By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger

St. Paul Pioneer Press

Minnesota DFL caucus-goers will have four choices for president in March.

Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley and Roque De La Fuente all qualified to appear on the March 1 caucus ballots by Monday’s 4:30 p.m. deadline, according to the DFL.

“Minnesota Democrats know who is qualified for the caucus ballot and they have four choices to choose from on caucus night and we couldn’t be more excited about the candidates,” DFL Party Chair Ken Martin said.

De La Fuente, who goes by Rocky, is by far the least known among the bunch. A San Diego businessman who has qualified for ballot access in several states — including Michigan and North Carolina, which require thousands of signatures to win ballot access.

In Minnesota, the process is a bit easier. Candidates had to submit a letter by the end of the day Monday and submit names of campaign representatives to be the DFL Party’s contacts.

Presidential candidates also must strive for gender and other equity in their delegations.

“Each presidential candidate (including uncommitted status) shall use his or her best efforts to ensure that his or her respective delegation within the state delegation achieves the affirmative action goals established by this Plan and is equally divided between men and women,” the DFL’s third rule says.

On Monday, the Clinton campaign was the only one to email a statement rejoicing in Minnesota access.

“We’re building our campaign in Minnesota from the ground up, driven by a grassroots coalition that knows Hillary Clinton is the candidate who can stop Republicans from stripping away the progress that we’ve made,” Marlon Marshall, Clinton’s director of state campaigns, said in a statement.