Super Tuesday is Republicans’ choice

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Super Tuesday is a chance for local Republicans to choose the best candidate to face off against President Barack Obama in the 2012 elections, officials said Wednesday.

“I think, in general, most people are very concerned about the direction the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is taking the country,” District 39 Chairman Charles Whitney said. “I think that the people this time are thinking maybe it will make a difference if they get involved.”

Voters will gather at almost 60 voting sites across the state during the caucus Tuesday.

All sites will be open from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. By the end of the night, one of the four candidates — Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Ron Paul or Newt Gingrich — will have a North Dakota win under their belt.

Voters need a photo ID to prove they will be 18 years old as of Nov. 6. They also must be able to prove they are a resident of the district they are voting in and have lived there for 30 days.

Voters must fill out an application stating they meet the requirements and plan or have voted for the Republican Party.

“Obviously we want Republicans only to participate in the caucus,” said Matt Becker, North Dakota Republican Party communications director.

Becker said more people are participating in activities leading up to the presidential election.

“This year has just been unprecedented,” he said. “To have this level of activity, attendance at these meetings, reorganization and conventions for the district level have been doubling, tripling, quadrupling. We’ve never seen anything like this before.”

The fact that three Republican candidates have come to North Dakota shows “that we have earned a spot on the national stage,” Becker said.

“I tried to page through some recent history to find a time when you had that many presidential candidates coming to North Dakota and I couldn’t find one year we had that many,” he said. “I think all four candidates are really fighting to get the win.”

District 36 Presidential Caucus Chairman Frank Klein said representatives from Romney, Santorum and Paul will speak at the Dickinson voting site, which is at the Ramada Grand Dakota Lodge. He expects a big turnout.

“People are just fed up with what has been going on in the last four years, and they want to make sure something different happens in November this time around,” he said.

Tags: super tuesday, mitt romney, newt gingrich, rick santorum, ron paul, news, republican, gop, nomination, caucus