Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party

Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party
Chairman	Ken Martin
Senate leader	Tom Bakk
House leader	Paul Thissen
Founded	April 15, 1944
Headquarters	255 Plato Blvd E Saint Paul, MN 55107-1623
Ideology	American Liberalism Progressivism Social Democracy Populism
National affiliation	Democratic Party
Official colors	Blue
Seats in the Upper House	30 / 67
Seats in the Lower House	62 / 134
Website
www.dfl.org
Politics of the United States Political parties Elections

DFL logo used on a lectern at the 2006 DFL state convention.

The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is a major political party in the state of Minnesota and the state affiliate of the Democratic Party. It 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 party; 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. Members of the party are frequently referred to as "DFLers".

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 Senator who ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968 as an anti-Vietnam War candidate; and Paul Wellstone, a Senator from 1991–2002 who became an icon of populist progressivism.^[1] The party's headquarters are in Saint Paul.

Candidates in 2010

Open seats

• Mark Dayton and Yvonne Prettner Solon for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota (won)

Challengers

• Shelley Madore for U.S. Representative (2nd district) (lost)
• Jim Meffert for U.S. Representative (3rd district) (lost)
• Tarryl Clark for U.S. Representative (6th district) (lost)

Incumbents

• Mark Ritchie for Minnesota Secretary of State (won)
• Rebecca Otto for Minnesota State Auditor (won)
• Lori Swanson for Minnesota Attorney General (won)
• Tim Walz for U.S. Representative (1st district) (won)
• Betty McCollum for U.S. Representative (4th district) (won)
• Keith Ellison for U.S. Representative (5th district) (won)
• Collin Peterson for U.S. Representative (7th district) (won)
• Jim Oberstar for U.S. Representative (8th district) (lost)

Current elected officials

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

• Amy Klobuchar
• Al Franken

U.S. House of Representatives

• (1st district) – Tim Walz
• (4th district) – Betty McCollum
• (5th district) – Keith Ellison
• (7th district) – Collin Peterson

Statewide offices

• Governor: Mark Dayton
• Lieutenant Governor: Yvonne Prettner Solon
• Attorney General: Lori Swanson
• State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
• Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie

State Legislature

• Senate Minority Leader: Tom Bakk
• House Minority Leader: Paul Thissen

DFL 2006 state convention registration desk.

Current leadership

• Chair – Ken Martin
• Associate Chair – Marge Hoffa
• Treasurer – Tom Hamilton
• Secretary – Jacob Grippen
• Affirmative Action Officer – Eric Margolis

See also

• Republican Party of Minnesota
• Independence Party of Minnesota
• Political party strength in Minnesota
• United States presidential election, 1968
• United States presidential election, 1984

References

1. ^ Loughlin, Sean (2002-08-25). "Wellstone Made Mark as a Liberal Champion". CNN Washington Bureau. http://archives.cnn.com/2002/ALLPOLITICS/10/25/elec02.mn.s.wellstone.obit. Retrieved 2007-08-31. 

External links

• Official Minnesota DFL Party website
• Minneapolis City DFL Party website

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.
• Mitau, G. Theodore. The Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party Schism of 1948. Minnesota History 34 (Spring 1955).