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DFL Party Statement on the Passing of Walter Mondale

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement on the passing of former Vice President Walter Mondale.

“Today, Minnesota has lost our North Star. Former Vice President Walter Mondale was a moral, courageous, and principled leader whose tireless work to improve the lives of his fellow Americans and people across the globe has left an indelible mark on history. Fritz was also a friend and a mentor to myself and so many others, and I am deeply saddened by news of his passing. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to his friends, family, and loved ones.

“What truly defines Walter Mondale’s life of public service is a relentless focus on standing up for what’s right and helping people in need. In the Senate, he engaged tirelessly in the long, difficult, and painstaking work of building meaningful and durable political change. A passionate civil rights advocate, Mondale was instrumental in negotiating and helping to pass the Fair Housing Act, Voting Rights Act, and key provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. In our nation’s 245 year struggle to build a more perfect union, few have contributed as much to that cause as Walter Mondale.

“More than anyone else, Mondale was responsible for defining the modern Vice Presidency by crafting a much larger role for the office than ever before, which he subsequently used to further the causes of peace and civil rights across the globe. It was Mondale’s hard work that opened the negotiations which ultimately led to the Camp David Accords and the peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, a peace treaty that endures to this day. On the world stage, Walter Mondale was also a champion for the cause of refugees fleeing violence in Vietnam and his passionate advocacy on their behalf saved countless lives.

“Though he is no longer with us, Walter Mondale’s legacy lives on in the historic change he made and the innumerable lives he saved and improved. Let us all recommit ourselves to following in Fritz’s footsteps and continuing his lifelong work of building a better Minnesota, a more just America, and a more peaceful world.”

DFL Party Postpones Founders Day Dinner

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party announced it will be postponing its Founders Day Dinner, originally scheduled for April 15th. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Minnesota is once again overcome with grief and anger at yet another senseless and tragic murder of a Black man at the hands of law enforcement. The ongoing trauma that Black and brown communities face at the hands of those who are supposed to protect and serve us deserves our full attention and most importantly, it deserves immediate action. Events of the last few days have underscored the need for Minnesota to enact further police reform and accountability measures in order to build a public safety system that serves and protects every single Minnesotan.

“As a result, the DFL Party has decided to postpone its Founders Day Dinner in order to stand in solidarity with our community seeking answers and justice for Daunte Wright. The ongoing pursuit of justice and fairness has been at the heart of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party since its founding almost 77 years ago. Those values continue to drive our movement to this day, and we are committed to delivering a more fair and just public safety system for the Minnesotans rightly calling out for reform.”

DFL Party Hires Coordinated Campaign Director

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party is pleased to announce the hiring of Alyse Maye Quade to serve as the party’s Coordinated Campaign Director for the 2022 election cycle. Maye Quade has been with the DFL Party in a variety of roles since 2017 and brings a wealth of experience to her new position.

Prior to joining the DFL Party, Maye Quade was the Midwest Organizing Manager for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action. Since then, Maye Quade worked as the Field Director for the Coordinated Campaign in 2018 and as the Deputy Campaign Director for the Coordinated Campaign in 2020, where she oversaw their voter protection, coalitions, and get out the vote programs.

The Coordinated Campaign is made up of a coalition of DFL Party-endorsed candidates and partner organizations which pools resources to accomplish the shared goals of each campaign and organization. This typically encompasses field organizing, training, voter turnout and protection, community engagement, opening and running campaign offices across Minnesota, and much more.

DFL Party Hires New Executive Director

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – The Minnesota DFL Party is pleased to announce the hiring of Heidi Kraus Kaplan to serve as the party’s new Executive Director. Kraus Kaplan has over two decades worth of political and campaign experience, including working for U.S. Senator Mark Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, as well as working on five different presidential campaigns through the years.

Most recently, Kraus Kaplan served as the National Operations Director on U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar’s presidential campaign. A veteran of Minnesota and national politics, Kraus Kaplan was the first person that DFL Chairman Ken Martin hired when he was first elected to lead the Minnesota DFL back in 2011.

DFL Hits Rep. Mortensen With Campaign Finance Complaint

Mortensen broke the rules by controlling an unregistered political committee

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party filed a complaint against Representative Erik Mortensen and the North Star Liberty Alliance with the Campaign Finance Board related to NSLA’s failure to register with the Board and Rep. Mortenson’s illegal exercise of control over the political committee.

The North Star Liberty Alliance is an overtly-partisan organization focusing its attacks on the “radical left” and its other political enemies. As such, it is required to register with the Campaign Finance Board and disclose all of its contributions and expenditures. Instead, it hides its activities behind the false mantle of non-partisan organization focused on promoting liberty.

Rep. Mortensen pulls the strings of the Alliance and recently sent a fundraising letter describing all of the things “we” will do to defeat his political opponents. This is a violation of Minnesota campaign finance law, which prohibits candidates from exercising direct or indirect control over a political committee. A copy of the complaint has been attached to this email.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer to Keynote DFL Founders Day Dinner

DFL Party to Host Dinner on 77th Anniversary of Party’s Founding

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the DFL Party is announcing that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer will keynote the party’s 2021 Founders Day Dinner. The virtual dinner will take place on the evening of April 15th, which marks the 77th anniversary of the DFL Party’s founding.

Senators Klobuchar and Smith and Governor Walz will also be speaking during the event. Members of the media will be able to tune in to the virtual dinner. Those looking for more information and to order tickets can visit www.dflfoundersday.com.

Minnesota DFL Party Elects New Leadership Team

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, members of the DFL Party State Central Committee gathered to elect new leaders of the Minnesota DFL Party. Those elected leaders include:

Chairman: Ken Martin
First Vice Chair: Marge Hoffa
Second Vice Chair: Shivanthi Sathanandan
Treasurer: Tyler Moroles
Secretary: Ceri Everett
Outreach and Inclusion Officer: Cheniqua Johnson

“I am honored to have been re-elected Chairman of the Minnesota DFL Party alongside a fantastic slate of organizers and activists that are ready to double down on our party’s winning record,” said DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin.“When I first took over the DFL Party in 2011, we were deeply in debt and reeling from a series of electoral defeats. Ten years later we have turned the party around and it is stronger – organizationally, financially, and electorally – than ever before in its 77 year history”

DFL Party Statement on GOP “Vote A Rama”

ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – As Republicans in the Senate play partisan games with COVID relief, DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement:

“Over 460,000 Minnesotans have tested positive for COVID-19 and thousands more have struggled to make ends meet during the pandemic; relief cannot come soon enough. But rather than fight to help small businesses, reopen schools, and invest in vaccine distribution, Republicans in the Senate are creating a circus. This ‘vote a rama’ is nothing more than political theater when the American people are demanding action. Minnesotans won’t forget which party had their backs in a time of crisis.”

DFL Party Ramps Up Year-Round Organizing Capacity

Hirings reflect DFL’s commitment to organizing & infrastructure building

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party announced the hiring of four additional staffers to bolster the Party’s year-round organizing program and strengthen local infrastructure across Minnesota:

“I learned an incredibly important lesson from Senator Paul Wellstone’s campaigns: organizing wins elections,”said DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin. “This year, the DFL Party is investing heavily in grassroots organizing and building the infrastructure needed to ensure Minnesota stays blue in 2022. As a result of our commitment to grassroots organizing, the DFL Party has not lost a statewide election in the ten years I’ve served as Party Chairman, and these new hires will ensure we retain our edge going into next year’s crucial elections.”

The four new staffers joining the Minnesota DFL Party are:

Jess Bigirindavyi – Coalitions Director
Britta Moen – Rural Organizing Director
Bahea Manasra – Deputy Party Affairs & Training Director
Karen Velez-Barron – Office Manager

Sen. Kamala Harris to Keynote 9th Annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party is pleased to announce Senator Kamala Harris will be the keynote speaker at the Party’s Ninth Annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner on Thursday, October 1st, at 5:30 PM. In addition to Senator Harris, the DFL Party will be joined by Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tina Smith, Elizabeth Warren, and Governor Tim Walz.

In keeping with the DFL Party’s ongoing work to limit the spread of COVID-19, this year’s dinner will be entirely virtual. Tickets are available here and the event will be livestreamed for members of the media.

“I’m honored that Senator Harris will be our keynote speaker for the DFL Party’s Ninth Annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner,” said DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin. “Our Humphrey-Mondale Dinner is a celebration of the accomplishments of leaders and activists within our party and Kamala Harris has a tremendous record of delivering real change for the American people.

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Mortensen broke the rules by controlling an unregistered political committee

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DFL Party to Host Dinner on 77th Anniversary of Party’s Founding

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