There are two big endorsing conventions this weekend and both could last a while.

Republicans in the 6th District and DFLers in the 5th are set to meet on Saturday.

In the 6th, Michele Bachmann, Jay Esmay, Jim Knoblach and Phil Krinkie are competing for the endorsement. Incumbent Mark Kennedy is leaving to run for Senate. DFLers have their own endorsing contest to settle next week between Patty Wetterling and El Tinklenberg.

In the 5th at last count there were 11 candidates seeking the DFL nomination. Here's the latest list from the Associated Press:

-Gail Dorfman, Hennepin County commissioner, St. Louis Park.

-Keith Ellison, state representative, Minneapolis

-Mike Erlandson, chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo, former
DFL party chairman, Minneapolis.

-Anne Knapp, business executive, former state official,
Minneapolis.

-Jon Olson, Minneapolis Park Board member.

-Paul Ostrow, Minneapolis City Council member.

-Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer, peace activist and college professor,
Minneapolis.

-Ember Reichgott Junge, former state senator, New Hope.

-Jorge Saavedra, attorney, Minneapolis.

-Gary Schiff, Minneapolis City Council member.

-Erik Thompson, peace activist, Milan.

Rep. Martin Sabo is retiring. He endorsed Erlandson yesterday. Reichgott Junge, Olson and Ostrow say they'll run in the primary in September. Alan Fine is running for the seat as a Republican. Tammy Lee is an Independence Party candidate and Jay Pond is running as a Green.

We'll have reporters at both conventions, and you can hear their wrap ups on Sunday morning.

I'm in a hurry today, so not much time to look at the news.

MPR's Laura McCallum had a good one on the debate over the report from the Minnesota Taxpayers Association on the financial problems facing public pensions. Rick Kupchella at KARE did some reporting on pensions this week that had some of the commission members upset.

And the Star Tribune takes a look at campaign contributions from the Pohlad family.