Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | DFL |
| Chairperson | Ken Martin |
| Governor of Minnesota | Tim Walz |
| Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota | Peggy Flanagan |
| Senate Minority Leader | Tom Bakk |
| House Speaker | Melissa Hortman |
| Founded | April 15, 1944 |
| Merger of | Minnesota Democratic Party and Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party |
| Headquarters | 255 Plato Boulevard East Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Youth wing | Minnesota Young DFL (MYDFL) |
| Ideology | Modern liberalism Social liberalism Progressivism Social democracy |
| Political position | Center-left to left-wing |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Colors | Blue |
| Senate | 32 / 67 |
| House of Representatives | 75 / 134 |
| Statewide Executive Offices | 5 / 5 |
| U.S. Senate | 2 / 2 |
| U.S. House of Representatives | 5 / 8 |
| Website | |
| www.dfl.org [3] | |
| |
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is a center-left political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It is affiliated with the U.S. Democratic Party. Formed by a merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the left-wing Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party in 1944, the DFL is one of only two state Democratic party affiliates of a different name (the other being the North Dakota Democratic-Nonpartisan League Party).
Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | DFL |
| Chairperson | Ken Martin |
| Governor of Minnesota | Tim Walz |
| Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota | Peggy Flanagan |
| Senate Minority Leader | Tom Bakk |
| House Speaker | Melissa Hortman |
| Founded | April 15, 1944 |
| Merger of | Minnesota Democratic Party and Minnesota Farmer–Labor Party |
| Headquarters | 255 Plato Boulevard East Saint Paul, Minnesota |
| Youth wing | Minnesota Young DFL (MYDFL) |
| Ideology | Modern liberalism Social liberalism Progressivism Social democracy |
| Political position | Center-left to left-wing |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Colors | Blue |
| Senate | 32 / 67 |
| House of Representatives | 75 / 134 |
| Statewide Executive Offices | 5 / 5 |
| U.S. Senate | 2 / 2 |
| U.S. House of Representatives | 5 / 8 |
| Website | |
| www.dfl.org [3] | |
| |
History
DFL logo used on a lectern at the 2006 DFL state convention.
DFL 2006 state convention registration desk.
The DFL was created on April 15, 1944, with the merger of the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer–Labor Party. Leading the merger effort were Elmer Kelm, the head of the Minnesota Democratic Party and 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.
Orville Freeman was elected the state's first DFL governor in 1954. Important members of the party have included Minneapolis mayor Hubert H. Humphrey and Minnesota Attorney General Walter Mondale, who each went on to be United States Senators, Vice Presidents of the United States, and unsuccessful Democratic nominees for president, Humphrey in 1968 and Mondale in 1984; Eugene McCarthy, a U.S. senator who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968 as an anti-Vietnam War candidate; and Paul Wellstone, a U.S. senator from 1991 to 2002 who became an icon of populist progressivism.[1]
Current elected officials
Members of Congress
U.S. Senate
Democrats have controlled both of Minnesota's seats in the U.S. Senate since 2008:
Class I: Amy Klobuchar (Senior Senator, Ranking Member of Senate Rules Committee)[[INLINE_IMAGE|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Amy_Klobuchar%2C_official_portrait%2C_113th_Congress.jpg/220px-Amy_Klobuchar%2C_official_portrait%2C_113th_Congress.jpg|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Amy_Klobuchar%2C_official_portrait%2C_113th_Congress.jpg/330px-Amy_Klobuchar%2C_official_portrait%2C_113th_Congress.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Amy_Klobuchar%2C_official_portrait%2C_113th_Congress.jpg/440px-Amy_Klobuchar%2C_official_portrait%2C_113th_Congress.jpg 2x||h275|w220|thumbimage]] Senior Senator Klobuchar
Class II: Tina Smith (Junior Senator)[[INLINE_IMAGE|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Tina_Smith%2C_official_portrait%2C_116th_congress.jpg/220px-Tina_Smith%2C_official_portrait%2C_116th_congress.jpg|//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Tina_Smith%2C_official_portrait%2C_116th_congress.jpg/330px-Tina_Smith%2C_official_portrait%2C_116th_congress.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Tina_Smith%2C_official_portrait%2C_116th_congress.jpg/440px-Tina_Smith%2C_official_portrait%2C_116th_congress.jpg 2x||h275|w220|thumbimage]] Junior Senator Smith
U.S. House of Representatives
Out of the 8 seats Minnesota is apportioned in the U.S. House of Representatives, 5 are held by Democrats:
MN-02: Angie Craig
MN-03: Dean Phillips
MN-04: Betty McCollum
MN-05: Ilhan Omar
MN-07: Collin Peterson
Statewide officials
Democrats control all five of the elected statewide offices:
Governor: Tim Walz
Lieutenant Governor: Peggy Flanagan
Secretary of State: Steve Simon
State Auditor: Julie Blaha
Attorney General: Keith Ellison
State legislative leaders
Senate Minority Leader: Tom Bakk
House Speaker: Melissa Hortman House Majority Leader: Ryan Winkler
Current leadership
Chair: Ken Martin (2011-Present)
Vice Chair: Marge Hoffa (2011-Present)
Treasurer: Tyler Moroles (2017-Present)
Secretary: Adi Penugonda (2019-Present)
Outreach Officer: Shivanthi Sathanandan (2015-Present)
See also
Politics of Minnesota
List of political parties in Minnesota
Political party strength in Minnesota