Across our state, a handful of local Republican Party units have tilted the scale, rigged endorsements, and purged true conservatives from the party. This has all been done in an effort to prop up Establishment candidates and party officers, while grassroots, conservative activists have been left to the wayside.

Last weekend, in Otter Tail County, the local GOP leadership BANNED 33 duly elected conservatives delegates from attending their GOP Convention because they were calling out corruption and allegedly supported Nathan Miller’s Senate campaign against the Establishment picked, Jordan Rasmusson last fall. This was their first public meeting since March of last year because the Executive Board of the Otter Tail County GOP only meets behind closed doors.

Shockingly, a small, rural county GOP that never meets publicly has attracted large donors, PACs and Twin Cities lobbyists. The Party's Campaign Finance Board report shows that they raised a whopping $42,175 last year, an amount that far exceeds what other rural county GOP units raise.  90% of those funds came from large donors, PACs and Twin Cities lobbyists which were likely bundled by what's described as the "kingmaker" for the Otter Tail County Republican Establishment, Tommy Merickel. Otter Tail County Republican's treasurer is Laura Merickel.

Here are portions of the Campaign Finance Report:

Here's a look at some of the lobbyists and PACs who gave to this small, rural County GOP (Person with "Registered ID" means a lobbyist):

SEE FULL CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORT

Tommy Merickel, a backer of RINO Jordan Rasmusson, is not only the supposed kingmaker of the area, he's also the mover and shaker behind the anti-conservative organization, the Jobs Coalition. Former Rep Erik Mortensen exposed this in a recent video.

The Jobs Coalition is the loophole the St. Paul Swamp Republicans use to get corporate funding into elections to defeat conservative candidates in the primary. The Jobs Coalition and Lobbyist Legislator Kurt Daudt spent over $158,000 against conservatives Rep Erik Mortensen, Mark Bishofsky, and Mike Weiner. Luckily, they lost in all those races.

According to local sources, the people that serve as leaders of the Otter Tail GOP are a mix of Rasmusson and Merickel’s circle (including Rasmussen’s wife as Secretary and Jordan’s best friend as Deputy Chair).

WHERE THIS ALL STARTED

On February 1st 2022, individuals attended their local caucus and had the opportunity to run to become delegates so they could participate and vote in Endorsing Conventions, amongst other things. People can also be voted in absentia if they cannot attend the caucus. Dozens of new grassroots conservatives got involved for the first time in the political process hoping to change politics at the Capitol and in Otter Tail County. 

However, they were instantly met with resistance and their activation was seen as a threat to the order. We're told that the Rasmusson/Merickel crew added 26 delegate names to the delegate and alternate rolls between the caucus on Feb. 1st and Feb. 25th when delegate lists were sent to campaigns, none of which were caucus attendees or delegates voted in absentia. At the March 19th Otter Tail BPOU Convention, the issue was raised over 26 names added to the delegate and alternate rolls. With further research, this number jumped up to 32 by the Endorsing Convention on April 23rd. Just like we exposed in Morrison County, Otter Tail County GOP was caught adding delegates and alternates after the caucus which violates both the MNGOP and Otter Tail Republican’s Constitutions!

The rules read that delegates must be elected "at their defined precinct caucus."

The MNGOP Constitution also spells this out:

Only individuals who attended the caucus, ran for delegate, and won the votes of their precinct are duly elected.

This is fraud very similar to election fraud and proof that the GOP will rig Endorsements for RINOs. Candidate Nathan Miller argued for the original caucus lists to be released so they can be compared with the attendance of the Endorsing Convention. That request was denied, but the number of delegates to the endorsing convention was eventually made available. Caucus conveners from 2 of the 5 caucus locations took pictures of the delegate rolls for the District and were able to compare them to the numbers sent to the MNGOP and found that 13 delegates, and 19 alternates were added in just a dozen of the 92 total county precincts. This was discovered only seeing 30 of the 92 precincts. Andy Bradrick put together a sheet of this discrepancy:

Miller than requested an audit of the caucuses and Convention of Otter Tail County. The Establishment refused to comply with any transparency measures.

Certain GOP officials knew it was all rigged and did nothing to stop it! GOP State Executive Officer for the 7th Congressional District Bill Nichol made damning statements to conservative activist Carol Hexum in a leaked phone call acknowledging the fraud but dismissing it because “for right now, winning is more important than having a perfect election.” Nichol is heard in the audio saying that “all indications don’t support Jordan [Rasmussen] being an honest and upright person.” 

The GOP covered up election fraud because they did not want accountability for the sham convention they held. Following the convention, Rasmusson went on to beat Miller by an extremely narrow margin in the primary, most likely because he “won” the GOP Endorsement.

LAST SATURDAY'S CONVENTION

Otter Tail County held its non-election year convention last Saturday to determine new Party leadership. But they disenfranchised the voice of 33 delegates who were duly elected by caucus attendees last year. So much for upholding democratic values!

Delegates and alternates were removed because the BPOU accused them of supporting a "third party candidate" over the "Republican nominee" in the general election (Nathan Miller's write in campaign). However, Nathan Miller did not belong to a third party and is a duly elected GOP delegate. Delegates who supported Miller's general election campaign is what the BPOU used as to justify them getting banned.

The MNGOP MUST act on this matter. If the local party unit is working against the mission of the Party and the grassroots, it is no longer legitimate. Because they wouldn’t allow 33 individuals to vote on leadership races, a new convention must be called and delegate credentials restored.

Another reason the convention was a sham was that delegates were not notified of the meeting in proper time. According to the Otter Tail County Republican Constitution, all delegates must be given their convention call 10 days in advance to the convention. Some delegates did not receive a convention call at all! See an example below of delegates being notified that they will not be credentialed:

Delegates were also only given 8 days advance, which would make the whole convention a phony scam. See Article 9, Section 1 of their Constitution below:

There is corruption at all levels of government and political parties in our nation and state. The MNGOP has proven time and time again that they favor politics over patriots. They will cover up and commit fraud against regular Americans fighting for freedom. The Democrats will screw us to our face and RINOs do it behind our backs.

Local GOP Conventions are happening throughout Minnesota this year in the months of February and March. These meetings decide your local leadership, bylaws, and elect State Central Committee delegates. To learn more about the process and see if you are eligible to participate, check out our video that explains everything!

Action 4 Liberty is the leading organization in Minnesota for freedom, election integrity, and calling out corruption. Both Democrats and Republicans need to be held accountable and it is up to common Patriots like us to do it. GET INVOLVED! If we don’t have integrity in our elections and endorsements, we have nothing!

[PAID ADVERTISEMENT]