Busy Day for Steele County’s DFL, GOP Caucuses

The political machine was moving on Tuesday as Steele County residents made their political preferences known at their party caucuses.

The DFL met at Owatonna Junior High and the Republicans met at Owatonna High School.

For the DFL, Bernie Sanders handily took the caucus with 409 votes. Hillary Clinton received 217 votes, and three voters remained uncommitted.

On the Republican side, it was a tighter contest. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio tied for first with 211 votes each. Donald Trump nabbed 181 votes, while Ben Carson received 69 and John Kasich got 35. There was one write-in vote.

Statewide, Minnesotans were feeling the Bern, according to the Secretary of State's website results. Sanders defeated Clinton with 63 percent of the DFL vote.

For the Republicans, it was a good night for Rubio, who took home 36 percent of the statewide GOP vote over Cruz (29 percent) and Trump (21 percent).

Nationally, Clinton and Trump lead their respective parties, according to a New York Times tally of primary and caucus results.