ST. PAUL, Minn. — About 2,200 Minnesotans will gather as delegates to this weekend's state Republican Convention, but former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman won't be one of them. His bid was rejected by supporters of Texas Congressman Ron Paul.
Although Paul is no longer actively campaigning for president, he's still pursuing delegates to the Republican National Convention in August. But first, his supporters have seized many delegate and alternate slots at the Minnesota convention, which starts Friday at the St. Cloud Civic Center, signaling that Paul remains a powerful force in the party.
All eight of the delegate slots in the St. Paul House district where Coleman lives went to a "Ron Paul slate." Coleman, who had sought one of the spots, was relegated to fourth-alternate status.
The gathering comes after a tough couple of months for the state party. Following two big losses in Senate and governor's races in 2008 and 2010, the party finances melted down in public, culminating in a near-eviction from its headquarters. A sex scandal in the state Senate derailed the careers of the Republican majority leader and a star party operative. And last week, the legislative session ended with GOP conservatives and moderates badly divided over the $1 billion Vikings stadium bill.
"We feel like, with this convention, we can put that behind ourselves and move forward hopefully as a somewhat united party," said Pat Anderson, the party's national committeewoman. Anderson faces a fight this weekend to reclaim that post, and in an email message to the party's Central Committee this week she talked up the need to "heal the current divisions" among Minnesota Republicans.
Amid that instability, the Paul supporters have gained serious influence. In Minnesota, as in other states, Paul supporters have swarmed local and district GOP gatherings, claiming hundreds of delegate and alternate positions in a not-so-secret plan to boost Paul's national convention insurgency against presumptive nominee Mitt Romney.
The rise of the Paul supporters has alarmed many longtime Republicans, who take issue with their libertarian bent on issues like drug legalization, national defense and others. Their success at pushing many party stalwarts and longtime supporters out of leadership positions has angered some in the establishment.
"We're the hosts and they're the parasites," said John Gilmore, a St. Paul attorney and convention alternate. He described Paul's beliefs as "radical, fringe," said he views the congressman's supporters as prone to conspiracy theories.
Paul's backers claimed not just convention delegate slots but also party leadership posts in numerous local organizing units, particularly in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Gilmore said some St. Paul-area Republicans have already started meeting separately from the 4th Congressional District's party apparatus, which they see as newly dominated by Paul backers.
Some Republicans worry that the Paul backers are more dedicated to the man and what he advocates than they are to the GOP. But prominent Republicans including former Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Anderson say the party should welcome the new energy of Paul supporters.
"I'd describe myself as a Republican. I joined the party, but I guess I wouldn't say I'm a Republican for life," said Josh Regnier, a convention delegate and Paul backer from St. Paul. "For now this is the best means of electing libertarian-leaning candidates."
Regnier was one of the eight delegates to win a slot over Coleman. He said most Paul backers see Coleman as insufficiently conservative and overly associated with former President George W. Bush's foreign policy goals. Coleman did not immediately return a call Thursday from The Associated Press.
At the state convention, the 2,200 delegates are scheduled to endorse a U.S. Senate candidate to challenge incumbent Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar; elect 13 additional delegates to the national convention to the 27 already selected; and approve a party platform.
The Paul forces intend to influence all of those decisions and may have the power to do it. Party activists estimate they'll have 35 to 50 percent of the total convention delegates.
Paul has endorsed Kurt Bills, a state representative and high school teacher, in the Senate campaign against Pete Hegseth and Dan Severson. Bills is seen as the frontrunner for the endorsement, and all three candidates have pledged to not run in the primary without it.
Besides trying to unseat Klobuchar, which even most Republicans acknowledge is an uphill battle, the Minnesota GOP will be on defense this year to protect 2010 gains. They'll try to hold House and Senate majorities and protect the congressional seat snatched from Democrats by freshman U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack.
Arguments for doing so will be laid out at the convention, and Paul's supporters say they don't want to disrupt the proceedings. That's what happened last weekend in Oklahoma, where clashes between Paul forces and the party establishment forced an abrupt adjournment.
In 2008, a smaller group of Paul backers left the state GOP convention after then-party chairman Ron Carey denied Paul a speaking slot even after he showed up at the hall in Rochester. Most of his supporters deserted the hall, to hear Paul speak outside in the rain.
This year, Paul landed a prime convention speaking spot on Friday night. And it's some of his critics who plan to march out.
Carey, who is a delegate to the convention, says he won't be in the hall for Paul's speech. He questions why another presidential candidate would be given the stage with Romney all but certain to be the GOP nominee.
"I think a lot of conservatives are going to have to make a choice," Carey said.