Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
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| Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party | |
|---|---|
| Party Chairman | Brian Melendez |
| Senate Leader | Lawrence Pogemiller |
| House Leader | Margaret Anderson Kelliher |
| Founded | April 15, 1944 |
| Headquarters | 255 East Plato Blvd St. Paul, MN 55107 |
| Political ideology | American Liberalism Progressivism |
| National affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Color(s) | Blue |
| Web Site | www.dfl.org |
The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) is a major political party in the U.S. state of Minnesota. It was created on April 15, 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and the Farmer-Labor Party merged. Hubert Humphrey was instrumental in this merger. The party is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. Both members of the party and non-members in Minnesota often use "DFLer" instead of "Democrat".[1]
In 1954 Orville Freeman was elected the state's first DFL governor. Minneapolis Mayor Hubert H. Humphrey, and Walter Mondale, who each served as a US Senator and as US vice president, were important members of the party. Both ran for the presidency as the nominees of the national Democratic Party; Humphrey in 1968 and Mondale in 1984. Both were unsuccessful, losing to Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan, respectively. Both also made bids to return to the Senate after their presidential runs, Humphrey successfully in 1970 and Mondale unsuccessfully in 2002.
Other important party members include Senator Eugene McCarthy, who ran for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1968 as the anti-Vietnam War candidate, and Senator Paul Wellstone, known during his years in the Senate (1991-2002) as one of that body's chief voices of populist progressivism.[2] The party's headquarters are in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Contents |
[edit] Candidates Endorsed in 2008
[edit] Challengers
- Steve Sarvi for US Representative (2nd District)
- Ashwin Madia for US Representative (3rd District)
- Elwyn Tinklenberg for US Representative (6th District)
[edit] Incumbents
- Tim Walz for US Representative (1st District)
- Betty McCollum for US Representative (4th District)
- Keith Ellison for US Representative (5th District)
- Collin Peterson for US Representative (7th District)
- Jim Oberstar for US Representative (8th District)
[edit] Current elected officials
[edit] Constitutional officers
[edit] State legislative leaders
- President of the Senate James Metzen
- Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives Margaret Anderson Kelliher
- Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller
- Minnesota Senate Asst. Majority Leader Tarryl Clark
- Minnesota House of Representatives Majority Leader Tony Sertich
[edit] Members of Congress
- Senator Amy Klobuchar
- Senator Al Franken
- U.S. Representative (1st District) - Tim Walz
- U.S. Representative (4th District) - Betty McCollum
- U.S. Representative (5th District) - Keith Ellison
- U.S. Representative (7th District) - Collin Peterson
- U.S. Representative (8th District) - Jim Oberstar
[edit] Current leadership
- Chair - Brian Melendez
- Associate Chair - Donna Cassut
- Treasurer - Lori Sellner
- Secretary - Sue Rego
- Affirmative Action Officer - Jamie Edwards
[edit] 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
[edit] References
- ^ "Farmer Labor Party". Spartacus. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAfarmerlabor.htm. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.
- ^ 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 on 2007-08-31.
[edit] External links
- Official Minnesota DFL Party website
- Official Dodge County DFL Party website
- Minneapolis City DFL Party website
[edit] 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).

