Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is a political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota affiliated with the national Democratic Party. The party was formed by a merger between the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party in 1944. The DFL is one of two state Democratic Party affiliates with a different name from that of the national party, the other being the neighboring North Dakota Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party.

The DFL controls four of Minnesota's eight U.S. House seats, both of its U.S. Senate seats, the Minnesota Senate, and all other statewide offices, including the governorship, making it the dominant party in the state. Its main political rival is the Republican Party of Minnesota.

History

During the 1930s, the Farmer–Labor Party had gained traction with radical platforms that challenged economic and social inequalities, backed by Governor Floyd B. Olson. However, by 1938, the party's influence waned due to internal conflicts and accusations of incompetence and corruption, leading to a loss in gubernatorial elections.

On April 15, 1944, the Farmer–Labor Party merged with the Minnesota Democratic Party, forming the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). Leading the merger effort were Elmer Kelm, the head of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the founding chairman of the DFL; Elmer Benson, effectively the head of the Farmer–Labor Party by virtue of his leadership of its dominant left-wing faction; and rising star Hubert H. Humphrey, who chaired the Fusion Committee that accomplished the union and then went on to chair its first state convention."DEMOCRATIC-FARMER-LABOR PARTY." n.d. Minnesota Historical Society. Accessed May 26, 2023. http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00586.xml . This merger marked a pivotal shift influenced by academic liberals at the University of Minnesota who advocated for integrating the New Deal's progressive reforms within a more centralized, managerial political framework, transitioning from the movement-oriented politics of the Farmer-Labor party to a structure that emphasized interest-group pluralism.

During the post-war years, the DFL confronted various social issues, including antisemitism, which reflected broader national conversations about race and ethnicity. The DFL also navigated with its stance on civil rights and economic justice, influenced significantly by Minnesota's small but politically active African American communities. In early 1946, as a Fair Employment Practice (FEPC) bill was moving through Congress, there was a surge of civil rights activism in the Twin Cities.

Factional battles were intensified by differing views on how to address the left-wing influence within the party, with significant conflicts between proponents of Henry A. Wallace's progressive policies and the more moderate wing led by figures like Hubert Humphrey. By the party's second convention in 1946, tensions had re-emerged between members of the two former parties. While the majority of delegates supported left-wing policies, Humphrey managed to install a more conservative, anti-communist ally, Orville Freeman, as party secretary. Some disaffected Farmer–Labor leaders such as Benson moved to the Progressive Party. Freeman was elected the state's first DFL governor in 1954. Important members of the party have included Humphrey and Walter Mondale, who each went on to be United States senators, vice presidents of the United States, and unsuccessful Democratic nominees for president; Eugene McCarthy, a U.S. senator who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968 as an anti-Vietnam War candidate; Paul Wellstone, a U.S. senator from 1991 to 2002 who became an icon of populist progressivism; Amy Klobuchar, a U.S. senator who ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020; Dean Phillips, a U.S. representative who ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2024; and Tim Walz, two-term governor chosen as Kamala Harris' running mate in the 2024 presidential election. The DFL has had varied success beginning in the late 1970s and through the late 2010s, in part due to the growth of single-issue splinter groups after reforms brought by the national party.

Following the 2022 Minnesota elections, the DFL became the dominant party in the state, retaining every executive office, winning majorities in the state House and Senate, and re-electing all incumbent congressional representatives. With their newly elected trifecta, the DFL pursued a progressive agenda in their first legislative session. Governor Tim Walz described the session as "the most successful legislative session, certainly in many of our lifetimes and maybe in Minnesota history." The newly elected government passed large expansions in welfare programs and spending. Notable policies passed include the expansion of abortion rights, new programs to provide reproductive healthcare, protection of gender affirming care, the legalization of recreational cannabis, indexing education spending to inflation, investments in public transit, and paid sick leave for Minnesota workers. Former president Barack Obama praised the state government's actions, saying that "Minnesota has made progress on a whole host of issues – from protecting abortion rights and new gun safety measures to expanding access to the ballot and reducing child poverty. These laws will make a real difference in the lives of Minnesotans."

Party organization

The DFL is governed by a state central committee, which is composed of representatives from each of the state's congressional districts. The state central committee is responsible for setting the party's platform, electing party officers, and conducting other party business. The DFL also has a constitution and bylaws that govern its operations.

Community caucuses

The party operates several community caucuses that organize and represent different communities within Minnesota; they not defined geographically. These include the:

* African American Caucus, which organizes African Americans.
* Asian Pacific American Caucus, which organizes Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans.
* Disability Caucus, which advocates for Minnesotans with disabilities.
* Environmental Caucus, which advocates for environmental protection and sustainability.
* Feminist Caucus, which advocates for feminist and women's issues.
* Hmong American Caucus, which organizes Hmong Americans, the largest Asian American group in Minnesota.
* Latino Caucus ( Spanish: ''Movimiento'') which organizes Latino Americans.
* Minnesota Young DFL, which organizes young people.
* Muslim Caucus, which organizes Muslims, who make up between 1–2% of the state.
* Native People's Caucus, which organizes and supports Native Americans and tribal communities.
* Progressive Caucus, which advocates for progressive policies and opposes " corporate money in politics".
* Rural Caucus, which supports the state's rural communities.
* Senior Caucus, which advocates for the interests of senior citizens.
* Somali American Caucus, which organizes Somali Americans, who make up over 1% of the state's population.
* Stonewall DFL, which organizes LGBTQ+ Minnesotans.
* Veterans Caucus, which organizes veterans and their families.

Voter base

The DFL's base of support is diverse, and it includes urban and suburban voters, working class voters, labor unions, environmentalists, and other progressive groups. The party has a strong presence in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The DFL has lost support in traditional DFL strongholds such as the Iron Range since 2016.

Current elected officials

Federal

U.S. Senate

* Senior senator: Amy Klobuchar (since 2007)
* Junior senator: Tina Smith (since 2018)

U.S. House of Representatives

Out of the eight seats Minnesota is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, four are held by members of the DFL.

* 2nd district: Angie Craig (since 2019)
* 3rd district: Kelly Morrison (since 2025)
* 4th district: Betty McCollum (since 2001)
* 5th district: Ilhan Omar (since 2019)

State

Statewide

* Governor: Tim Walz (since 2019)
* Lieutenant Governor: (since 2019)
* Secretary of State: Steve Simon (since 2015)
* State Auditor: (since 2019)
* Attorney General: (since 2019)

State legislative leaders

*President of the Senate: Bobby Joe Champion (since 2023)
* Senate majority leader: Erin Murphy (since 2023)

Municipal

Mayors

* Minneapolis (list): Jacob Frey (since 2018) (1)
* Saint Paul (list): Melvin Carter (since 2018) (2)
* Duluth (list): Roger Reinert (since 2024) (5)

Leadership

Current

* Chair: Richard Carlbom (since 2025)
* Vice chair: Marge Hoffa (since 2011)
* Second vice chair: Shivanthi Sathanandan (since 2021)
* Treasurer: Lindy Sowmick (since 2025)
* Secretary: Ceri Everett (since 2021)
* Outreach officer: Quentin Wathum-Ocama (since 2025)

Historical party chairs

Through 1975, the party's constitution called for the election of a separate chairman and chairwoman to head state party activities. Only the chairman received compensation. In the mid-1970s, the party voted to change the titles of the chief party offices to chair and associate chair, specifying that they must both be salaried and must be of the opposite sex.

State chairmen

* Elmer Kelm (1944–1946)
* Harold Barker (1946–1948)
* Orville Freeman (1948–1950)
* Karl Rolvaag (1950–1954)
* Ray Hemenway (1954–1960)
* Adrian Winkel (1960–1961)
* George Farr (1961–1967)
* Warren Spannaus (1967–1969)
* Richard Moe (1969–1972)
* Hank Fischer (1972–1975)

State chairwomen

* Ione Hunt (1948–1950)
* Dorothy Jacobson (1950–1956)
* Anne Vetter (1956–1958)
* Geri Joseph (1958–1960)
* Evelyn Malone (1960–1962)
* Pat St. Angelo (1962–1963)
* Betty Kane (1963–1968)
* Koryne Horbal (1968–1972)

State chairs

* Koryne Horbal (1968–1977)
* Claire Rumpel (1978–1979)
* Mike Hatch (1980–1983)
* Mary Monahan (1983–1985)
* Ruth Stanoch (1985–1989)
* Todd Otis (1990–1993)
* Rick Stafford (1993–1995)
* Mark Andrew (1995–1997)
* Richard Senese (1997–1999)
* Mike Erlandson (1999–2005)
* Brian Melendez (2005–2011)
* Ken Martin (2011–2025)
* Richard Carlbom (2025–present)

Electoral history

Federal

U.S. Senate

U.S. House

State

Governor

Minnesota Senate

Minnesota House

See also

* List of political parties in Minnesota
* Political party strength in Minnesota
* Politics of Minnesota

References

Further reading

* Delton, Jennifer A. ''Making Minnesota Liberal: Civil Rights and the Transformation of the Democratic Party''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2002.
* Haynes, John Earl. "Farm Coops and the Election of Hubert Humphrey to the Senate". '' Agricultural History'' 57, no. 2 (Fall 1983).
* Haynes, John Earl. ''Dubious Alliance: The Making of Minnesota's DFL Party''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1984.
* Henrickson, Gary P. ''Minnesota in the "McCarthy" Period: 1946–1954''. Ph.D. diss. University of Minnesota, 1981.
* Lebedoff, David. ''The 21st Ballot: A Political Party Struggle in Minnesota''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1969.
* Lebedoff, David. ''Ward Number Six''. New York: Scribner, 1972. Discusses the entry of radicals into the DFL party in 1968.
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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party

Democratic Party (United States) by state
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
Political parties established in 1944
1944 establishments in Minnesota