Yesterday’s shocker at the Senate District 62 convention, during which DFLers endorsed political newcomer Patricia Torres Ray, sent some interesting signals to local politicos that will bear watching as this political season continues. The most obvious, of course, is the history-making statement delegates made by selecting Torres Ray, a Latina immigrant, over City Council Member Scott Benson, who was thought to be a clear favorite in this race. Benson, a second-term council member who had spent the past four years making connections with legislators as the chair of city’s Intergovernmental Relations Committee, is a relatively young and savvy DFL stalwart. But yesterday he was clearly identified with an old-guard party that seemed somewhat out of favor with the delegates. After the third ballot, which left him in third place behind Torres Ray and Matt Gladue, Benson persuaded incumbent Sen. Wes Skoglund to hit the floor on his behalf, a strategy that did little to enhance his standing.

Gladue, who appears to be a rising star in the party, also fell prey to a desire on the part of the convention to move beyond the old blue-color politics that traditionally rewarded labor-backed party loyalists who played by the rules and patiently waited their turn for these open seats.

A candidate’s platform had little influence on yesterday’s decision, either. In a one-party town, there is so little divergence of opinion on the issues to distinguish the candidates from one another that delegates seemed to be more interested in passion and personality than anything else. This is not to belittle the campaign that Torres Ray waged to get the endorsement. She and her volunteers clearly outworked the other candidates. But Torres Ray had the most compelling story to tell and told it more passionately and persuasively than anyone else.

It’s too early to say whether the endorsement in 62 augurs well for a particular candidate in the much-watched 5th Congressional District race, but in our conversations with local politicos it appears that certain themes are developing: There seems to be a very real sentiment against sending another white male to Washington. And anything resembling old-guard politics-as-usual may be less attractive to the party base. (Witness longtime Sabo aide and former state party chair Mike Erlandson who is working overtime trying to convince delegates that he’s more liberal than Marty was.) There’s also a sense that anyone the party sends to Washington has to have strong citywide credentials. Then, there’s the age question. Given the fact that a DFL endorsement for Sabo’s seat is tantamount to a lifetime political appointment, there are those in the party who are less likely to back a 50-something candidate.

All this may bode well for state Rep. Keith Ellison—a young black legislator with solid urban cred. But, given the role women played in the Torres Ray victory, we wouldn’t count out either Hennepin County Commissioner Gail Dorfman or former state legislator Ember Reichgott Junge. Nor are we dismissing the only Latino in the race, attorney Jorge Saavedra, who had a very visible presence at the District 62 convention. We’re also told that City Council Member Gary Schiff, a tireless campaigner who is strong on the stump, will have something to say about this race. Erlandson, of course, is a viable contender, but he’s looking less like a frontrunner all the time.

The Benson loss may have disappointed the candidate, but it wasn’t such a bad deal for the city, said Mayor R.T. Rybak. “It’s a mixed blessing,” he said. “He would’ve been effective at the Capitol, but he's unbelievably effective at City Hall, where he’s started some tremendous things that he’ll now be able to finish. I’m happy I can keep working with Scott Benson.”

For his part, Benson was fairly upbeat. “At least I know I would’ve won my ward on the first ballot,” he said later. His political base in the 11th Ward, however, may have been a part of his problem at the convention. As one veteran pol told us yesterday, Ward 11 is not an influential part of District 62, so he probably shouldn’t have been considered as viable a candidate as he was when he entered the race. Funny how geography affects this stuff.

Speaking of electoral consequences, the Benson loss means at least a couple of his prospective successors can put away their campaign hopes for a few years. Jason Stone and Juan Linares had expressed some interest in the seat. Linares, in fact, had already printed campaign literature.

One of the best lines delivered at yesterday’s convention came from state Sen. Becky Lourey, whose gubernatorial campaign reportedly got quite a boost from district conventions in the Duluth area. Lourey, a clear crowd favorite among District 62 DFLers, said, “I’m old enough to be Tim Pawlenty’s mother and I think he needs a really long time out.”