Speaker Pelosi to rally Minnesota Democrats at DFL Dinner

DFL Presents Awards to Five Party Leaders at Humphrey-Mondale Dinner

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — This evening, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will headline the Minnesota DFL’s 8th Annual Humphrey-Mondale Dinner. Pelosi and DFLers will be celebrating past and present leaders within the DFL and commemorating the 75th anniversary of the party.

“The House Democratic Majority in Washington has been hard at work tackling the toughest issues facing our country, just as the DFL has been doing in Minnesota,” said Speaker Pelosi. “Democrats have led the way on everything from job-creating infrastructure investments to lowering the prices of prescription drugs. Republicans have responded with division, obfuscation and theatrics.”

“It is an honor to celebrate our accomplishments, both legislative and electoral, with so many fine Minnesota Democrats,” added Pelosi. “I’m proud of our record of fighting for the American people and I’m confident that record will carry us to victory in 2020.” Continue reading “Speaker Pelosi to rally Minnesota Democrats at DFL Dinner”

DFL at 75: still building change from the ground up

Seventy-five years ago this month, the Minnesota Democratic Party joined forces with the Farmer-Labor Party in our state to create the Minnesota DFL. That merger symbolizes the highest ideals and aspirations of our party: Minnesotans from all walks of life coming together to advocate for the common good.

The DFL has always worked to build change from the ground up, with the grassroots activists leading the way. Paul Wellstone perfectly embodies this spirit. In his first race for U.S. Senate, Paul was outspent seven to one, but he didn’t let that stop him. Wellstone campaigned relentlessly across Minnesota, slowly but steadily earning the votes he needed to get elected and fight for change in the Senate. Folks like Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and Sen. Tina Smith have recently proven that this spirit of grassroots progressivism is alive and well in our party.

Coya Knutson: dedication to supporting farmers

For the last 75 years, our party has stayed true to our Farmer-Labor roots. Take Coya Knutson for example. Coya was a DFLer who would help farmers milk their cows while she talked about her campaign for Congress. In 1954, Coya won her congressional campaign, making her the first woman elected to the House of Representatives from Minnesota and eventually the first woman in the country to sit on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee. That dedication to supporting farmers continues on to this very day, as evidenced by the fact that the current chair of the Agriculture Committee is DFLer Collin Peterson. Continue reading “DFL at 75: still building change from the ground up”

Statement on DFL House Advancing Ban on Conversion Therapy

Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement in response to the Minnesota House of Representatives adding an amendment banning the use of conversion therapy on minors to their HHS omnibus bill.

“I strongly encourage Minnesota Senate Republicans to take up the ban on conversion therapy that the DFL controlled House of Representatives just voted on. Conversion therapy is a discredited practice based on junk science and it should not be used on the youth of Minnesota.

“For far too long, Republicans have fought tooth and nail against freedom, dignity, and equality for LGBTQ Americans. Their thinly veiled prejudice has to end.

“The DFL stands ready to protect Minnesota’s children by banning conversion therapy. It’s time for Republicans to join us and stop putting their extreme ideology before the youth of our state.”