MPR political reporter Tom Scheck on the GOP state convention

The Republican State Convention begins Thursday at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

The main item on the agenda comes Friday when delegates endorse a candidate for governor.

Their are several candidates who want the endorsement, but the race appears to be between just two -- state Reps. Tom Emmer and Marty Seifert.

MPR News will have special, live coverage beginning tonight at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday morning at 9 a.m. Today, Emmer picked up a key endorsement when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced she was backing Emmer in the race.

MPR News political reporter Tom Scheck joined Tom Crann from the convention center.

CRANN: Tom, How will Palin's endorsement play with delegates?

SCHECK: It depends on who you talk with. Emmer's campaign said Palin's support is a signal that his campaign is making an impact with grassroots activists.

Marty Seifert's campaign said the endorsement came at the 11th hour and won't have an impact with the 2,000 delegates who will decide the endorsement.

Minnesota Republican Party Chair Tony Sutton said delegates typically don't like national endorsements because they view it as a Minnesota decision. Two delegates, one supporting Emmer and one supporting Seifert, both said Palin's endorsement won't matter to them or to the other delegates.

CRANN: Those two candidates are fairly similar on the issues, right? What kind of things are they talking about?

SCHECK: Right, both want to cut government spending, especially social service programs like welfare and subsidized health insurance. They also say Minnesota's tax climate is unfavorable to business. They want to cut the corporate tax rate and other taxes to jump start business.

CRANN: So if the issues aren't separating the two, what is?

SCHECK:Both are stressing leadership and style. For example, Marty Seifert said he raised more money than Emmer is better suited to win the general election. He has also been stressing his time as minority leader of the Minnesota House and the fact that he has policy positions laid out on everything from the state budget to health care to immigration.

Tom Emmer is focusing more on generalities. He said he wants to return to something known as constitutional government -- focus on public safety, infrastructure and education. He also says state government shouldn't be providing charity. Emmer has been working hard to portray himself as the outsider in the race.

Seifert contends that Emmer has the same amount of government experience when you factor in Emmer's time on the Independence and Delano city councils.

CRANN: How long might it go tomorrow?

SCHECK: That's a hard question to answer. Typically two-person races break one way or another after a few ballots.

But I still remember standing on the convention floor in 2002 as Tim Pawlenty duked it out with Brian Sullivan for 13 ballots. Both camps say they're preparing for a long day.

CRANN: And unlike the Democrats, no primary expected on the GOP side, right?

SCHECK: There will be a primary but it isn't expected to be contentious since Seifert and Emmer are the top two candidates. Two other minor candidates, Leslie Davis and Bob Carney, say they'll run in the primary. Neither has solid support within the Republican Party.