Tag: Minnesota DFL

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”

Meet the new DFL Executive Director, Sally Miller

The DFL family is thrilled to have Sally Miller on board at the DFL as our new Executive Director! Miller, a familiar face to many who have been involved in DFL politics since the Wellstone-era, had to only make a short move one office down the hallway; transitioning from her 2018 cycle role as Senator Tina Smith’s Deputy Campaign Manager/Senior Advisor to the DFL Coordinated campaign.

With the national political climate and the person currently serving in the White House, the 2018 cycle was the most consequential of many of our lifetimes. It was crunch-time for Minnesota to see if the political and rhetorical tone coming out of the White House was the fork in the road Minnesota wanted to take. Having someone the caliber of Sally in such central roles during the 2018 campaign ensured that Minnesota would stay being known for, as Miller likes to say, “caring for people and making sure people have the support services and care that they need to be successful and have the best life.” There wasn’t much doubt the state known for Wellstone/Humphrey/Mondale would stay on that course, but people like Sally do the hard work of leading campaign and election efforts just to make sure.  Continue reading “Meet the new DFL Executive Director, Sally Miller”

Minnesota DFL Names New Executive Director

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party today named Sally Miller, a Minnesota native with more than two decades of grassroots organizing and campaign experience, to serve as the new Executive Director. Most recently, Miller served as Tina Smith’s Deputy Campaign Manager where she helped guide the DFL’s Coordinated Campaign in one of its most robust and successful efforts. Miller’s first day as Executive Director is today as she begins the transition over the next two weeks in coordination with outgoing Executive Director Corey Day.

“Today I am pleased to announce the hiring of Sally Miller as the new Executive Director of the Minnesota DFL,” said DFL Chairman Ken Martin. “I have had the good fortune to know Sally Miller for over twenty years and couldn’t be more happy for us to get to work together and build the DFL Party towards victory in 2020. Sally not only boasts an outstanding political resume, she also brings strong relationships with DFLers across the state of Minnesota and a clear vision for the DFL’s future which will ensure our party is well-prepared for the changing landscape of political campaigns and the critical upcoming presidential election cycle.”  Continue reading “Minnesota DFL Names New Executive Director”