Divination and prayer at the Clay County Republican Party caucus

None of the 70 people who attended the Clay County Republican Party caucus likely expected to be on the receiving end of the curse.

Attendees, seated around the Dilworth Elementary School cafeteria, listened as a volunteer read the results of an informal poll of gubernatorial candidates.

The spokesman announced that Kendall Qualls led by 30 votes, while Mike Lindell trailed by 23 votes.

As soon as Lindell’s vote count was read, a giggle began to emerge from the other side of the room. The message came from an unknown person wearing a green cloak with a cross hanging from a chain around his neck and carrying a red staff.

“Mike Lindell, 23 years old, ha-ha!” shouted the bearded person.

Two men walked towards the person who led them out of the room. But then, as they were walking a few feet out the door, the person turned to face the crowd and began screaming, accusing the group of killing Renee McLean Goode and Alex Pretty with their Republican vote. McLean Good and Pretty were killed by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis last month.

“I’m a witch,” the person shouted. “I’m a hex to all of you!”

The crowd moved after hearing the words. When the person finally left, a man in the crowd invited the group to take a minute to pray.

“We cancel that curse, that curse, in the name of Jesus,” the man said.

“Amen,” the crowd responded.

After declaring the curse null and void, the group blessed the person, and asked for divine intervention in the heckler’s thinking. “Amen,” the group concluded.

Rally organizers said this was the first time the event had been interrupted by a heckler. They said the person did not leave behind their observer form to attend, which may leave the identity of the alleged witch a mystery.