A $70 kosher pastrami sandwich? That’s what one will cost you at the Minneapolis DFL convention.

Delegates will gather Saturday at the Target Center in Minneapolis for the citywide DFL convention, where if you want kosher or halal food, be ready to spend $70 for a pastrami sandwich, $60 for a schnitzel sandwich or $55 for a chicken kebab.

Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party candidates for mayor and the park board will vie for the party’s endorsement during the convention, with speeches from party dignitaries and statewide and congressional candidates.

The race for mayor will be the highlight of the day, with Mayor Jacob Frey being challenged by nearly a half-dozen candidates.

Only the most committed, often ideological Minnesotans are willing to give up a summer Saturday to attend a political convention all day, and possibly into the night. But while some of the candidates will boast about their democratic socialist bona fides, the kosher and halal food prices will be positively capitalistic.

Most of the other menu items will cost less than $20 (you can get a hot dog for $8) but the Target Center hires Holy Land restaurant to provide Halal meals and Prime Deli to provide Kosher meals, which must be ordered in advance.

After the high prices were reported by Racket on Monday, the DFL said a “limited number” of kosher and halal meals would be provided by the party at a “sliding scale price” and that donors had stepped up to cover the cost of a “handful” of meals.

Minneapolis DFL Chair John Maraist said the consternation over prices is “absolutely justified,” but “we’re helping people who need help.”

“I firmly believe that we’re not driving people away because of this,” he said.

Maraist said the prices are high because the food must be handled with “very prescribed procedures.”

“There is no DFL markup on any of the food,” he said. “This is what the Target Center charges.”

Maraist said the party had to guarantee a certain number of sales for concessions to be open, and could conceivably lose money on food.

“We’re certainly not going to make money off the food,” he said.

Money woes, security needs and a dearth of options led to a decision to squeeze the convention down to one day at the Target Center, which Maraist called “an expensive place to rent.”

The convention was originally scheduled to be a two-day affair held at North High School, but the school was deemed too small for the 800 delegates and hundreds of alternates, sending the party scrambling for a new location. Delegates were notified of the new date and venue on July 6.

More security was sought after the political assassinations of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman, his wife, Yvette.

Frey campaign spokesman Darwin Forsyth said the campaigns are being charged $1,100 to set up folding tables, and mayoral candidates were asked to spend $5,000 for two suites, a table and advertisement.

In an email to candidates, the DFL acknowledged the prices were likely higher than candidates expected and “far higher than we initially expected and not what we were hoping for.”

Maraist said the prices are “a bit of a one-off” and higher than other political conventions largely because of the last-minute move. He said the DFL tried to make it feasible for the campaigns and still cover its costs.

“Yes, the suites are expensive,” he said. “Obviously we’re not gonna set it lower than what the Target Center charges us.”

But candidates can get more affordable tables in an atrium.

“It’s not that pricey,” he said. “They’re doable for the small campaigns.”

Candidates can also campaign in the hallways and roam the convention center floor most of the day. The caucus and convention system makes it possible for candidates to win on a shoestring budget, he said, and rewards those who beat the streets campaigning. It’s much more expensive in states that hold primaries, he said.

But, he added, “It’s the DFL convention: There are always complaints.”

“It’s politics — we’re people who love to argue and we’re people with a sense of justice."