It happened in Minnesota first

Democrats are contemplating voting en masse for the weaker candidate, Rick Santorum, in Michigan’s “open” Republican primary election.

Minnesota Republicans did much the same thing to Hubert Humphrey in 1956 in the newly established Minnesota open Presidential primary. HHH was angling to become Aldali Stephenson’s VP and was heading up his Minnesota campaign. A victory for Humphrey’s Adali delegates would have given him a seat at the convention and made the popular Humphrey the odds on favorite to be the vice presidential nominee. Because no one expected Adali to beat the popular Eisenhower the then youthful Hubert felt a vice presidential nomination would make him the odds on favorite to be the Democratic nominatee for the open Presidential seat in 1960.

I’ve got a lovely insider story I’d like to include in my book about how the Republicans helped thwart Adali’s Minnesota campaign and embarrassed Humphrey in the bargain. It helped close up the 1960 window of opportunity for the ambitious Humphrey.

Mitt Romney no longer looks that formidable. A loss in his “home” state of Michigan on Tuesday would only add to his and the Republican Party’s woes.

Hubert Humphrey saw to it that the DFL killed Minnesota’s open presidential primary after 1956 and its never been held since.

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