If party passion were the only criteria for success, the 13 Independence Party attendees gathered at the Crystal City Hall Feb. 2 clearly would have come out on top.

"I was a Republican for 20 years, and I'm fed up with everything I'm seeing from both parties," one man said, explaining why he attended.

Rick Chiero of Burnsville, a police officer in Buffalo, spoke to the group on behalf of candidate Joe Repya.

Chiero, who said he formerly was a Democrat and also a Republican at one time, said, "As I've gotten older, what I really like about the IP is that it puts country first, before party. The others put party first.

"It's time for the Independence Party, it really is. I think the IP party is the future."

The group spent some time discussing - before finally voting down -- a resolution that bylaws be modified so that IP candidates could accept PAC money that is local and not organized by a company or labor union.

Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, a member of the Independence Party, was elected in 1998 "because he carried a lot of name recognition and had friends around the country that helped him raise money," one man said.

"Looking at the last governor's race, [Independence Party candidate] Peter Hutchinson finished so far back it was pathetic," he said. "Without some PAC money, our candidates are doomed to never be elected."

But another attendee said one of the reasons he attended the IP caucus is because IP doesn't let outside money become an influence.

"That's what I like about the IP; that's what attracted me," he said.

Convener Bruce Anderson of Crystal said, "No PAC money is what sets this party apart. I'd like to maintain that. "I'm an Independence Party person because there's way too much money in politics."

On a ranked choice vote/instant run-off straw ballot for governor, attendees endorsed Tom Horner, following the trend at IP caucuses throughout the state. However, final results of the IP straw poll will not be tabulated until the online caucus concludes on Feb. 28.

Low turnout characterized the Senate District DFL caucuses meeting at Robbinsdale Middle School, according to Senate District 45 DFL Chair John LaPointe of Robbinsdale.

Nearly 300 people turned out, compared to 800 in 2006 and 3,600 in 2008, he said.

"It had been trending up every year since 2000," LaPointe said. "This year we anticipated we'd be back up to between 1,000 and 1,200. To have only 300 show up was quite surprising."

One reason for the low turnout maybe burnout, he said.

Following the party's struggle to decide between Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama as the party's presidential candidate in 2008 - and then a prolonged wait for resolution of the Minnesota Senate race between Norm Coleman and Al Franken - "it seems like everyone wanted to take a break," LaPointe said.

"People say they don't want to get rallied again right now," he said. "What I'm getting from a lot of the diehards is that everybody's getting worn out."

Despite the low turnout, LaPointe said, "It was kind of an enjoyable, light-hearted evening. You could visit with your friends and neighbors."

Those present weighed in on the gubernatorial straw ballot and bucked the statewide trend by supporting Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson-Kelliher over Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak (70-49), and casting 35 votes for Sen. John Marty. Another 54 voters were uncommitted. The remaining 77 votes were split among nine other candidates.

U.S. Congressman Keith Ellison also made an appearance.

On Jan. 20, the DFLers in Senate District 45 passed a resolution asking that Ellison vote in favor of the Senate's version of the health care bill, LaPointe said.

According to the Minnesota Secretary of State's website, 252 people turned out for the District 45 IR caucuses at Cooper High School in New Hope, compared to a turnout of 1,200 people in 2008.

"It was lower than we hoped for," said Senate District 45 IR Chair Candace Oathout of Crystal.

But a good mix of people who hadn't turned out for a caucus before showed up, she said, both younger and older residents.

"One precinct in New Hope usually has two people, and they filled the room," Oathout said.

One of the outcomes was that a lot of new faces volunteered to take on roles the party has struggled to fill, Oathout said.

"We had a lot of good communication," she said. "People weren't there because they were angry; they were there because they were interested and want to help."

Rep. Marty Seifert came out on top in the 2010 gubernatorial straw poll, just three votes ahead of Rep. Tom Emmer. Statewide, Seifert garnered 50 percent of the votes, trailed by Emmer at 39 percent.

Two Senate District 45 residents announced at the caucuses that they will challenge current legislators. Nick Petersen of New Hope announced that he will challenge Sen. Ann Rest in District 45, and Ron Stoffel of Crystal announced that he will be a candidate for the seat now held by Rep. Lyndon Carlson in District 45B.

The Green Party gathering at the Golden Valley Library, which normally draws six people, had 10 attendees this year, including four from Golden Valley, three from St. Louis Park, and one each from Robbinsdale, Plymouth and Crystal.

Twelve resolutions were adopted during the one-hour meeting, according to convener Jerry Wescott of Robbinsdale.

The Green Party caucus had two possible candidates on its unofficial straw poll: John Marty and Pete Roess. The group decided not to endorse anyone, Wescott said.

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