The Minnesota DFL
Our Purpose
The purpose of the DFL Party shall be to elect candidates to public office who represent our shared values. Those shared values are embodied by our Platform and Action Agenda, and by The Charter and The Bylaws of the Democratic Party. (Minnesota DFL Constitution, Article 1, Section 4. Purpose.)
Our Structure
As a grassroots organization, we have leaders working across the state. Most activists work with their local organizations to build support in their local communities. You can find your local organization here.
We also have Statewide committees and officers who work to build a strong party across the state. You can find that leadership here.
The main way we govern our party is through Precinct Caucuses and Conventions at the Local, Congressional, and State levels. You can learn about that process here.
Between Conventions our organization continues its work through Central Committees. To learn more about what your local central committee is up to, you can reach out to your local leadership and you can find information on the State Central Committee here.
Our Documents
As an organization, we are governed by our core documents including the DFL Constitution, Official Call, Platform, and Action Agenda. You can more information on these documents, as well as current copies here.
Our History
The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party was created on April 15, 1944, after the Minnesota Democrats merged with the Farmer-Labor Party. Hubert H. Humphrey was instrumental in the merger and is considered by many to be the founder of the Minnesota DFL Party.
The DFL’s story first began during the 1920s, when representatives of the Nonpartisan League in Minnesota entered candidates for state election under the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party. The party’s platform consisted of progressive agrarian reform, the protection of farmers and union workers, the public ownership of railroads, utilities, and natural resources, and social security legislation.
The party earned popularity and legislative legitimacy, even gaining victories in Minnesota State and Congressional elections over candidates of the two major parties. From 1921 to 1941, constituents elected three governors, four U.S. senators, and eight U.S. representatives under the affiliation of the Minnesota Farmer-Labor Party. Then, on April 15, 1944, the party united with the Minnesota Democratic Party to form the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
The first DFL governor, Orville Freeman, was elected in 1954. Since then, the DFL Party has earned majorities in the state House and Senate, elected some of our nation’s most respected officials to the U.S. House and Senate, and put DFLers in the White House with Vice Presidents Hubert H. Humphrey and Walter Mondale.
For more than seventy years, the Minnesota DFL has worked tirelessly to enact progressive policies and provide a platform for those who need it the most. We believe that every Minnesotan has a right to stable employment with fair wages, to a proper education, to raise and provide for a family, to accessible and affordable healthcare, to live in safe communities, and to retire with dignity and security. We have made a lot of progress over the course of our party’s history, but there is still much more to do to ensure no one is left behind. Together, we will continue to build an even better Minnesota for all Minnesotans.