They were small in number, but strong in their views Tuesday night that the Independence Party will grow as the political divide widens.
Eight people turned out for the southeastern Minnesota caucus of the Independence Party.
"They're all 'rookies' tonight here, and that's one of the challenges the Independence Party faces," said Mark Meyer, chairman of the 1st Congressional District for the IP. "We'll get more people like you, and we'll keep building."
Tuesday's caucuses included two non-binding straw polls on issues.
The constitutional amendment on defining marriage as between one man and one woman in Minnesota was voted down by caucus-goers, but a question about partial public financing of a Minnesota Vikings stadium drew a mix of votes and non-votes.
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Most of those in attendance, eight men from the Rochester area, were willing to discuss the pros and cons of the issues.
There are no Independence Party candidates for office to endorse at this stage of the process, Meyer said, but there are likely to be some who come forward. He was a legislative candidate in the past from Lake Crystal, he said.
"It's time to change the landscape of politics in Minnesota and stop this two-party bickering," Meyer said.
