Capitol View for March 6

Good morning. Move over Super Tuesday, it’s Sleepy Wednesday for some of us.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump both won Minnesota and both have some base repair work ahead of them. The two were favorites coming in and are on the verge of clinching their respective nominations. In Minnesota, about three in 10 voters in each party primary didn’t back the frontrunners. For the non-Trump faction, Nikki Haley scooped up almost all of the remaining vote and some of those might not find their way back to Trump. For Biden, it was “uncommitted” that gained a notable share — around 20 percent — and hometown Rep. Dean Phillips a distant third. The uncommitted vote could be earned back if Biden shifts his stance on the war taking a toll on Gaza. But Biden risks alienating other voters if he shifts too far away from longtime U.S. ally Israel. Clay Masters has our primary recap.

Haley is likely to gain delegates to the Republican National Convention from Minnesota based on her showing last night. The GOP will send 39 total delegates to Milwaukee in July. Haley beat Trump in the 5th Congressional District and also ran strong in the suburban-heavy 2nd and 3rd districts. But it’s unclear how much longer Haley will remain in the race. Reporting from the Associated Press Wednesday morning signals she will likely suspend her campaign . The former South Carolina governor didn’t give public remarks after losing all but Vermont on Super Tuesday. Her campaign issued a written statement that said GOP unity “is not achieved simply by claiming, ‘we’re united.’” More to come there, we suspect.

Uncommitted is entitled to some spots in the Minnesota Democratic National Convention delegation based on its statewide showing and in the 4th and 5th Congressional districts. The Minnesota DFL will send 92 delegates to Chicago, most of whom will be pledged to Biden. But the presence of some uncommitted delegates will give those voters a voice on the convention floor along with those from other states. Gov. Tim Walz went on CNN late last night and said the discussion within the Democratic Party is healthy and those voters will be taken seriously. “These are voters that are deeply concerned — as we all are. The situation in Gaza is intolerable. And I think trying to find a solution, a lasting two-state solution, certainly the president's move towards humanitarian aid and asking us to get to a ceasefire, that's what they're asking to be heard. And that's what they should be doing.”

No delegates are going to Dean Phillips, who says he’s evaluating his next steps after finishing far behind Biden everywhere, including Minnesota. The 3rd District congressman has already said he’s giving up that seat so he doesn’t have to worry about immediate, personal political repercussions. DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said this during MPR’s Super Tuesday live coverage last night: “If you can’t win your own congressional district, I don’t know how you can make the case to voters across the country that you’re not only ready to be president, but that you can win this nomination. Tonight was the end of Dean Phillips’ campaign whether or not he wants to believe that.” Phillips texted MPR’s Mark Zdechlik with this assessment: “While Democratic Party loyalists are clearly, consistently, and overwhelmingly registering their preference for Joe Biden, it doesn’t alter the reality which compelled me to enter the race in the first place; Donald Trump is increasingly likely to defeat him in November.”

Super Tuesday was the first statewide election this year — with two more on tap. A lot of focus remains on how votes get counted given how the 2020 outcome devolved into falsehoods over the presidential race winner. MPR’s Kirsti Marohn and Catharine Richert examine the push in one small city to count absentee ballots by hand and why that isn’t as easy of a change as you might think. Election officials, led by Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon, say hand-counting wouldn’t necessarily be more accurate given human error.

Republicans rallied at the Capitol yesterday in an effort to put the new Minnesota flag to a vote. Dana Ferguson reports that about two dozen people met on the Capitol steps to call for keeping the current state flag. A trio of GOP lawmakers said the commission’s process didn’t take in enough feedback from the public. They believe Minnesotans should have a chance to put the designs to an up or down vote before they replace the current state flag and seal. They also proposed pushing the date the new emblems would be adopted until after two-thirds majority of each chamber of the Legislature could approve them. The new state flag and seal designs will take effect on May 11, barring legislative intervention.

And in other flag news, a proposal that would bar schools and local governments from removing pride flags is set for a full floor vote. Dana has the flag scoop again , reporting that Minnesota schools, colleges and local governments would be barred from removing rainbow pride flags, banners or posters. “The bill does not require anyone to display rainbows, nor does it supersede policies that prohibit the display of all banners, flags, or posters,” said bill author Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul. “It just prohibits rainbows from being singled out and banned.” GOP lawmakers said the bill was an overstep.