Thoughts on 2012 Caucus Night in Fridley

Being a "political junkie" I make sure that I am at my local BPOU (Basic Political Operating Unit) for caucus night. As an American, I believe it is not only our right, but our duty to pay attention to what is happening in politics. Politics shape our lives from choosing the President down to every appointed postion at a local city level.  

Since Minnesota has a caucus form of politics it truly brings the politics down to the local level. It is a chance to actually meet your neighbors and discuss their desires for elected officials.  

Last night, we had young voters that were at their very first caucus to voters who had participated in over 15. Some of those voters were very passionate and vocal about their candidate. In our small precinct, we couldn't find a single supporter for Newt Gingrich and only one person was wiling to cast a vote for Mitt Romney. There was a tie vote for Ron Paul and Rick Santorum.

In the end Rick Santorum was the winner at our BPOU and Ron Paul ended up in second. After the night was over, Rick Santorum ended up winning Minnesota with a decisive win getting about twice as many votes as Ron Paul.  Minnesota voters ended up choosing the more conservative candidates leaving Romney and Gingrich far behind.

How would this race to the White House have been different if Rick Santorum been shown to be the real winner in Iowa the night of their caucus rather than a week later?  I feel it would have been a much different race. With an inconclusive win in Iowa and incorrect call of winner on the night of the Iowas caucus, it caused a momentum for Mitt Romney. Now that Rick Santorum has come up with three decisive wins in one night, the leader could change especially in some of those more conservative states.  

Even though Ron Paul hasn't shown a single win in any state he does have a motivated and 'loud' following along with a large war chest. Those three items make Ron Paul a candidate to watch. He still does appeal to a wide variety of people, from the young voters, which was evident by him choosing to make one of his campaign stops Bethel University in Minnesota, but he also has a dedicated following from his 2008 campaign. He cannot be discounted at this point.

Super Tuesday is coming. This year it is March 6 and will include contests in 10 states. Like many others, I will be watching to see how the rest of the nation votes on that night. Who wins March 6 could decide who's name will show up on the final ballot.