The results of Minnesota's first Feb. 5 Super Tuesday caucus for Democrats could hinge on two key questions.

Who will John Edwards' supporters get behind? And which party's caucuses will independent voters show up at?

Hillary Clinton held just a slight edge over Barack Obama in Minnesota last week measured by polling and fundraising data.

The fundraising gap was negligible, with Minnesotans writing checks totalling $418,567 to Clinton and $397,123 to Obama, according to the latest Federal Elections Commission reports.

A Minnesota Public Radio News and Humphrey Institute Poll showed a slightly wider margin. Of the 478 Democrats interviewed between Jan. 20 and Jan. 27, 40 percent said they supported Clinton, 33 percent backed Obama and 12 percent favored Edwards. The error margin was 4.5 percent.

The poll was conducted prior to Edwards dropping out of the race, however, and it doesn't reflect the shift that's underway as a result. Schultz said polling data from other states suggests Edwards supporters are probably slanting more toward Obama than Clinton.

"I suspect that it's tightened even more than the poll indicates," Schultz said.

The other wild card is whether independents caucus for Democratic or Republican candidates. Like New Hampshire's primaries, Minnesota has an open caucus system. Participants don't need to be registered party members to show up and support a candidate.

Independents appear to be splitting their allegiances between Obama and Republican John McCain. Schultz said he thinks New Hampshire polls showing Obama with a dominant lead over Clinton might have prompted independents there to lend their support to McCain instead.

In Minnesota, "if in fact independents think McCain has it wrapped up, they might tend to break more for Obama than McCain," Schultz said.

Minnesota caucuses typically only draw about 2 percent to 4 percent of eligible participants, but observers expect a larger turnout this year. That means depending on where you live, it could take a little more time than usual for everything from finding parking to counting supporters.

Information about precinct caucus locations is available on the Minnesota DFL website.