Last night, unbeknownst to those outside the inner MNGOP circles, the Party’ State Executive Committee held its third and final meeting to discuss MNGOP Chair David Hann’s unilateral decision to remove hundreds of duly elected Otter Tail County (OTC) delegates. And despite hundreds of Republicans across the state and nearly a dozen legislators calling for the reinstatement of the 2024 Otter Tail County delegates, members of the committee followed the direction of David Hann to silence the voice of the grassroots.
Background
On Tuesday, March 12th, an emergency State Executive Committee was called to discuss David Hann’s unilateral decision to quash the voice of conservative delegates in Otter Tail County. That meeting went deep into the night, with an adjournment at almost 2 am the next day. The State Executive Committee voted to suspend David Hann’s unilateral decision and create a special task force to investigate how to recognize the Otter Tail County delegates.
But Hann wasn’t fine being overruled and went to work to undermine their vote. He assembled a task force of people on his side and refused to allow the State Executive Committee to know who was on it. At the last minute, he “graciously” allowed two of the disenfranchised grassroots delegates in Otter Tail County to join, but they were greatly outnumbered.
No surprise, that secret task force did not recommend to reinstate the 2024 delegates and have an Otter Tail County Convention to elect delegates to the April 27th Congressional District 7 endorsing convention.
Elephant in the Room
Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach is facing a legitimate endorsement challenge from newcomer and small business owner, Steve Boyd. By our estimation, the race appears to be neck and neck. If new delegates are elected in Otter Tail County, there’s a great likelihood that Boyd could defeat a sitting congressman with the 60% needed to win the Party’s endorsement. Perhaps this is the reason Hann and company were wiling to go to great lengths to disenfranchise hundreds of delegates in Otter Tail County!
At the private State Executive Committee meeting last night, the member representing CD7, former Rep Tim Miller, made the motion to not have an Otter Tail County convention, turning his back on the grassroots of the district he represents. Miller, just 48 hours prior to making this motion, stated he was going to invoke Article 8, Section 2 of the MNGOP Constitution and call for an Otter Tail County convention.
Hann quickly seconded Miller’s motion and the State Exec Committee discussed the matter for over an hour. Members on Hann’s secret task force who were present for the meeting lied to the Committee when stating that there was a unanimous consensus from the task force not to hold a convention. The two members from the OTC disenfranchised faction did not consent. But it didn’t seem to matter – the cake was baked.
The motion by Miller and seconded by Hann essentially killed the ability for OTC delegates to be reinstated AND allows for the OTC delegates from 2022 to continue as delegates to the CD7 Convention – the majority of which are likely supporters of Michelle Fischbach. This move also keeps the OTC Republican Party in the hands of the same cronies who originally created this mess.
What a massive let down by the “leadership” at the highest ranks in the MNGOP. This is from a Party that has not won a statewide race in 18 years! Who are they to be kicking hundreds of people out???
From our source, there were a handful of members who voted against Miller and Hann’s motion to disenfranchise the OTC grassroots, and they should be commended for it: Joe Ditto, Wendy Phillips, Mark Bishofsky, Jenna Dicks and Alec Beck.
