Paul Thissen: Innovation in Action

Karen’s Corner: 1 weekend, 430 miles

Another big weekend of County and Senate District Conventions – 33 in all! We figure that between Paul and I alone (not counting staff and volunteer travel), we drove about 430 miles to get to all the different locations!

It is fun to go back and forth between the crowded auditoriums of the bigger cities like St. Paul and Rochester and the smaller, more intimate rooms in places like Glenwood (Pope County) and Kasson (Dodge County). Each place has its own personality and with just 7 weeks until the State Convention, DFLers are really paying close attention and doing their homework on the race.

Paul had another great weekend, with support emerging in the Twin Cities, the suburbs and all over greater Minnesota as we keep the momentum going on the way to Duluth!

Karen’s Corner: The Convention Craze!

With over 30 County and Senate District Conventions in 48 hours, the weekend was exciting!   Paul’s parents, me and the kids, and Paul all headed in different directions to be sure Paul was represented in every location possible.  From Freeborn to Beltrami to the many Minneapolis Conventions, Paul had an incredible showing of support and it felt clear that his momentum keeps growing week after week.

We were moving so fast from place to place that it was hard to keep track of where we were, and at one point on Saturday, I had the great surprise of running into Paul in a Convention hallway when I wasn’t even expecting to cross paths with him all day!   Paul and I are feeling so thankful of how incredibly well organized Team Thissen has become, because they were able to make an otherwise crazy process seem to run like clockwork!

Karen’s Corner: Strong Showing in Greater MN

The entire Thissen clan had lots of fun traveling to conventions in Morrison, Crow Wing, Mille Lacs, Todd and Hubbard Counties this weekend, as well as stops in Hennepin, Dakota & Ramsey Counties.

We had lots of great support in each of the counties we visited, and were able to pick up many committed delegates to the April State Convention in Duluth.

The kids love saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the conventions, and of course always generously sample the snacks at each stop!  I am sincerely inspired by the many new friends we are making across the state and all the time that they are putting into this process.

Callers Unite!

We had a great meeting this weekend to rally volunteers and get everyone set to call the thousands of potential delegates to the April 24th DFL State Convention. Paul has been one of the top candidates at gaining delegates thus far, and the team is determined to keep that momentum going. The meeting was attended by all different kinds of volunteers coming together for Paul: first timers, Nurses Association members, Take Action members, party officers, friends, and neighbors!

Let the Conventions Begin!

From Karen:

On the first weekend of County Conventions, Paul and I crisscrossed Southern and Western Minnesota to meet the DFLers who will head to Duluth for the State Convention in April. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday and fun to drive through so many great Minnesota towns and prairies in one day.

Paul was thrilled to add Thissen delegates from Watonwan and Swift counties to the delegates who came on board from Clearwater, Red Lake and Lincoln Counties last week on caucus night. We’re happy to have Team Thissen continue to grow at a rapid clip.  But the best part by far is listening to the many Minnesotans willing to personally invest the time to make the change that Minnesota needs.