Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party
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The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL) is a major political party in the US state of Minnesota. It was created on April 15, 1944 when the Minnesota Democratic Party and Farmer-Labor Party merged. Hubert H. Humphrey was instrumental in this merger. The party is affiliated with the national Democratic Party. The nickname "DFLers" is often used in Minnesota by both members and non-members of the party as an alternative to "Democrats".
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.
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 that body's chief voice of populist progressivism[link]. The party's headquarters are in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Two DFLers ran for presidency as the nominees of the national Democratic Party. They were Hubert H. Humphrey in 1968 and Walter Mondale in 1984. Both were unsuccessful, losing to Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan respectively.
Current elected officials
- Senator Mark Dayton
- Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch
- U.S. Representative ([4th District]) - Betty McCollum
- U.S. Representative ([5th District]) - Martin Olav Sabo
- U.S. Representative ([7th District]) - Collin Peterson
- U.S. Representative ([8th District]) - James Oberstar
Current Leadership
- Chair Brian Melendez
- Associate Chair Donna Cassut
- Treasurer Vacant
- Secretary Sue Rego
- Affirmative Action Officer Megan Thomas
See also
- Republican Party of Minnesota
- Independence Party of Minnesota
- United States presidential election, 1968
- United States presidential election, 1984