports. On the GOP side, polling by the site has Trump in a three-way tie with Rubio and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz from Texas.
And what does one of Minnesota’s most famous—and the state’s most flamboyant—politician think of the candidates in this year’s presidential race that are bringing attention to his home on Super Tuesday?
“I’m fine with Donald [Trump],” former Gov. Jesse Ventura told the Star Tribune, adding that politically he’s aligned more with Sanders. “I’m not a Democrat or a Republican, and I would endorse [Trump] on the Republican side. … These are the two candidates [Trump and Sanders] that are not owned by special interests.”
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