# Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party *Minnesota political party affiliated with the national Democratic Party* The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) is the Minnesota affiliate of the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]. It dates from a 1944 merger of the state's Democratic Party with the Farmer–Labor Party. The only other state Democratic affiliate whose name differs from the national party's is North Dakota's Democratic–Nonpartisan League Party.[^1] As of the Wikipedia revision retrieved October 27, 2026, DFL members held both of Minnesota's [[United States Senate]] seats and half of its eight seats in the [[United States House of Representatives]]. The party also controlled the [[Minnesota Senate]] and held every other statewide elected office, including that of [[Governor of Minnesota|governor]]. The 2024 [[Minnesota House of Representatives]] election ended in a tie, and the DFL then entered a power-sharing agreement there with the [[Republican Party of Minnesota]].[^1] The project's companion record states that under the 2025 agreement the Republicans held the Speakership for the full biennium, and held outright committee control until the March 2025 special election.[^2] On January 14, 2026, the [[United States Department of Justice]] announced a civil suit against the State in release No. 26-21, titled *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*.[^3] The complaint, brought under [[Title VII]], cites [[Minn. Stat. § 43A.191]] eight times.[^4] The project's companion record notes how the statute's history crosses party lines. The State is defended by a Democratic attorney general, Keith Ellison of the DFL. The statute he defends was created in a chapter under a Republican governor and put into operation by a rider under a DFL governor. Seven of its later amendments were signed by Republican governors.[^2][^5] ## History ### Background After the Civil War, progressive politics in Minnesota first ran through the state Republican Party. By the 1880s that party had grown less open to reform. The Farmer's Alliance and the Knights of Labor then turned to the Democrats and backed A. A. Ames for governor in 1886. After his loss, neither major party gave them a foothold. The Alliance ran Sidney M. Owen as a third-party candidate in 1890. In 1892 it joined the Populists, who that year polled ahead of the Democrats. A Populist–Democratic fusion ticket led by [[John Lind (politician)|John Lind]] formed in 1896 and won the governorship on Lind's second attempt in 1898. Lind served one term. The fusion dissolved in 1902, and the Populists' weak showing that year ended the party.[^1] The Nonpartisan League began in North Dakota in 1915 as an agrarian organization built on farmers' complaints against corporate monopolies. It entered Minnesota in 1917. In 1918 it combined with Duluth's Union Labor Party to form the Farmer–Labor Party, which won the governorship in 1930 with [[Floyd B. Olson]].[^1] ### Formation of the DFL The project's time table dates the merger of the Democratic and Farmer–Labor parties to April 15, 1944. It records that Hubert H. Humphrey chaired the fusion.[^1] ### Feminist caucuses The [[DFL Feminist Caucus]] was founded in April 1973 by [[Koryne Kaneski Horbal]] and six co-founders.[^6] Horbal was then the party's state chair, a post she held from 1968 to 1977.[^1] From its founding, the caucus required the candidates it endorsed to support its platform.[^7] The project's time-table rows, citing the caucus's archival finding aid, record the following: - In 1977 the caucus was at full strength, with platform compliance enforced statewide. - In 1982 it was still enforcing compliance. - In 1986 it was still operating, and it continued through 2004.[^6] The project's companion *The Instrument No One Will Name* (June 18, 2026) records a parallel caucus on the Republican side. A [[GOP Feminist Caucus]] was founded in June 1973 as GOP Women for Political Effectiveness and renamed in 1975. Its platform was substantially identical to the DFL caucus's: equal rights, reproductive privacy and church-state separation. It added a standing plank to advance "progressive Republican men and women" within the political system. The companion describes that plank as the mirror of the DFL caucus's pledge to back only DFL candidates who endorsed its principles.[^2] ### Elections and legislation, 1962–2002 - **1962–1963.** In the 1962 governor's race, Elmer L. Andersen (R) lost to [[Karl Rolvaag]] (DFL) by 91 votes, the closest result in state history.[^8] Rolvaag was inaugurated on March 25, 1963, after a recount.[^9] - **1966.** Rolvaag lost the DFL gubernatorial endorsement.[^9] - **1974.** Emily Anne Staples left the Republican Party over the Equal Rights Amendment, joined the DFL, and authored the state's first [[Pay equity|pay equity]] law.[^10] That November, after Watergate, the DFL won a landslide in Minnesota.[^11] Governor Wendell Anderson was re-elected, and the party held all statewide offices.[^12] - **1978.** In the November 7, 1978 election the DFL lost 32 state House seats, producing a 67–67 split.[^13] The *Star Tribune* attributes the loss to the party's handling of the 1976 U.S. Senate appointment, in which Anderson appointed himself.[^14] - **1998 governorship.** On November 3, 1998, [[Jesse Ventura]] of the Reform Party won the governorship in a three-way race. He defeated Hubert H. Humphrey III (DFL) and Coleman (R).[^15] - **1998 impeachment vote.** On December 19, 1998, the House impeached President Clinton (H. Res. 611). Minnesota's delegation split six DFL members voting no and two Republicans voting yes.[^16] - **2002.** On June 27, 2002, the Supreme Court struck down Minnesota's announce clause in *Republican Party of Minnesota v. White*, 536 U.S. 765, in an opinion by Justice Scalia.[^17] ## Party organization A state central committee governs the party. It is drawn from representatives of each of Minnesota's congressional districts, and it adopts the platform, chooses party officers and conducts other business under a party constitution and bylaws.[^1] The DFL also runs community caucuses organized by constituency rather than by place. Wikipedia lists sixteen: - African American, Asian Pacific American, Hmong American, Latino (Movimiento), Native People's and Somali American - Disability, Feminist, Muslim, Senior, Stonewall DFL, Veterans and Minnesota Young DFL - Environmental, Progressive and Rural[^1] ## Voter base Wikipedia describes the party's support as coming from urban and suburban voters, working-class voters, organized labor, environmentalists and other progressive constituencies. That support is concentrated in the Twin Cities area. Since 2016 the party has lost ground in former strongholds such as the Iron Range.[^1] ## Current elected officials **Federal.** The DFL's U.S. senators are [[Amy Klobuchar]] and [[Tina Smith]].[^1] **Statewide.** The statewide officeholders are: - Governor [[Tim Walz]] - Lieutenant Governor [[Peggy Flanagan]] - Secretary of State [[Steve Simon]] - [[state auditor|State Auditor]] Julie Blaha - Attorney General [[Keith Ellison]][^1] **Legislature.** The party's legislative leaders are: - President of the Senate: [[Bobby Joe Champion]] (since 2023) - Senate majority leader: [[Erin Murphy (Minnesota politician)|Erin Murphy]] (since 2024) - House minority leader: [[Zack Stephenson]] (since 2025)[^1] **Mayors.** DFL mayors are Jacob Frey of [[Minneapolis]] (since 2018), Kaohly Her of Saint Paul (since 2026) and Roger Reinert of Duluth (since 2024).[^1] ## Leadership Richard Carlbom has chaired the party since 2025. He succeeded Ken Martin, who served from 2011 to 2025.[^1] Through 1975 the party constitution provided for a separately elected chairman and chairwoman, and only the chairman was paid. In the mid-1970s the party renamed the posts chair and associate chair. It required both to be salaried and to be held by persons of opposite sex.[^1] Past state chairs include: - Koryne Kaneski Horbal (1968–1977) - Claire Rumpel (1978–1979) - [[Mike Hatch]] (1980–1983) - Mary Monahan (1983–1985) - Ruth Stanoch (1985–1989) - Todd Otis (1990–1993) - Rick Stafford (1993–1995) - Mark Andrew (1995–1997) - Richard Senese (1997–1999) - Mike Erlandson (1999–2005) - Brian Melendez (2005–2011)[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - **Hubert H. Humphrey** chaired the 1944 fusion, according to the project's time table.[^1] - **Emily Anne Staples** (DFL from 1974) authored the first pay equity law.[^10] - **Ember Reichgott Junge** (DFL-New Hope) was lead Senate author of the 1991 charter school bill, enacted as Laws 1991, chapter 265.[^18] - **Governor Tim Walz** (DFL) was in office when the two 2019 and 2023 session laws described below amended §43A.191.[^19][^5] - **Attorney General Keith Ellison** (DFL) is the State's attorney general in the pending federal action.[^1][^2] ### What **Federal litigation.** The United States filed *United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn.), on January 14, 2026, under Title VII of the [[Civil Rights Act of 1964]]. The complaint cites §43A.191 eight times. Among the provisions it cites is subdivision 3(c), which requires an agency to explain its reason for hiring a non-affirmative candidate.[^4] The Department's release names the case in its title as an action against Minnesota's "'Affirmative Action' Regime." The release also states that Attorney General Pamela Bondi certified the case as a matter of general public importance.[^3] The record contains no ruling in the case. **The word "regime."** The project's catalogue of U.S.-government "regime" usages (*[[How Minnesota Got Here]]*, note 40) finds Minnesota the only U.S. state so described. For comparison, the catalogue cites the [[Iraq Liberation Act]] of 1998 (Pub. L. 105-338), which states a policy of supporting efforts to remove "the regime headed by Saddam Hussein."[^20] **Related Supreme Court ruling.** In *[[Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services]]*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025), the Supreme Court held that Title VII's disparate-treatment provision "draws no distinctions between majority-group plaintiffs and minority-group plaintiffs." The Court rejected the Sixth Circuit's heightened "background circumstances" rule for majority-group plaintiffs.[^21] **Statutory history.** The project's master record traces the history of §43A.19 and §43A.191 against the Revisor's history line:[^5][^19] - **1981:** the statute originated as a chapter under Governor Quie (R). - **1985:** it received a rider under Governor Perpich (DFL). - **After 1985:** it was amended thirteen times, seven of them under Republican governors, with no repeal. Two session laws signed under Walz, 1Sp2019 c 10 and 2023 c 62, each amended in a single enactment both statutes the master identifies as instruments in federal suits: §43A.191 and §201.091, the voter-list statute. The master states that the 2023 law added the governor-escalation sentence to §43A.191. It found this by comparing the 2022 and 2025 texts directly.[^19][^5] **Two readings.** The master sets two readings side by side. The defense reading is that the load-bearing instruments are 34–46 years older than the administration sued over them, and that most were maintained by the opposing party. The prosecution reading is that across fifty-five years the system added provisions without removing an exemption. The master then states that it "asserts the count and reserves the inference."[^19] ### When - **1944, April 15:** the Democratic and Farmer–Labor parties merge into the DFL.[^1] - **1973, April:** the DFL Feminist Caucus is founded.[^6] - **1978, November 7:** the DFL loses 32 state House seats.[^13] - **1981 and 1985:** the Quie chapter and the Perpich rider establish the §43A.19/.191 machinery.[^19] - **1998, November 3:** Ventura is elected governor.[^15] - **2019 and 2023:** session laws 1Sp2019 c 10 and 2023 c 62 amend §43A.191.[^19][^5] - **2026, January 14:** *United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273, is filed.[^4] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia, *Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party* (rev. 1381020637, retrieved 2026-10-27) — formation, officeholders, organization, caucuses, voter base, chairs; time-table row TL-0006 (merger date, Humphrey). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Democratic%E2%80%93Farmer%E2%80%93Labor_Party [^2]: *The Instrument No One Will Name* (densified, 2026-06-18), validated source passage — 2025 power-sharing terms; GOP Feminist Caucus founding and platform; party sequence of §43A.191 creation, rider, amendments and defense. [^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, *United States Department of Justice Files Lawsuit Against Minnesota's 'Affirmative Action' Regime*, release No. 26-21 (Jan. 14, 2026) — title of release; Bondi certification. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/united-states-department-justice-files-lawsuit-against-minnesotas-affirmative-action-regime [^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, *Complaint, United States v. State of Minnesota*, No. 0:26-cv-00273 (D. Minn. filed Jan. 14, 2026) — Title VII claims; eight citations of § 43A.191, including subd. 3(c). https://www.justice.gov/crt/media/1423361/dl [^5]: Office of the Revisor of Statutes, *Minn. Stat. § 43A.191* (current) — statutory text and history line. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/43A.191 [^6]: Minnesota Historical Society, *DFL Feminist Caucus records* (finding aid) — 1973 founding; time-table rows for 1977, 1982, 1986. https://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/00173.xml [^7]: MinnPost (MNopedia), *The Formation of the DFL Party Feminist Caucus* (Mar. 2024) — endorsement requirement. https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2024/03/the-formation-of-the-dfl-party-feminist-caucus/ [^8]: Wikipedia, *Elmer L. Andersen* — 1962 result, 91-vote margin. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_L._Andersen [^9]: Wikipedia, *Karl Rolvaag* — March 25, 1963 inauguration; 1966 loss of endorsement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Rolvaag [^10]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Emily Anne Staples*, legislator record — 1974 party change; first pay equity law. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10650 [^11]: Wikipedia, *1974 United States elections* — post-Watergate results. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_United_States_elections [^12]: Wikipedia, *Wendell R. Anderson* — 1974 re-election. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_R._Anderson [^13]: Minnesota Historical Society (MNopedia), *Minnesota Massacre: 1978 Election* — 32 House seats lost; 67–67 split. https://www.mnhs.org/mnopedia/search/index/event/minnesota-massacre-1978-election [^14]: Star Tribune, *DFL's mishandling of 1976 Senate appointment led to party's 'Minnesota Massacre'* — attribution of 1978 loss. https://www.startribune.com/dfl-s-mishandling-of-1976-senate-appointment-led-to-party-s-minnesota-massacre [^15]: Minnesota Secretary of State, *Historical Election Data* — 1998 gubernatorial result. https://www.sos.state.mn.us/election-administration-campaigns/data-maps/historical-election-data/ [^16]: U.S. Congress, *H. Res. 611*, 105th Congress (Dec. 19, 1998) — impeachment; Minnesota delegation votes. https://www.congress.gov/bill/105th-congress/house-resolution/611 [^17]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Republican Party of Minnesota v. White*, 536 U.S. 765 (June 27, 2002) — announce clause struck. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/536/765/ [^18]: Office of the Revisor of Statutes, *Laws of Minnesota 1991, chapter 265* — 1991 session law; Reichgott Junge as lead Senate author per time table. https://www.revisor.mn.gov/laws/1991/0/Session+Law/Chapter/265/ [^19]: *How Minnesota Got Here* (merged master, footnoted), validated source passage — §43A.19/.191 sequence (1981, 1985, thirteen amendments, seven under Republican governors, zero repeals); 1Sp2019 c 10 and 2023 c 62; Walz as shared-vehicle operator; dual reading. [^20]: U.S. Congress, *Iraq Liberation Act of 1998*, Pub. L. 105-338 — statutory use of "regime"; cited in the project's catalogue (How Minnesota Got Here, note 40). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-105publ338/pdf/PLAW-105publ338.pdf [^21]: Supreme Court of the United States, *Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services*, 605 U.S. 303 (2025) — Title VII disparate-treatment holding. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/23-1039_c0n2.pdf