DFLers in Minnesota&8217;s 1st Congressional District will hold their endorsing convention on Saturday at the Southwest Middle School in Albert Lea. Registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the convention will be called to order at 10 a.m.

First-term Democratic Congressman Tim Walz, a public school teacher and retired veteran, is seeking endorsement to run for a second term. In the 2006 election, he unseated Rep. Gil Gutknecht, who had served six terms.

Walz was elected as the president of the freshman class of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives and serves on the Agriculture, Transportation and Veterans Affairs committees.

In addition to endorsement for Congress, delegates to the convention will be electing party officers and a presidential elector. Elected officials, legislative candidates and U.S. Senate candidates, Al Franken and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer will address the delegates as the party moves closer to endorsing a candidate to run against Sen. Norm Coleman at this year&8217;s state convention, to be held in Rochester in June.

First District Democrats will elect five delegates and one alternate to attend the Democratic National Convention. This year&8217;s convention will take place in Denver during the last week of August.